PROOF OF CONCEPT
The Ducks’ biggest away conference win yet cements head coach Dan Lanning’s ironclad team-building philosophy.
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(On The Cover) Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq (18) and offensive lineman Alex Harkey (71) celebrate after scoring a touchdown. The University of Oregon Ducks played the Penn State University Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa. on Sept. 27, 2025. (Saj Sundaram/Emerald)
(Right) The Oregon offensive line huddle to decide on a play.
DAN LANNINGISMS: THE BEST OF THE COACH’S QUOTES
The best sayings Dan Lanning has to fire up the players, coaches and fans.
BY ROWAN SHEA Sports Reporter
Dan Lanning isn’t one to shy away from getting a sound bite out of an interview. In the three seasons (and five games) that Lanning has been at the head of Oregon football staff, he has graced the Oregon fans, the media and the college football world with quotes that will make anyone feel like they can take the field for the Ducks.
Over his tenure, Lanning has had two different types of “Lanningisms”: some will fire up fans and the team alike, and some show how great a leader Lanning can be. Here is the best of what the head coach has had to say.
“THE GRASS IS DAMN GREEN IN EUGENE.”
This has to be the number one quote that Lanning has said during his time in Eugene. Lanning said this early on in his career as a Duck, November of 2022, but it cemented him as one for life.
While it does not call any one out, and it did not incite any controversy, it gave fans reassurance that Lanning was here because he wanted to be, not because he was using this job as a stepping stone.
This quote falls right into the first category, firing up fans and players; so much so that Nike made hats, shirts and sweatshirts to send the message out that Dan Lanning was, indeed, a Duck, and that Eugene is the place to be.
“THE CINDERELLA STORY IS OVER… THEY’RE FIGHTING FOR CLICKS, WE’RE FIGHTING FOR WINS.”
Said in a fierce pregame speech before a game in 2023 between the Ducks and Colorado, this quote got Lanning air time on every sport coverage page on social media, sport talk-show, radio shows and any outlet that covered college football had this clip of the coach in his locker room.
Oregon went out and herded the Buffaloes, taming them to only six points. The final score was 42-6 and while this game did not stop Colorado’s head coach Deion Sanders from continuing to speak very highly of his team, Lanning showed that he has the ability to back up his pregame com ments with the Ducks performance on the field.
“DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS. WE JUST HAD TO GET ANOTHER CUT, AND EVENTUALLY THAT CUT WAS GOING TO BE A JUGULAR AND THAT LAST INTERCEPTION
WAS THE JUGULAR."
A heavily anticipated and well fought game ended with a thrilling double overtime with a leaping interception from Purdue transfer Dillon Thieneman. Lanning, still feeling the emotions from beating No. 3 Penn State, said this in his press conference where he continuously praised the persistence throughout the
game by both the offense and defense, as well as the coaches. Throughout the game the Ducks continued to chip away, making small cuts on both sides of the ball against Penn State. Opening up the second overtime with a touchdown, although missing the second point attempt, put Penn State on the edge which allowed Oregon to deliver that final cut.
A game and quote that will no doubt be a moment Oregon will look back on – a motto for the remainder of the Ducks’ season.
“IT NEVER REQUIRES EXTRA MOTIVATION FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO OUT AND KICK A**, BUT IT NEVER HURTS WHEN SOMEBODY POURS GASOLINE ON THE FIRE.”
Oklahoma State University’s head coach Mike Gundy poked the bear. In a comment made about Oregon’s NIL
ey… We spent around $7 million over the last three years, and I think Oregon spent close to $40 (million) last year alone.”
What happened on the field, a 69-3 beatdown, was the answer to Gundy’s comments; however, Lanning still got his chance to respond with a comment of his own, showing that it’s not a smart idea to get an already intense Oregon team going.
These quotes show Lanning’s great ability to fire up the Ducks players and fanbase.
Lanning has a great ability to create sayings that drive in his team and, subsequently, the fans. The leadership he shows makes sure the Ducks are steadfast in their play style. It’s no wonder players and fans alike have great trust in Lanning.
(BELOW) Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning speaks about the Ducks performance against the Oregon State Beavers in the postgame press conference. The University of Oregon Ducks defeated the Oregon State University Beavers 41-7 in their 129th annual match up on Saturday, Sept. 20th, 2025.
(Saj Sundaram/Emerald)
FOUR YEARS IN, DAN LANNING STAKES HIS CLAIM ONCE AGAIN ATOP THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL MOUNTAIN
Oregon’s win over Penn State is just another feather in the cap of the coach who has risen to the top of the sport.
BY HENRY LIGHT AND OWEN MURRAY Sports Writer & Associate Sports Editor
After Dan Lanning sealed yet another signature win on Sept. 27, he made some stops around the field at Beaver Stadium.
First, he hugged redshirt-sophomore quarterback Dante Moore, who in the biggest game of his career threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns, and whispered something in the 20-year-old’s ear. Then, he sprinted over to Oregon’s upper-deck away section, waved and grinned like he did an hour before, when Jordon Davison punched in what looked like the game-winning touchdown.
It wasn’t — Oregon needed two overtimes to beat Penn State, 3024 — but Lanning still smiled. Finally, he hugged his wife, Sauphia, and son. He embraced athletic director Rob Mullens, who hired him in 2021. He shook fans’ hands, then disappeared down the tunnel with the job – only for the moment – done.
Lanning’s preseason theme for the Ducks was to “double down” on an undefeated 2024 regular season. Through a 30-24 Week 5 win over No. 3 Penn State, Lanning has accepted his own challenge by refining his coaching style and getting a roster full of transfers and first-year starters to buy in.
Lanning’s messages to his team this season have been shaped by the highs and lows of his tenure at Oregon. Throughout that tenure, he has spoken about learning from every game and the need to hone those lessons with experience.
“This program is about growth, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman or a senior, if you’re an offensive coordinator, a defensive coordinator, a graduate assistant or a quality control coach; you’ve got to grow,” Lanning said. His energy was palpable — he had some barely-restrained grins and then looked serious as he communicated his message.
“A head coach (has) got to grow,” he said. “I got to get better. I learned from this game tonight, we learned from that Rose Bowl, (and) this is gonna be an opportunity for us to grow and get better.”
Lanning’s ability to take lessons from every game has been impressive throughout his four-year tenure in Eugene; his ability to communicate them to new players and get winning performances out of them has been even more remarkable. That success was represented in the Ducks’ biggest game of the regular season when Purdue transfer Dillon Thieneman sealed the game with his first interception since the 2023 season. Oregon’s theme for the game was “death by 1,000 cuts,” which represents how Lanning has learned to expect flaws to be exposed when facing elite competition, and now asks his players to overcome adversity instead of preventing it entirely.
His players understand those messages intimately.
“It was just stacking the little things. One play here, either holding them under three yards in the run, stopping the run, having a positive play on offense, special teams, just stacking those plays and stacking those cuts,” Thieneman said in the tent.
Another part of his coaching philosophy that Lanning built up since the start is consistently enforcing the program’s standards. He has been clear that wins matter over everything, but in his postgame comments following a 34-14 win over Northwestern in Week 3, he showed that he is willing to criticize his team after a win.
Lanning’s first words as he stepped up to the podium in Evanston were, “I thought we lacked a little killer instinct at the end, and our standards can’t change.” He went on to give credit to the Wildcats and praise his team for the things they executed well, focusing on his standards.
His postgame visits, to Moore, to the fans and to his family in Happy Valley were a stark contrast to that afternoon in Illinois. It wouldn’t have been possible without his consistent focus on setting the standard and reminding his players and staff when they fall short of it.
The standard is Thieneman, running without a finish line after intercepting Allar, and ending up in front of the Penn State student section alongside his teammates.
It’s Bryce Boettcher, who rose from
walk-on to special teamer to third-string safety to starting linebacker, talking postgame about the “relentless” nature of this program and watching others rise alongside him.
It’s the freshmen, who are “years beyond their time” and emerged once again in an environment that rules the sport.
Most of all, it’s Lanning’s Oregon team, which once again has clinched a signature victory before the halfway point of the season, that says it feels no need to ask for outside appreciation but will nonetheless bathe in the light of its white-out victory.
“We believe in each other, and we had work to do,” Lanning said. “We found some flaws in our game, and there’s gonna be some flaws tonight that we find, and guess what we’ll do?”
“We’ll go correct them. We’ve got outstanding coaches, players that want to be great and that’s what we’ve got to do ––we’ve got to go attack our flaws (and) figure out what we can improve.”
The opportunity is now. Oregon goes on bye before welcoming No. 8 Indiana for its second-consecutive AP Top-10 matchup in as many games.
(LEFT) Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning makes hand motions and feeds information to his players. The University of Oregon Ducks played the Penn State University Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa. on Sept. 27, 2025.
(Saj Sundaram/Emerald)
(RIGHT) Penn State University students in the student section yell and shake their pompoms for their team.
(BELOW) Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning celebrates with a fan of the Oregon Ducks in the stands after they win the game.
COMPOSED AND POISED: DANTE MOORE COMMANDS THE DUCKS TO OVERTIME VICTORY
In front of Penn State’s white-out crowd, Moore solidified his role as Oregon’s offensive helm.
RACHEL MCCONAGHIE
Sports Writer
What more do Dante Moore and the Ducks have to prove this season? In a double-overtime upset victory, Moore, who was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, once again showed he’s the difference-maker in Oregon’s pursuit of a national championship.
“I think we got the best quarterback in college football,” Lanning said.
Now 5-0 heading into the heart of Big Ten play, Moore showed his capability to perform under pressure. With 111,000 fans in attendance, Moore stayed comfortable and poised in the pocket and helped deliver an upset over then No. 3 Penn State in their lauded “white-out.”
For Moore, in just his third year of college and his fifth start on the road, being able to handle the rowdy environment was a true test of his ability to stay calm under the pressure. Having outscored opponents 203-37 through four games, the Ducks had yet to face a truly challenging opponent this season and Penn State’s atmosphere had the kind of intensity that would rattle even veteran quarterbacks.
Saturday’s matchup was not just an average regular-season game. It was a back-and-forth battle between two undefeated Big Ten powerhouses and playoff contenders. The Ducks prevailed 30-24 over the Nittany Lions.
Facing immense pressure at the offensive helm, Moore showed out in arguably one of the most intimidating college football environments.
The redshirt-sophomore quarterback threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns, rushed for 35 yards, avoided turnovers and sacks and stayed in control. Plenty of high-pressure moments where Moore prevailed included the 6/18 mark on third downs but more so on fourth downs where the Ducks converted 5/7 times.
While not being the most notable for his run game, Moore’s ability to use his legs has quickly become a new strong trait. His comfortability has allowed him to move out of the pocket and execute big plays consistently for the Ducks.
“Knowing that I’m running with the ball in my hand, I got to get the first down … make a play for the offense,” Moore said of his performance under pressure.
It was the first overtime, with the game on the line, and all the pressure was on Moore. He was able to secure the conversion for a fourth-and-one gain of 3-yards. On the next play, he found tight end Jamari Johnson on a shovel pass to punch it in on the next play.
With the ball possession now given first to the Ducks for the second overtime chance of the game, Moore dodged pressure, rolled out and fired across his body connecting with wide receiver Gary Bryant Jr. for a 25-yard touch-
down. All on the very next play from scrimmage.
“It speaks volumes about how these guys can handle the stage,” Lanning said. “We said the white-out was really gonna be a white canvas for us today. We got an opportunity to paint our masterpiece, and those guys did it.”
Now heading into a bye week, Oregon will return to Autzen Stadium for a top-10 clash against No. 8 Indiana — another Big Ten test that could define their conference title hopes. With Moore climbing in the Heisman conversation and the Ducks pushing toward a No. 1 ranking, Moore must remain composed and poised to keep Oregon’s championship aspirations alive.
(BELOW) Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Zuriah Fisher (36) jumps to block a pass from Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5). The University of Oregon Ducks played the Penn State University Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa. On Sept. 27, 2025.
(Saj Sundaram/Emerald)
HOW WE COVERED OREGON’S BIGGEST
BIG TEN AWAY TRIP YET
Two Daily Emerald editors were assigned to cover the Ducks’ 30-24 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions last weekend. Their trip — four flights, two hotels and 69 flights of stairs — was exhilarating.
BY OWEN MURRAY & SAJ SUNDARAM
Associate Sports Editor & Photo Editor
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., ALTOONA, Pa., CHICAGO, DETROIT and PITTSBURGH — By the time we made it back to Lot 14 outside Beaver Stadium at 1:36 a.m. Eastern Time, we’d walked somewhere north of eight miles, run something like 800 meters in Chicago O’Hare International Airport and watched four quarters and a double-overtime of football.
In Lot 14, where we left our rental car, we recorded a podcast on the hood of a Toyota RAV4 and headed to Altoona, PA., and finally breathed.
Daily Emerald Sports Associate Editor Owen Murray and Photo Editor Saj Sundaram traveled to State College, Pennsylvania, last weekend to cover the Ducks’ heavyweight, top-six bout with the Nittany Lions. Over three days, we produced this experience piece, a game story, a photo story and reported live from the stadium before, during and after Oregon’s season-defining win. Parts were written in the stadium press box, in the hotel at 4:00 a.m. postgame and at airports in Chicago, Detroit and Pittsburgh.
Oregon’s 30-24, double-overtime win over Penn State on Sept. 27 — in the white-out which is billed as “the greatest show on earth” — was one of the most pivotal games of our careers. Ducks head coach Dan Lanning called it, “The best game I’ve ever been a part of.”
In Lot 14, everything felt good.
To cover a conference game played 3,600 miles from our newsroom, we drove from Eugene to Portland, then caught the first of two flights, to Chicago (where we nearly missed our connection and made that 800m run), and then to Pittsburgh. We spent the night at Americas Best Value Inn, watched the Oregon State Beavers lose in overtime and ate an extra-large Domino’s pizza.
That’s how you prepare to cover what might be the big-
gest game of your life.
Gameday began with a two-hour drive to State College, where Penn State is located. There, we found our spot in Lot 14 a field with a row of porta-potties and began.
At first, we tried to stop every Oregon fan we saw for an interview, out of the belief that we wouldn’t find that many. We found too many. We talked to a father and son from Salem and a man and his college roommate, whom he converted to Duck fandom. We met a Penn State usher who drives with his family from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia every weekend to work behind the scenes. Only one of the half-dozen is an alumni.
It felt like we could’ve never entered the stadium, maybe never played the game, and had enough stories to tell. That wasn’t, though, our job. We walked into Beaver Stadium just after 1:30 p.m.
It’s hard to quantify just how large a six-figure capacity stadium is. It’s like seeing the world in front of you, and to either side, and above you, too. It more than doubles Autzen Stadium in size.
At some point, it has to just be another game and that means routine. We recorded pregame videos, which would be published to The Daily Emerald’s Instagram account, and an introduction for our fan interviews. We found the photo room, and the away press conference tent with 10-or-so seats. We also quickly found out that, to reach the press box at Beaver Stadium, you can either wait for a service elevator or climb stairs to the top of the stadium.
Per his Apple Watch, Owen took 15,998 steps before midnight, walked 8.46 miles… and climbed 69 flights of stairs. Some of that was a sprint across the stadium to appear on Saul Galvan and Charles Martindale’s KVWA Sports pregame show (in the opposite press box), before hustling back and adding more stairs to the tally to get to the computer before kickoff.
There was one shot that Saj wanted most - a wide angle of the fireworks going off around the stadium as Penn State ran out onto the field. The shot was nearly impossible to get, as thousands of fans still swarmed the stadium, pushing and shoving into every available opening. With some perseverance and luck, Saj was able to make it up all 15 flights of stairs just before the run out, capturing the shot of his dreams.
In the press box, the focus was on a first half that flew by. In-game, the Daily Emerald produces live updates posted to its website — the first-half batch, in part, looked something like this from the press box:
“Oregon gets a play off.”
“Kenyon Sadiq does Kenyon Sadiq things.”
“Nittany Lions go three-and-out on first drive.”
“Ducks go play-action on fourth down, convert.”
“Ducks try another field goal, convert, tie game 3-3.”
“Two-minute drill stalls.”
“Halftime.”
From the field, it was more of the same. Saj barely moved, a stark difference to most games, where he’s usually running all over the field.
After the third quarter “Penn State can run the ball now,” “TOUCHDOWN, DUCKS. Oregon leads 10-3” “Dierre Hill Jr. is on fire” and 10 minutes of the fourth, the media is allowed to watch from the sideline. Again, it’s routine — Autzen Stadium allows something similar.
What’s not routine is having to plan for a field rush, then calling it off when Dillon Thieneman made the game-sealing interception in (double) overtime. From there, you try to go with the flow: take video, soak in the moment and remember scenes.
From there, you sit with a dozen or more reporters in a 10-person tent as the marching band plays, and watch head coach Dan Lanning try to explain the significance of this win to his program.
From there, you write, edit and publish your recap. From there, you take your 4,000 photos from three different camera bodies, cut to 5% of your total photos, then edit, crop and caption.
From there, you walk to Lot 14, where everything feels good.
(ABOVE) The Nittany Lions run out onto the field accompanied by fireworks on all sides just before the start of the game. The University of Oregon Ducks played the Penn State University Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa. on Sept. 27, 2025 (Saj Sundaram/Emerald)
