Oregon Ducks College Football Pregame Quote, 12/30/2023

COACH LANNING: This week has been phenomenal. I really enjoyed the opportunity that our players get to spend with each other away from Oregon, experience a little bit something different in life. I think we’ve had great enthusiasm and energy at our practices this week. I know our players have enjoyed the interactions with each other and the opportunity to go out on the field one last time and compete.

The Fiesta Bowl has been unbelievable. At every turn, there’s an answer for us, you know, great representation. This bowl has been first class in every shape, way possible. It’s been elite. I have been a part of a lot of great bowl games, but this as good as they come.

SCOTT LEIGHTMAN: When people talk about this year’s Ducks, they start with Bo Nix. I’m going to start today with Bo Nix. One stat is that he’s only had three interceptions for the whole year in 13 games. In FBS this season, there have been 70 games in which the quarterback has had three interceptions in that game. What makes Bo so special with his ball control, decision-making and completion percentage?

COACH LANNING: Bo has been an accurate passer this season. It starts with decision-making, knowing where to take the ball. Even one of those interceptions hit our guy right in the chest. He has done a great job of protecting the ball. When you do that, you have an opportunity to win games.

I think he’s sitting here on the verge of ‚Äì he has an opportunity. I think it’s a tough opportunity, but he has an opportunity to finish as the NCAA’s leading passer as far as accuracy. This year, when it comes to completion percentage. So he’s done a good job of completing throws, and that’s where it starts with not turning the ball over.

Q. I just want to know what has it meant for you to have Brandon Dorlus and Bucky Irving playing in this final game?

COACH LANNING: You know, it means the world. As much for me as it is for them. Like, anybody who is a competitor wants that opportunity to go out there and compete. I think a lot of people will sit here and say what are you playing for? An opportunity to go play with your brothers one last time. An opportunity to win 12 games for the fifth time in Oregon history. There’s a lot of reasons to get to do that. Guys like Brandon and Bucky, you know at one point ‚Äì I think Bucky was kind of unsure what he wanted to do and I said, hey, sleep on, it man. Think on it. This is your decision. These are tough decisions to make.

And he came back and said: I wouldn’t feel right in my stomach if I didn’t play in this game. It bothered me even thinking about the possibility of not competing in this game. That’s the kind of guys, that’s the way they are wired. It speaks volumes about what they want to do and the legacy they want to leave here at Oregon when they are done playing.

Q. Earlier this year, you were linked to a high-profile job that opened in the country, and you shot it down emphatically. What is it about Oregon that has suited you so well?

COACH LANNING: Oregon gave me an opportunity that no one else gave me to start there. They saw something in me that not necessarily anybody else saw. Beyond that, there was an opportunity at this place to do some things that I thought – I had everything in front of me as far as accomplishing the goals I want to accomplish.

When you work with an administration like ours, a guy like Rob Mullens, you see the alignment within the university of the things you want to accomplish, all of those things exist at Oregon, innovation. College football is changing so fast and Oregon is willing to be on the cutting edge when it comes to that.

For me, I don’t take that lightly and I feel like I have unfinished business here. There’s a lot I want to accomplish here. Then, maybe more importantly than any of that, my kids, right? I have lived in eight different states. I’m tired of moving, right? You’ve got to change, like, license and all that stuff, all the time. It’s not fun and probably even less fun for my wife.

So we love Oregon. It’s been everything that we wanted. We get to coach great players and be around great people and it makes a lot of sense for us.

Q. Is the issue with catapult that’s going on nationally impacting you guys in any way? If so, how?

COACH LANNING: Not that I know of. Our guys are still using their iPads right now, and if somebody is spying on us, they still have to beat us. So at the end of the day, we want to be able to take advantage of our film system. I’m certain that there’s some issues there that need to be cleaned up, but I can’t really speak to what I don’t know.

Q. You have seen some of the freshmen you alluded to looking on the two deep. We haven’t asked you a lot about Solomon Davis. What has he shown throughout the season, but especially in bowl prep where it looks like he will have an opportunity?

COACH LANNING: Just constant improvement. Solomon is a competitor out there. He’s a guy that takes great notes, looks for opportunities to go compete. We have seen a lot of young guys show up in practice, and Solomon is certainly one of them.

Q. Another freshman, Jurrion [Dickey] – a lot of players have spoken really highly of him. Body type is different than it was maybe even eight weeks ago, and just his play. What have you seen from him and the value this month gives for his opportunity?

COACH LANNING: He got here a little bit later, coming in the summer, not having maybe the opportunity to go through the offseason with us. I think having this season, almost, was his offseason. He was able to get his body where it needed to be, get healthy.

He had some dings and nicks and he’s starting to really perform at a higher level, you know? His focus, his intensity on the field has gone to higher level and that has resulted in some really good plays out there on the field. I hope it shows up for us on game day.

Q. We saw Jordan Burch yesterday, certainly optimistic there. Do you expect him to be able to play? And at what percentage do you think he’s at right now with the left knee?

COACH LANNING: Yeah, we are going to always be safe with Jordan. I anticipate him being able to play. We will see how it plays out.

Q. Obviously, you’ve got one of your major coaching breaks here in this state at Arizona State. Now you are in the Fiesta Bowl as a head coach. Did you have a chance, when you are driving around, to reflect on that and think about how far you have come in your career now that things are coming full circle back here in Arizona?

COACH LANNING: Yeah, it’s been a lot of fun. This place has changed a lot in the last 12 years since I’ve been here. There’s a lot of new buildings and a lot of change. But, yes, it is certainly something you sit back and reflect on.

Being here as a graduate assistant in 2012 and ’13, and now getting to come back through a different lens. It’s still football. Still awesome weather down here. All of those things exist, but you definitely remember the opportunities that have been created for you by being in places like here.

Q. Tysheem [Johnson] told us he’s coming back. What does that mean to your secondary with him specifically, as versatile as he is, as well as the options he gives you?

COACH LANNING: Yeah, he’s a great football player. He’s talented. He cares. It means a lot to him. He enjoys playing ball. I think there’s several other guys that obviously have decisions to make. We’ll have clarity on those in the next few weeks. Tysheem is one of those guys that gets things done for us in the back and he can play the ball well. He’s a good tackler and I know he’s excited for the things he can improve on.

Q. What does it mean to you and your team just to play with the Pac-12 logo on your jersey for the last time?

COACH LANNING: Yeah, it’s a history that I think we’ll all miss and remember fondly. Beyond that, it’s really more about the O on our chest for us than that; get an opportunity to play for that. But getting to play in one of these last Pac-12 games is certainly one that we take pride in.

Q. A lot of your players, they also have decisions to make with draft decisions. What is your involvement? They said speak to coaches, speak to parents. How do you navigate those waters of just helping them get the most information?

COACH LANNING: Just try to share experience, real life experience that I’ve had with players in the past. I’ve had a lot of guys get drafted that I’ve gotten to coach. Sometimes those guys made great decisions, sometimes they didn’t.

You try to make sure they understand what accurate information looks like, point them in the direction of accurate information and then you try to step back and let their family and the people that they care about, their loved ones, help them make a decision. I don’t think it’s ever easy making those decisions.

Then sometimes you have to realize that’s what you want to do and then there’s what you should do. There’s a lot of guys that want to go play in the NFL, but it doesn’t mean that I’m ready to go play in the NFL. Then there’s a lot of guys that would want to come back and play another year in college, because they enjoy that experience so much. Maybe the reality is they should move on.

So we just try to share accurate information with our players, step back, give them that opportunity to make the decision themselves and if there’s any way we can help them, we will help them.

Q. You guys were so close to getting into the playoff, just a few plays. As a coach, how do you get that out of your system – or is it even possible to get that out of your system?

COACH LANNING: That doesn’t leave your system, something you think about consistently. It can be part of your fuel for future and what you want to be able to accomplish down the road. But I think you will always remember the things that didn’t go your way.

Q. Second time playing in the state of Arizona this year. It’s a state you guys recruited so effectively the last couple of cycles. You have landed some of the top players in the state of Arizona. What is the significance in playing in a game like this in a state you guys are so successful recruiting in?

COACH LANNING: Well, I think you said it. There’s great football here in Arizona. I think it’s only getting better. There’s certainly some great players that play here in the state of Arizona. We want to be able to come down here and get the best players from the state of Arizona consistently.

Having games like this give us that opportunity, right, to be in front of our fan base. It’s made an easy transition for the guys we have signed this year to come and practice with our team as well. It’s definitely a place that we want to recruit at a high level.

Q. Popo [Aumavae] is unavailable for this game. Him and Taki [Taimani] shared that position and rotated quite frequently. Who is next in line? How do you handle the loss of Popo and just keeping that position fresh?

COACH LANNING: Yeah, we have good players on our team, right? There will be several guys that can go in there. Most of our guys that play interior D-line can play either spot, right? You mentioned seeing Taki in there. You will see some young guys like A’Mauri Washington. You will see Casey Rogers, Keyon [Ware-Hudson], Brandon Dorlus at times playing inside. We have the ability to move some guys in and around, and that’s what we’ll do come game day.

Q. What have you seen from this Liberty team and how difficult has it been to motivate your guys to play maybe a lesser opponent from what social media says?

COACH LANNING: Well, this is not a lesser opponent, I’ll tell you that. That’s the first thing you do when you turn on your film, you see a really good football team. They lead the nation in rushing yards, over 300 yards per game. They get more interceptions than anybody else in the nation. They have a quarterback that can create explosive plays.

Several of the players on their team started off at Power Five schools, and I don’t know if everybody realizes this, they’ve won every single game they’ve played. So that’s a pretty good team and our players recognize that.

So it doesn’t take any extra motivation. You are competing against yourself every single day, whether it’s on the practice field or on the football field, and our guys understand that. But it’s about putting our best foot forward and having some pride in our performance about what we want to accomplish. What we know is it’s going to take a really good showing from us to be able to compete well with Liberty in this game.

Q. When do you feel like your team flipped from the disappointment of Vegas to being fired up for this opportunity? And how do you feel like that transition happened?

COACH LANNING: I think that’s what winners do, right? You don’t have a lot of time to cry over spilled milk. When things don’t go your way, that’s how life works. Are you going to get back off of the ground and go compete, or are you going to sit there and feel sorry for yourself, which no one else will do. In fact, most people celebrate your losses in real life. We are interested in winning. The only way you get up and win is you go out there and compete again.