EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon Ducks moved to 10-0 for the first time since 2012 with a 39-18 win over Maryland on Saturday night at Autzen Stadium. But for head coach Dan Lanning, it wasn't all celebratory as he delivered a clear message: Oregon can do better.
“All right, it's great to walk away with a victory, but we know we can play a whole lot better, and I think everyone saw moments of that,” Lanning said in his opening statement. “You can't ignore Dylan Gabriel becoming the all-time touchdown leader in the NCAA—a really special moment, even if he'd be the first to say he doesn’t care. We celebrated that with him tonight, and I'm glad we could. Defensively, we had some clutch takeaways and took some risks with our backs against the wall, like Jordan Burch’s run, and the guys made it count.”
Lanning praised defensive lineman Jordan Burch, who opened the game with a forced fumble and later executed a successful fake punt, calling them “game-changing plays.” Burch left the game with an ankle injury, but Lanning did not sound overly concerned about his condition. “I think he's fine, just tweaked his ankle a little bit,” he said. “I'll have to watch the film, but obviously, Jordan had some game-changing plays in this game.”
Despite the victory, Lanning was visibly frustrated with his team's lack of discipline, as the Ducks committed 95 yards on 12 penalties. “It was a poor performance,” Lanning said bluntly. “We need to go back, look at the film, and figure out how to eliminate that. We didn't play clean, and we put ourselves in bad spots on defense, gave them opportunities for first downs, and hurt ourselves with some pre-snap penalties on offense. It's something for us to attack and clean up.”
The offensive line featured some new faces, but Lanning was reluctant to single out their performance, preferring to evaluate their play on film. “I don't think we played well enough as a team tonight, but I wouldn't specifically say it was the offensive line,” he said.
Maryland came out determined, but Oregon's defense responded in kind, tallying six pass breakups. “We knew the ball was going to be out quick, which was anticipated,” Lanning said. “We felt there would be more opportunities to create PBUs on the defensive line, and they executed that.”
One of the highlights of the game came on a three-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Gabriel to Gernorris Wilson. Lanning explained the decision-making behind that play, saying, “We liked that play from the three-yard line in our staff meeting this morning, so that’s why we ran it.” The Ducks also utilized some unconventional play-calling, including a fake punt, in the third quarter after a stalled offense at the start of the half. “We were playing to win,” Lanning said. “I didn’t want us to stall in the third. We felt good about the fake, thought about using it in the first half, and executed it well, creating momentum in the third quarter.”
The Ducks' performance, though victorious, left room for improvement, as Lanning noted that execution wasn't where it needed to be. “There's always a correlation between practice and play,” Lanning said. “It wasn’t necessarily a bad week of practice, but there are areas to improve.”
Oregon's punt return situation featured multiple players vying to replace Tez Johnson, with mixed results. “Evan has fielded a lot of punts in practice, but he didn’t execute there. Gary came in with a sure hand,” Lanning said.
Asked about the uneven start on offense, Lanning downplayed any drastic shifts in strategy. “We were calling our normal plays,” he said.
Lanning also addressed whether the Ducks' lackluster performance was due to effort or focus. “I don’t think it was a lack of effort but maybe a lack of focus, which could be a reset moment for our team. We also have to give credit to the opposing team for some good answers,” he added.
On a positive note, Lanning spoke about the momentum created by Wilson’s touchdown. “Momentum is real in football. It’s a play we like, and Gernorris executed well, attacking the ball and getting a good throw. It was great to see.”
When asked about the Ducks’ offensive balance, Lanning explained the shift in approach. “We thought we could create explosive passes against them, though it didn’t really happen. We leaned back on the run in the second half,” he said.
With Oregon's schedule featuring marquee matchups against teams like Ohio State and Michigan, Lanning was asked if a less prominent opponent affected his team's focus. “We didn’t play as well as we could, but I don’t think our guys had a lack of preparation. Each game this season, we’ve grown, and we’ll learn and improve from this one,” Lanning said.
Lanning expressed confidence in Dave Iuli and Bryant’s contributions to the team moving forward. “They can continue to get better, focusing on where they can help the team and improve,” he said.
The Ducks' receiving corps stepped up in the absence of Tez Johnson, but Lanning admitted the execution was not flawless. “I’ll need to watch the film, but we had some drops early on, and Dylan could probably put the ball in better spots. We need to execute to prevent stalling drives,” he said.
Containing Maryland’s receivers, particularly Tai Felton and Kaden Prather, was another key focus for Oregon. Lanning was pleased with the result, noting, “They’re really good receivers, some of the best we’ve faced. We played aggressively and executed well, though our technique could improve.”
Turnovers were a point of emphasis for Oregon leading up to this game, and they delivered with three takeaways. “We emphasize turnovers, and this week even more so. They came in bunches tonight,” Lanning said.
However, pass interference calls were more frequent than usual for Oregon's defense. “I’ll have to watch the film. Some of them were close,” Lanning said.
“Our guys just work. I’m passionate about gun violence, but we don’t get into politics. We’re proud to be in this country and look forward to its future,” he said.
Running back Jordan James was a notable absentee in the second half, and Lanning shed some light on the situation. “We’re not entirely sure of his status. He probably could have gone back in, but we were cautious,” Lanning said.
The Ducks remain undefeated, but Lanning made it clear that there is still work to be done as they look ahead to the rest of the season. “We’ll learn and improve from this one,” Lanning said. Oregon’s pursuit of perfection continues, but they know they’ll need to be better to maintain their momentum heading into the season’s final stretch.
