Oregonâs Dan Lanning: âThis game is 100% on meâ
Oregon football coach Dan Lanning gambled and lost in a Pac-12 showdown vs. Washington on Saturday, multiple times.
The eighth-ranked Ducks went 0-for-3 on fourth down vs. the seventh-ranked Huskies, including twice when they eschewed field-goal attempts inside the 10-yard line. Oregon ended up losing the game 36-33, meaning take the points likely would have resulted in victory.
In his post-game press conference, Lanning was asked for an explanation. To his credit, the Oregon coach took responsibility.
“I think this game is 100% on me,” Lanning said. “I don’t think you guys have to look anywhere else but me.”
The first failed attempt came on the final play of the first half, with the ball on the Washington 3 and the Huskies (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) leading 22-18. Washington’s Dominique Hampton broke up Bo Nix’s pass, and the Ducks (5-1, 2-1) went to the locker room down by four.
Lanning gambled again late in the third quarter, with Washington up 29-18. Oregon had fourth-and-3 on the Washington 8, but Nix again threw incomplete and the Ducks failed to score.
“The one before half is where you can say take that field goal,” Lanning said, via James Crepea of Oregon Live.
Oregon surged back to take a 33-29 lead, however. Included in that rally was a fourth-down stop by the Ducks on their own 1-yard line.
After that stop, Oregon had the ball in Washington territory with less than three minutes remaining in the game. Running back Jordan James was dropped for a 1-yard loss on third-and-2.
Rather than punt on fourth-and-3 from the 47 and try to pin the Huskies deep, Lanning again had his offense go for it. Nix again threw incomplete.
Washington scored in just two plays, with Michael Penix finding Rome Odunza on an 18-yard touchdown. That put the Huskies up by three with 1:38 remaining.
Nix drove the Ducks into scoring position once more, and Lanning finally called for a field goal from the Washington 25 with three seconds to play. Camden Lewis missed from 43 yards away.
“I’ll certainly go back and evaluate myself,” Lanning said. “It’s about adapting — the game’s about adapting and getting better.”
As you might expect, Lanning’s gambling nature on Saturday was widely second-guessed: