How Mariano Rivera, ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ and Martha and the Vandellas explain Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks
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Paolo Uggetti, ESPN
“DO PEOPLE THINK Oregon and think tough?”
An animated Dan Lanning stands in the front of the Oregon team room asking his entire team the rhetorical question. It’s the eighth week of the season and a 7-1 Ducks team is headed to Salt Lake City where it’ll face a Utah team that’s won 30 straight games at home and whose “national narrative,” as Lanning puts it, is one of being tough to beat.
“What’s the narrative on us?” Lanning continues. “Flashy.”
Oregon, with its Nike partnership, history of teams with offensive firepower and equally bold uniforms, has come to represent a certain kind of football, a certain kind of program, over the years. Whether you want to define it as flashy or otherwise, it’s no secret that effective marketing combined with success has turned the Ducks into a national brand. What that brand is exactly depends on who you ask.
“People don’t think you’re tough?” Lanning asks.
All you have to do is watch Lanning speak — sometimes yell — to realize he cuts against that very grain. And all you have to do is watch Oregon these past two seasons to realize that very same approach Lanning embodies has permeated throughout the program.
“He’s developed a culture of toughness,” offensive coordinator Will Stein told ESPN. “I mean his program’s built on toughness, mental and physical.”
It’s not that Lanning eschews flash, confidence or even, at times, arrogance, in place for the traditional idea of a buttoned-up college coach. In fact, the 37-year-old appears to embrace those outward displays of emotion and pride more than most. Just take a look at the speech he gave (and presumably allowed to be aired) during the Ducks’ commanding win over Colorado, where he said Oregon was a team “rooted in substance, not flash.” Since then, Oregon has arguably showcased both while backing it up with results.
Or how he gives the outside world glimpses, even if curated, of his coaching style and approach through cinematic recaps Oregon’s video department releases following every game this season.
Lanning stepped into the job in December 2021 and proceeded to give Oregon a new identity as it heads to the Big Ten next season by utilizing an approach that has resonated throughout the program.
“He’s a players’ coach,” wide receiver Tez Johnson said, referring to Lanning’s ethos to give players a voice, even in-game decision-making. “He’s the best coach in the country and anybody can come and argue with it, but he’s the best.”
Lanning isn’t without his young coaching mistakes, but two seasons in, he has Oregon playing like one of the best teams in the country, is a win over Washington away from a Pac-12 title and has a likely shot at the College Football Playoff.
“He’s got a relentless consistency,” quarterback Bo Nix said of Lanning. “I don’t think he has ever had a day where he’s been complacent.”
MARIANO RIVERA. “Top Gun: Maverick.” Martha and the Vandellas.
What do those three things have in common?
The answer is nothing. But somehow, all three have found their way into being a part of Oregon’s season thanks to Lanning.
Lanning, his players and fellow coaches say, is someone who lives and breathes football, while also constantly wanting to tether parts of the game to his real-life interests. A movie and music buff, it’s no surprise some of those pop cultural references make their way into team meetings and motivational material.
As their final regular-season cinematic recap showed last week, the theme was putting an emphasis on closing out games and seasons — something the Ducks did not do last season in Lanning’s first year.
It hasn’t been all sunshine and roses in Eugene for Lanning. His first game in Oregon colors was a 49-3 blowout at the hands of his former team. Later on that season, he found himself having to answer questions about his late-game management and decision-making multiple times, especially after a 3-point loss to Washington and a fourth-quarter letdown to their rival, Oregon State.
This year, there’s been a clear evolution despite some remaining growing pains. After a failed attempt at a fourth-and-3 near midfield with two minutes left against Washington, Oregon, which was up by 4 points at the time, eventually lost by 3, and Lanning took the blame.
“This game’s 100% on me,” Lanning said. “I don’t think you guys have to look anywhere else but me.”
Still, Lanning has done his best to use any failures to his team’s advantage and is likely going to do so again ahead of a rematch with the Huskies. In the lead-up to its rivalry game against the Beavers this season, the TVs around the team’s practice facility played last year’s fourth quarter against OSU — where Oregon allowed 21 points to cough up an 18-point lead — on a loop. In the eventual recap of the week on YouTube, shots showed images of billboards Oregon State had put up all season declaring it “Won in the Trenches” — images that were then printed out by Oregon and taped all over the team’s facility.
“They don’t have respect for you,” Lanning said. “We played three quarters last year. It’s time to play four quarters.”
Closing, then, was what Lanning wanted to harp on. So, of course, he brought up Rivera. He explained his prolific ability to deliver in high-stakes situations and secure wins late in games. That was his job; now it was Oregon’s job to ensure it wouldn’t repeat last year’s letdown to Oregon State and close out its season with a win.
But the comparison didn’t stop there. Lanning showed a video of Rivera walking out to “Enter Sandman” — the longtime Yankees closer’s patented walkout song — and said the Ducks would have their own closer’s song too: “Nowhere to Run” by Martha and the Vandellas.
“‘Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide,'” Lanning said. “In the fourth quarter, when you hear this, you’ll know what time it is,”
Sure enough, with Oregon up 24-7 on OSU last Friday night heading into the fourth quarter and on its way to a 31-7 win, the Autzen Stadium speakers began to blare a now-familiar tune.
Nowhere to run to, baby (nowhere to run, nowhere to hide)
Nowhere to hide (ooh-ooh-ooh)
Got nowhere to run to, baby (nowhere to run, nowhere to hide)
Nowhere to hide (ooh-ooh-ooh)
Somehow, through pop-culture references and his own version of coach-speak, Lanning comes off less like the older guy trying to remain cool and more like the younger coach who believes being the most authentic version of himself will make him the best possible leader.
“He’s still got that young personality and still enjoys other things outside of football,” Nix said. “I think sometimes we see head coaches as strictly football, but he’s still a young coach in this profession and he still enjoys other things outside of football and X’s O’s. He’s knowledgeable about a bunch of things that us players are knowledgeable about, so he can kind of connect with us that way.”
Take the unofficial slogan of this Ducks team, for example, which has made its way onto T-shirts that Lanning has worn multiple times.
“FEBU”
There’s some debate among Oregon fans as to what the “F” exactly stands for, but the rest stands for “Everybody But Us.” You can connect the dots.
STEIN’S NEWBORN SON was not yet a full month old when the former co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UTSA, got a call from Lanning.
“Do you want to be a Duck?”
Stein didn’t think twice. This was an opportunity he didn’t want to pass up.
Once Stein arrived in Eugene, it didn’t take long for him to see what kind of program Lanning was building. The word that came to mind, one that Lanning and Oregon players mention repeatedly when asked what has made this team succeed, is “connected.”
“I’ve never seen a more connected team,” Lanning said after the win over Oregon State. “I’ve never been around a team that is anxious to grow and learn even from wins. Talk about being a tough team and there are moments last year when I felt like these guys needed to bang at practice and we probably weren’t as excited to bang at practice. Now I put them in spiders one day and they ask why we aren’t in shoulder pads, and I think that speaks to their toughness.”
And whether it’s through his motivational speeches or how he’s established a curriculum of offseason “get real” sessions that push players to discuss topics and goals outside of football, everyone from Nix to Stein to wide receiver Troy Franklin credit Lanning for establishing said connection.
“Dan’s an innovator,” Stein said. “He’s got a lot of swag and a lot of confidence and it’s due to his preparation.”
Lanning’s self-assuredness has always been part of his coaching journey. His own backstory includes a 13-hour drive from Missouri, where he was a high school special teams/defensive backs/wide receivers coach, to Pittsburgh just to create an opportunity for himself. He had heard about a potential opening at Pitt and, though he hadn’t heard back despite sending countless emails to the staff, Lanning decided to make sure he had every chance to secure what was eventually a defensive quality control position by going the extra mile. Or the extra 710 miles.
Since then, Lanning has held every position from graduate assistant to recruiting coordinator to defensive backs coach, linebackers coach and defensive coordinator at Power 5 programs like Alabama, Georgia, Memphis and Arizona State. It’s all prepared him for the job he’s doing now, which Stein aptly describes as the CEO of the program.
“The way that he oversees the entire program and that he has his hands on everything when it comes to facilities, when it comes to NIL, when it comes to offense, defense, special teams, I mean, he’s involved in every little detail,” Stein said. “But he also empowers all of us coaches to be innovative and to step outside the box and to keep growing and he encourages that, so he’s been really easy to work for.”
It goes beyond bulletin board material or catchy slogans. Lanning’s approach runs throughout his staff, which leans heavily on younger individuals, too. Both of Lanning’s top assistants are in their 30s and no coach on staff is older than 50.
Perhaps it’s his age, or his experience having had many jobs in the sport, but Lanning appears to be keenly aware of where, when and how he needs help as a head coach. Coming from Georgia, where his focus was defense, there were questions about how the Ducks’ offense would take shape under his tenure. In the Pac-12, with its talented quarterbacks and high-scoring offenses, a strong offensive system and a prolific quarterback are prerequisites to succeed. So, Lanning first brought then-Florida State offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham and his former quarterback at Auburn Nix on board. Under Lanning, the two reignited Nix’s career, then Stein continued the work once Dillingham left to be the head coach at Arizona State. The Oregon offense hasn’t missed a beat; it’s the top-ranked unit in the nation.
For as much as Oregon’s brand has been about offense in the past, it has not been a one-dimensional team. In fact, according to ESPN’s SP+ rankings, only Georgia, Michigan and Florida State have a combined offense-defense ranking that’s better than the Ducks.
Yet despite the dominant wins as of late and the impressive numbers across the board, Washington still looms. Lanning is 0-2 against the Huskies so far, with both results separated by only a field goal. One more loss and it’ll start to feel like Kalen DeBoer’s team is the first-time head coach’s kryptonite. And, as Stein and Nix will emphasize, Lanning hates losing.
“He’s one of the more competitive human beings I’ve ever been around in my entire life,” Stein said. “I’ve golfed with Dan multiple times. He might not be the best, but he wants to win. You play cornhole with him, shoot basketball, whatever it is. He’s a guy that wants to win.”
Whether or not Oregon overcomes its Washington hump and advances into the College Football Playoff, Lanning is determined to continue building — using everything in his power to combine toughness with plenty of flash and confidence, as Oregon transitions to the Big Ten not wanting to give up any of its success and momentum in the process.
But for now, the future can wait. Said Lanning last Friday, “We still have some unfinished business.”
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Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
Tennessee‘s Nico Iamaleava has been cleared medically to play Saturday against Georgia and is set to return as the Vols’ starting quarterback, sources told ESPN.
Iamaleava, a redshirt freshman, missed the second half of the 33-14 win over Mississippi State last week after suffering a blow to the head. He was listed as questionable earlier this week on the SEC availability report but has been removed in the latest report.
Iamaleava practiced this week, including team periods, and there was optimism among the staff that he was trending in the right direction and would be able to play. But the final call was made by medical personnel. Iamaleava was examined by doctors for what sources told ESPN were concussion-like symptoms after leaving the Mississippi State game. He did not return to the sideline for the second half.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said on Monday that he felt like Iamaleava would be in “great shape for Saturday” and noted that Iamaleava was with the team earlier Monday morning for meetings and team activities. The Vols’ first full-scale practice was Tuesday.
Iamaleava was having his most productive outing against an SEC team this season before leaving the game against Mississippi State. He completed 8 of 13 passes for 174 yards, no interceptions and a pair of touchdowns as Tennessee built a 20-7 halftime lead. In Iamaleava’s previous five SEC games, he had accounted for three touchdowns and turned it over five times. He was also sacked 15 times in those five games.
Redshirt senior Gaston Moore filled in for Iamaleava in the second half last week and finished 5-of-8 for 38 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Getting Iamaleava back for the Georgia game is big news for Tennessee, which is right in the middle of the SEC championship race and College Football Playoff picture.
Receiver Dont’e Thornton (hand) has also been given the green light to play for Tennessee after earlier being listed as questionable.
Week 12 is here as we take a look at an SEC matchup that has College Football Playoff implications, learn about three of the nation’s top passers who all played under the same coach and see what’s going on in the Big 12.
No. 7 Tennessee will visit Sanford Stadium as it takes on conference opponent No. 12 Georgia on Saturday night. With so much at stake, what can each team improve on ahead of this SEC showdown?
The Big 12 has six teams in the hunt for a spot in the conference title game. With the final CFP rankings coming out in less than a month, what scenario looks most realistic for the conference in terms of how many of its teams could make the 12-team field?
Our college football experts preview big games and storylines ahead of the Week 12 slate.
Jump to a section:
Tennessee-Georgia | The coach behind three top QB passers
What’s going on in the Big 12 | Quotes of the Week
What has each team done well in conference play? What improvements can be made?
It has been a historic (and dominant) season for Tennessee’s defense, which has yet to give up more than 19 points in any of its nine games. Against SEC competition, the Volunteers lead the conference in scoring defense, giving up 16.7 points per game, and also lead the way in third-down defense and red zone defense. In other words, they’ve given up very little of anything on defense and are buoyed by a line that’s both talented and deep. Tennessee plays a ton of players up front and has been especially good at forcing key turnovers. In 23 trips inside its own 20-yard line, the Vols have forced six turnovers.
The reality is that Tennessee has played to its defense for much of this season out of necessity. The offense has lacked consistency and struggled to generate explosive plays, particularly in the passing game. It’s not all on redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava, either. Iamaleava has thrown only five touchdown passes in six SEC games, and the Vols are tied for 10th with an average of 7.5 yards per completion. Iamaleava, who sustained a head injury in a win over Mississippi State last week, has been the victim of poor pass protection at times, and his receivers have dropped some costly passes. Iamaleava has also been shaky when it comes to overthrowing receivers and occasionally holding onto the ball too long.
The bright spot on offense for Tennessee has been running back Dylan Sampson, who has a school-record 20 rushing touchdowns. He has been a constant for the Vols on offense and has an SEC-leading 772 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in conference play. As good as he has been, the Vols are probably going to need more from their passing game to win in Athens. — Chris Low
The Bulldogs didn’t do much of anything well in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, which was the first time in a long time that Kirby Smart’s team was manhandled on the lines of scrimmage.
The good news for Georgia: It’s heading home to Sanford Stadium for the first time in more than a month. Georgia hasn’t dropped back-to-back games in the regular season since 2016, Smart’s first season, and it has bounced back after each of its past eight losses. The Bulldogs have won seven of their past eight games against the Volunteers.
For all of quarterback Carson Beck‘s turnovers, Georgia’s problems on offense probably start up front. The offensive line hasn’t done a good job of protecting him, and the Bulldogs’ lack of a potent running game has prevented them from effectively utilizing play-action passes. Their banged-up offensive line is going to face another formidable defensive front Saturday. Georgia has 27 dropped passes, fourth most in the FBS, according to TruMedia, so its receivers need to become more reliable as well. — Mark Schlabach
The coach behind three of college football’s top passers
Miami‘s Cam Ward, Washington State‘s John Mateer and North Texas‘ Chandler Morris are three of the top five quarterbacks in total offense this season in FBS. All three have the same head coach to thank for where they are today.
North Texas coach Eric Morris coached Ward at Incarnate Word and Washington State, recruited Mateer to the Cougars and signed Morris out of the transfer portal this offseason. All three hailed from Texas and are putting up big numbers this season. Morris, a Mike Leach disciple, knows what he’s looking for when it comes to QBs.
For each one, the journey was different. Ward was a zero-star recruit out of West Columbia, Texas, played in a wing-T offense and had no scholarship offers. But he showed up to Incarnate Word’s camp in 2019 and impressed with his quick release and accuracy. Morris saw appealing traits, too, in Ward’s multisport talents.
“He was such a good basketball player,” Morris said. “He was a bigger guy who could really handle the ball and move with ease. He had a twitch and quickness about him that was almost Mahomes-esque, where he’s not fast but you see him get out of the pocket and scramble and he’s nifty on his feet. He saw the floor great and shot the basketball great.
“It might be easier at an FCS school to take that risk, but it was something we were really confident in.”
Ward came in with extreme confidence, telling coaches he’d win the starting job over their returning all-conference player (and he did). He followed Morris to Pullman, Washington, out of loyalty to the coach who believed in him. Now he’s playing on a big stage, chasing a College Football Playoff bid and a Heisman Trophy with the No. 9 Hurricanes.
“It’s been fun to watch him flourish and get rewarded for being patient all these years,” Morris said.
When Morris left UIW to become Washington State’s offensive coordinator in 2022, he brought Ward but needed another QB. On his first recruiting trip in Texas, he stopped by to check out Mateer. The two-star recruit had a prolific senior season at Little Elm High School but was committed to Central Arkansas. Morris didn’t understand what FBS programs were missing and convinced Mateer to flip.
After two seasons behind Ward, Mateer has emerged as one of the top dual-threat QBs in college football with 2,332 passing yards, 805 rushing yards (excluding sacks) and 33 total TDs.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” Ward said. “He’s just so dang hard to tackle in the open field. Just a kid that loves ball and was under-recruited. The tide’s turned and he ends up being a big-time ballplayer.”
Chandler Morris was not an under-the-radar talent, but he’s having his best season yet at North Texas. He began his career at Oklahoma, won the starting job at TCU in 2022, sustained a knee injury in its season opener and then watched Max Duggan lead the Horned Frogs to the national title game.
Morris had a six-game stint as TCU’s starter last season before injuring the same knee. At UNT, he’s leading the nation’s No. 3 passing offense with 3,244 total yards and 30 TDs. Like Ward and Mateer, he processes information quickly, makes plays with his feet and throws outside the pocket with accuracy. If you ask Eric Morris, those traits are a must in today’s game. When paired with his version of Air Raid ball, you get big-time results.
“It’s been fun to see him get his swagger back,” Morris said.
Eric Morris points to Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels. The QBs thriving at the highest level are becoming unstoppable by creating plays out of the pocket. And so are his guys.
“Everybody obviously watches Cam and the magic he makes,” Morris said, “but I think all three of ’em can make plays when it’s not a perfect play call. There are a bunch of really good pure passers nowadays, but that’s what sets them all apart.” — Max Olson
What’s going on in the Big 12?
Two-thirds of the way through the Big 12 schedule, six teams are still in the hunt for a title-game appearance: BYU (6-0), Colorado (5-1), Arizona State, Iowa State, Kansas State and West Virginia, all of which are 4-2. There are too many variables to discuss all the scenarios, but the conference has a straightforward tiebreaker policy.
It’s possible to come up with scenarios in which the Big 12 could get two bids, one bid or shut out altogether.
For the Big 12 to get two bids, BYU probably would have to finish 12-0, then lose a close game in the championship to a two-loss team (Colorado, Iowa State or Kansas State). A 12-1 BYU team would get consideration, but it would become a question of how far it would fall and what else happens around the country.
The most likely scenario is the Big 12 will get one team in: whichever one wins the conference title game. If BYU wins out, it will have a bye, but if it slips up even once — or if another team wins the title — Boise State might be in position to get a first-round bye, assuming the Broncos win out.
The doomsday scenario in the Big 12 is if the conference champion has two or three losses and Army and Boise State win out. If that’s the case, there is a good possibility both of those schools would be ranked ahead of the Big 12 champion and the Big 12 would be left out. — Kyle Bonagura
Quotes of the Week
“They’re stubborn, man. They’re physical. He is an elite runner. The runs they run are sometimes nontraditional. They run some runs that other people don’t run because of the space in the box. He’s very patient. He hits small creases. He’s hard to tackle. How many touchdowns has he got in the SEC? Twenty-something? That’s crazy. In the SEC? The SEC is the hardest league in the world to run the ball in on because they’ve got the most size defensive lineman, and he continues to do it at a crazy pace to me.” — Kirby Smart on Volunteers tailback Dylan Sampson.
“I never try to take a step back. I try to take a step up. I’m always putting my head out the window. I’m trying to see around the corner, not trying to see straight ahead. It’s normalcy for everybody to see what’s in front of them. I’m trying to see around the corner. That’s the relationship I have with the Lord, to help me see around the corner so I can help navigate these young men as well as the women that’s attached to our program to a better way and a better life. So I don’t get caught up in the ‘You go, boys!’ or the ‘You ain’t nothing.’ You know, if I would’ve listened to you guys earlier, I’ve gotta listen to you now. So I might as well just put some headphones on and block you out. Notice I don’t have a sponsor for headphones, but that would’ve been a good placement for a sponsor.” — Deion Sanders when asked if he takes time to step back and appreciate the magnitude of Colorado’s turnaround.
“I hope anyone who has ambitions about playing in the National Football League, let’s see what you’ve got against Clemson. Let’s see you play your best game here. If you weren’t focused for Virginia, which I can’t imagine you weren’t — and I’m not saying anybody was not focused — but if they didn’t get your focus, I imagine Clemson will get your focus when you put the tape on.” — Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi on whether playing Clemson gets the attention of his players.
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