Oregon Ducks College Football Pregame Quote, 10/21/2024

Opening statement:

Lanning: “All right, excited to get back at it. Certainly a fun road trip for us, and the opportunity to go play a road opponent in the Big Ten. Pleased with our the way our guys performed, and excited the way they were able to handle business, and they’ve already, you know, started attacking this week, get an opportunity to play a really good team. Coach Bielema has done an unbelievable job there at Illinois. You know, he’s a guy that I’ve followed throughout my career, even back in his days when he’s at Iowa and Kansas State and Wisconsin as a young defensive coach, and then what he’s been able to do there at Illinois is really impressive. I’ve always felt like watching his teams, they have a clear identity. They don’t beat themselves. They play really hard. They’re physical. I think all those things show up with this team as well. They’re playing really good football right now. So certainly a fun challenge for us. And again, expecting our fans to make an impact on this game make our environment really special, like they have all season. I think that’ll be a benefit to us as we step out on the field on Saturday.”

Q: After watching the tape, how do you think your defense performed on Friday?

Lanning: “I think we had some really good moments. More proud of some guys upholding the standard when they got their opportunity to play. You know, sometimes games like that, you always want to give opportunities for guys to continue to develop and grow. And we had some guys that stepped in on the field that I thought played well when they got their opportunities. There’s plenty of things though, that, you know, looking at that game that we can go attack and improve on.”

Q: What’s been the difference between a 5-7 Illinois team last year to a 6-1 team this year?

Lanning: “Well, I mean, they’re doing an unbelievable job attacking the ball and protecting the ball. I think the quarterbacks throwing one interception this season, you know, I think they’ve had eight picks on defense and caused 10 fumbles on defense. So they’re a team that swarms. When you can win the turnover margin, you’re going to have a lot of success. They’ve out rushed several of their opponents when you can, you know, win the physical battle up front as far as being able to move the ball. They’re really sound in special teams. Do a really good job in special teams and have dynamic returns. So I think all those things, they’re playing really complimentary football. And their quarterback is athletic. They have two good wideouts tha do a really good job. So they are a balanced team. And when you have good balance, it’s hard to take away team strengths.”

Q: What do you think of Illinois’ receivers, specifically Pat Bryant?

Lanning: “I think they’re really talented. But, both sides at wideout. Outside, Bryant as well, Zakhari Franklin as well. I mean, those guys are really talented players. They do a good job of utilizing their tight end so they have good passing attack. And one of the things they probably show that they can do the best is throwing the ball over the top. They do a really good job on the nine ball and the fade ball. Those guys adjust to it well, and they take shots down the field, which makes it a challenge.”

Q: How similar is what Illinois OC Barry Lunney Jr. doing after his crossover at UTSA with Will Stein?

Lanning: “I think you see flavors. They fit similar; obviously, they both come from a similar tree. And there’s some pieces there that there’s a little bit of carryover from what Will does for us and what you know Barry’s doing there for them. But I also think there’s some identity pieces that you can say, ‘Okay, you can see that that’s coming from the head coach.’ And I think all great offensive coaches do a good job of cherry picking things that their team does well and other things that people are doing across the league. So I would say that they’ve morphed a little bit from exactly who they were at UTSA before, just like Will’s kind of morphed and our offense has morphed here at Oregon.”

Q: What have you seen from QB Luke Altmyer?

Lanning: “Yeah, I just think he’s a guy that causes a lot of issues with his athleticism and his ability. He’s been able to extend plays. He’s got great feet so he can run. I think that’s always a challenge defensively. When you’re defending a guy that can also run and throw the ball extremely well, but he’s been a good decision maker. You don’t get to this point in the season and only have one interception and be a bad decision maker. So he gives his guys an opportunity to go make plays on the ball. I think they do a really good job calling a game for him and allowing him to play within the system. And then he does a great job with his feet when those opportunities are taken away.”

Q: Is there an injury update on Terrance Ferguson, Jordan Burch, or Matthew Bedford?

Lanning: “Yeah, wait as the season goes here and how the week goes, to see where those guys are at and if they’re available for us this weekend.”

Q: Your thoughts on Illinois’ offensive line?

Lanning: “I think again, it goes that they have proven to be a physical team that’s interested in and making sure they can establish the run. They do a great job of that and keeping balance, even when, you know, they’ve had, at times, a hard time establishing it, they’ve always made sure they always go to it and they don’t give up on the run game. And that’s been something that’s been something that’s created a lot of success for them, but it’s a group that plays really well together. You know, they’re you can tell they’re in sync, and they do a really good job.”

‚ÄåQ: What makes Gabe Jacas so disruptive on their defense?

Lanning: “I just think, if you just turn on the film, you see relentless effort from this defense consistently. Even when balls might get down the field on them, you see the way they chase the ball, attack the ball. They’re consistently attacking the ball, and you can tell they preach it. That’s not something that happens on accident. And he’s certainly one of those guys that does that.”

Q: What does it mean for you to bring Oregon back to No. 1 for the first time in 12 years?

Lanning: “Who cares?”

Q: Where did the “blur” phrase come from in the receiving room?

Lanning: “I think we’d have to pull out Webster’s Dictionary here to figure out the context. But for us, it’s a deep ball that’s connected, right, and I don’t know where it started, but whenever we connect on one, that’s what we pull out.”

‚ÄåQ: What is your relationship with Illinois’ special teams coordinator Robby Discher?

Lanning: “We never, we never lived together, but we’re really good friends. Went to college together. He went to high school with my wife. So certainly I’ve known Robby for a long, long long time and stayed good friends throughout the profession. He’s doing a really good job.”

Q: How do you get your team to avoid the pressures of being the No. 1 ranked team in the nation?

Lanning: “I think it’s really simple for us when our messaging hasn’t changed the entire year. You don’t sit halfway through a meal and say you’re done eating when there’s still a lot of food left on the plate. You know, that’s where we’re at. We’re at the midpoint of the season. We’re not done yet. There’s a lot of things that we still want to accomplish, so that doesn’t really matter for us.”