Dan Lanning and Oregon wanted to make a statement in the Ducks’ clash with fellow Pac-12 powerhouse Washington.
Lanning’s squad had impressed throughout this young season, racing to an unblemished start while riding the hot play of quarterback Bo Nix. Oregon looked every bit as strong as advertised going up against the Huskies, pulling ahead as the game neared its conclusion.
With a little over two minutes left, the ball on Washington’s 47-yard-line and Washington out of timeouts, the Ducks were in the driver’s seat. On fourth-and-three, the Ducks had the choice of punting to push Washington back or go for the first down and seal the game.
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Lanning sent his offense back onto the field, hoping to land the coup de grace. That didn’t quite happen, though; Nix’s effort to Tez Johnson strayed wide, handing the ball back to the Huskies and their Heisman frontrunner, Michael Penix Jr.
For the THIRD time tonight, the @UW_Football defense shuts down Oregon on 4th down 🔒 pic.twitter.com/w03rweiipE
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 14, 2023
All it took was two plays for Penix and his Washington colleagues to make Lanning pay:
— follow @dubs408 (@somedubvids) October 14, 2023
It was the third time Oregon went for it on fourth down on Saturday. And like the prior two attempts, it proved costly.
“I think this game is 100% on me,” Lanning said postgame.
All told, Lanning and his Ducks left six points on the board: Oregon opted against kicking a chipshot from the three-yard line on the final play of the first half. He repeated the decision towards the end of the third quarter, spurning an easy field goal in the hopes of a touchdown from the Washington 8-yard-line.
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“The one before half is where you can say ‘take the field goal,'” Lanning said.
Lanning’s aggressive mindset has earned him a few admirers during his short tenure in Eugene. But it has bordered on reckless at times, namely against the Huskies.
In last year’s matchup, Lanning opted to go for it on fourth-and-one with the game level at 34, a little over a minute left and the ball on the Ducks’ 34-yard line. Penix and the Huskies took over, picking up a bit of yardage before sinking a game-winning field goal with 51 seconds left.
The fact that Oregon fell to the same opponent in such a similar way had plenty of Ducks fans seeing blue. And it had Lanning vowing to make the requisite improvements going forward.
“I’ll always go back and evaluate myself and say what can I do different?” Lanning added. “The game is about adapting and where to be better.”
That will have to come next year, though. Because at present, it looks like Lanning’s miscues may have cost the Ducks their one shot at the College Football Playoff.