The No. 1 Oregon Ducks accomplished their mission on Saturday, as they defeated the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions 45-37 on Saturday to not only secure the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, but also to win the Big Ten Championship in their first year with the conference.
The victory improved their record to 13-0 on the season, keeping the Ducks as the lone undefeated team in the FBS, as they carry on an electric season, defying the odds after moving from the PAC-12 to the Big Ten.
Heading into the season, many assumed the Ducks would be one of the best teams in the country. After all, they had just narrowly missed out on the College Football Playoff a season ago, losing to the Washington Huskies in the PAC-12 Championship Game, which sent them to the Fiesta Bowl.
In head coach Dan Lanning’s first year with the program back in 2022, the Ducks managed to win 10 games and picked up where they had left off the year before.
Results were expected from Lanning’s group heading into the 2024 season, especially with the expanded format of the College Football Playoff. But, an undefeated season with wins over both the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions leading to the No. 1 overall seed? That’s something different.
Over the years, Lanning has been lauded for exuding sheer confidence as a head coach, seen by his over-aggressive play style that puts faith in his explosive offenses to score points at a high level.
But, the one thing that eluded him was the big games. In his first game as a head coach for the Ducks, Oregon was hammered by the Georgia Bulldogs 49-3. While they beat ranked BYU, UCLA, and Utah that year, they faltered down the stretch against No. 25 Washington (37-34) and No. 21 Oregon State, killing their chances at a PAC-12 Championship.
Then came the 2023 season where Lanning’s aggressiveness was scrutinized in a 36-33 regular-season loss to the Washington Huskies in a battle between the top two teams in the PAC-12. The Ducks had a chance at revenge in the conference championship game, but Lanning’s crew lost by three in a 34-31 contest yet again, failing to surpass that final boss and reach their ultimate goal.
Well, that narrative has absolutely turned around this season, starting off when Oregon managed to pull off a 32-31 victory over No. 3 Ohio State in a battle between top-three teams, managing to fend off the Buckeyes in the final seconds to remain undefeated.
That victory included some tough late-game decisions from Lanning, as he kicked the go-ahead field goal with under two minutes left, despite being at the Ohio State one-yard line. Then, on the final defensive drive, the head coach purposefully sent out 12 players to defend a play with six seconds left in a strategic chess move that ultimately helped the Ducks pull off the victory. Lanning’s move prompted the NCAA to “issue a new rules interpretation on how to handle a penalty for 12 players on the field in the final two minutes.”
Oregon only faced one more ranked opponent the rest of the way, beating Illinois 38-9, and faced some adversity during the regular season, playing to a close three-point game in a road victory over the Wisconsin Badgers.
However, they got one final chance to prove themselves on Saturday, facing off against the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions, who were going to be a challenge on both sides of the ball.
Well, the Ducks screamed out to a quick 21-10 lead, scoring touchdowns on each of their first three drives, later extending that to three scores with another touchdown.
Of course, they faced some adversity as Penn State looked to crawl their way back, but the Ducks were the more disciplined team, got multiple turnovers, and had enough offensive success to fend off the Nittany Lions in a 45-37 victory.
Following the game, the well-respected head coach deferred the credit to his players, not only for the win on Saturday, but for being able to overcome the adversity as the Ducks navigated the Big Ten waters and pulled off an impressive feat in their first year in the conference.
“I’m really proud of our players. They accomplished this. I didn’t have anything to do with it,” Lanning proudly said postgame. “I just get to keep the train on the tracks. We have unbelievable leadership. We have an unbelievable coaching staff. And the Big Ten’s tough. I think tonight’s game is a great example of that. This is a tough league. It’s hard to go out there and win. And to be able to do what our guys did tonight, I’m really proud of their effort, to give just a little bit extra. I thought everybody gave a little extra tonight, and that showed up.
“When you get to be a part of games like this, I think you start to think intrinsically about the journey you’ve been on and being there. But what brings me joy is the people that you love that get to enjoy the journey with you — these guys up here, Phil [Knight], my parents. For them to be part of a night like tonight, I know what that means to them. That means a lot more to me than any success that I ever have, them getting to be a part of that success.”
As a result of Saturday’s win, the Ducks are 13-0 as the FBS’s lone undefeated team, and they officially secure the No. 1 seed when the final College Football Playoff rankings are revealed on Sunday afternoon.
They’ll take on the winner of the No. 8 and No. 9 game after their first-round bye on New Year’s Day, needing just two more games after that to hoist the National Championship Trophy, which would cap off an incredible year for Lanning and the Ducks.
However, even with the success they’ve already seen, the Ducks are still taking the same approach heading into what’ll be the toughest part of their season.
“I’ll be honest, this is the furthest thing from my mind right now,” Lanning said about a National Championship. “I’m worried about tomorrow, I’m worried [about] the next day, the next play. I think that’s how you get there. If you start putting the end goal in sight — I don’t think it’s any secret what this team wants to accomplish — but you don’t get there by just looking at it. It takes work. I’m thinking right now, how can we improve and get better. And there’s a lot more we can grow from in that game in all phases. That’s where my focus is at. I think when you focus on the process, the rest takes care of itself.”
It was a memorable night for the Ducks, and it was one for Dan Lanning as well, who proved that he could not only hang in the big games, but come out on top, resulting in the first piece of championship hardware in his head coaching career.
