EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning kept his answers short and to the point this week as his team prepared to head into hostile territory. The No. 1-ranked Ducks will face the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison on Saturday, and Lanning said practice was progressing well in preparation for the matchup.
“Good day today. Good Wednesday. Let’s open it up,” Lanning began.
Asked why he prioritizes creativity in motivation tactics, Lanning spoke of the importance of maintaining energy even in routine tasks.
“The mundane is really important in our sport,” Lanning said. “You have to be able to do the simple things consistently over and over and over again. I think the challenge for you as a coach is, how can you make the mundane interesting, right? How can you continue to say, we're going to push and do the stuff that's really simple, right? But keep it fresh for our players. So that's always our challenge.”
Lanning added that he draws inspiration from various sources to keep his team motivated. “Anything and everything. We'll pull from anywhere, anything we see, try to use that as motivation,” he said.
Lanning noted an improvement in practice compared to the previous week. “Today's Wednesday practice was much better than last Wednesday, but still plenty of room for growth,” he said.
Reflecting on the team’s growth over their eight-game winning streak, Lanning emphasized unity. “Just playing as a team, right? Just uniquely playing as a team. I think there's been a lot of growth in those moments of having each other's back in moments. I think that's shown up consistently, whether it's the offense bailing out the defense, or the defense bailing out the offense, or special teams coming with a big play and really focused on the next play.”
Lanning was effusive in his praise of outside linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei. “Impactful player. I had high expectations for him when he got here, and he's exceeded those expectations with the way he works. It's a really good room, that outside linebacker room, he's certainly a big part of that,” Lanning said.
When asked what makes Uiagalelei such a force and his potential ceiling, Lanning noted Uiagalelei’s talent and work ethic. “Yeah, he's unbelievably talented, right? It starts there, and I think that room is really well coached, but he works really hard to take the details and execute, right? He has a plan. Our entire front has a rush plan every single week, and part of it's how do we attack it? And then number one, sack getter in any league, in any division of football, is effort, right? So you have to have maximum effort in every rush because there's always somebody drawn up to block you. You have to beat that block.”
Penalties have been a focal point for the Ducks in practice. Lanning said there was a notable improvement this week. “We had five today, we had 13 last Wednesday, so it's cleaner. But it can still be cleaner than it is,” he said.
Lanning also spoke about what led to the improvement in penalties, particularly in the secondary. “They've been wearing boxing gloves all week. So that's helped,” he noted with a chuckle.
Regarding player updates, Lanning said the team continues to evaluate Jordan James and Jordan Burch to determine if they will be available on Saturday. “Yeah, just continue to evaluate them, see if they're available. We've had those guys out there helping us. So we'll see what it looks like,” he said.
Lanning highlighted linebacker Elijah Hills' athleticism when asked what stands out about him. “Twitch, he's got great twitch. And I think again, a lot of the production for defense, it’s hand in hand, it works together. Their coverage allows them to get pressure up front, and they have some guys that do really good pick games up front,” Lanning said.
When asked about getting Bryce Boettcher to stop hitting after the whistle in practice, Lanning described an old-school approach. “There's a field goal post on the far, far end on the practice fields and he would run around that. Consistently,” he said.
Lanning, who has never been to Madison before, shrugged off the idea of sampling the local cheese curds after the game. “Probably not, just the game, just business. You guys have to try it and tell me what it's like,” he said.
The Ducks will look to extend their winning streak as they face a Wisconsin team known for its tough defense and raucous home crowd at Camp Randall Stadium. Kickoff is set for Saturday afternoon.
