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Dan Lanning was 2-3 against AP Top 10 teams to begin his Oregon tenure, and he was 0-2 against AP Top 5 teams. The Ducks lost a game to Georgia in Lanning’s debut that was never going to be a contest, and they lost a top-5 matchup with Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game last season. As crazy as it sounds, some were asking if the third-year head coach had a “big game problem.”
Those questions are likely to be put to bed for a while following Saturday’s result. The Ducks kicked a field goal with less than 2 minutes remaining and then held on for a 32-31 win over No. 2 Ohio State.
Atticus Sappington knocked a 19-yard field goal through the uprights with 1:47 to play that put the Ducks up 1. When Ohio State quarterback Will Howard slid to the ground as the clock ran out on Ohio State, Autzen Stadium exploded and Duck fans stormed the field.
“So proud of our players. I’m so proud of our crowd. You talk about big moments, big games, this is why you come to Oregon,” Lanning told the NBC broadcast immediately after the game. “That’s a good football team, hard to stop. Our guys stopped them tonight, they scored enough, they threw enough jabs to get the dub.”
Then he celebrated with his fanbase.
Catch your breath, Dan Lanning. Oregon holds on to beat Ohio State. pic.twitter.com/bFyuGIUqnw
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) October 13, 2024
Lanning was asked what gives him confidence in his team in tight spots, and he didn’t hesitate.
“Because they do it on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. They fight every day. I’m crazy proud of them,” he said.
The Ducks moved to 6-0 with the victory and 3-0 in league play. They now find themselves firmly in the driver’s seat in the Big Ten in their first season, with games remaining against 3 teams that have already lost multiple league games. Oregon won’t face 6-0 Indiana or 6-0 Penn State.
Oregon will likely take the No. 2 spot in next week’s AP poll and may even garner some first-place votes.
In the biggest game of his young tenure, Lanning delivered.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
