Undefeated in Big Ten, Oregon somehow chasing redemption after playoff loss
Then the Ducks were dropped by eventual national champion Ohio State, 41-21, in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl to end the season as a national afterthought to the likes of Notre Dame, Texas and the Buckeyes, a team Oregon beat in the regular season.
With a pair of trophies on display on either side of his dais at Mandalay Bay for Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday, Oregon's coach shared his uncomfortable truth.
'I think every coach probably feels this way, but we always remember the losses over the wins,' Oregon coach Dan Lanning said at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Wednesday during Big Ten Media Days.
'I think there's a lot you can learn from that. It doesn't take away from what we were able to accomplish, but we lost to a great team. Coach (Ryan) Day did an unbelievable job last year of having his team in position to have success there. There's some things I think I could have done better at the end.
I don't think we played our best football. That being said, we did go undefeated in the conference and won the Big Ten Championship in our first year. That said, double down. Focus on our process. What do we have to continue to improve? There's always learning lessons, but it doesn't necessarily impact the future.'
The future in Eugene is bright. But success is going to be relative at Oregon, a reality Lanning has embraced and knew well from his background at Georgia, where he knows the one trophy every team wants -- the national title -- is the goal on constant repeat.
Marinating, and believing there is victory in the process, and avoiding the 'microwave' are themes in his locker room in 2025.
Dante Moore is competing at quarterback to replace Browns third-round pick Dillon Gabriel as the maestro of a system full of skill-position weaponry. Moore said Lanning consistently reminds him and other team leaders 'pressure is a privilege.' He's locked in a duel with fellow sophomore Austin Novosad to start for the Ducks.
'I think probably what impressed me most with Dante is not wanting to be in a microwave society, not wanting to just get it fast because there's an opportunity in front of him,' Lanning said, 'but to have the slow-cooked meal, to have the opportunity to sit back and mature and learn, learn from experiences that you don't necessarily have to be on the field to feel. The same goes for Austin. The same goes for Luke (Moga) and the other guys in our program.'
Either quarterback would be thrilled to have the security of a sure-handed and big-play tight end the likes of Kenyon Sadiq. The junior might not be a household name nationally, but no matter which iteration of Oregon uniform he's wearing on game day, opponents are fully aware of his whereabouts.
Lanning said he played some video-game football with his son before Wednesday's session, and Sadiq was a stud in the virtual world, too.
'I need to make sure I bring that up to our quarterbacks, throw it to Kenyon because he's been unbelievable this offseason,' Lanning said. 'Like I said, if you just see him work, it's not a secret.'
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