What Dan Lanning Said After Oregon Ducks' First Fall Scrimmage

Opening Statement:

“Really solid first scrimmage. Walked away healthy, which is always not a plus here in fall camp, being able to attack. I think defense probably won the day today. Eliminate some explosive plays. Did a good job. In situational defense overall were able to hit some positive kicks. Overall, protected the ball relatively well on the offensive side of the ball, but certainly a physical day and a good day for both units.”

The Reaction To The Daylen Austin Ruling:

“We’re always evaluating. We were multiple guys in multiple positions, but at first, I had to get a little bit more clarification on what exactly that all meant. There's still a road ahead of us, in some ways, with this, this whole process, but I support Daylen. Going to let the process continue to play out,” Lanning said.

“Excited for him, and what's ahead of us. He's had a really, really good fall camp. I know he's an outstanding young man, so I'm glad he's a part of our team. But obviously, this process still has time that it has to play out, and we'll see how it plays out and be ready to adapt and react as needed.”

How He Creates An Intense Environment To Prepare The Freshman:

“Confidence comes from success, right? So, you gotta find situations that guys are going to be successful in, and that's always a battle, because you want that on both sides of the ball. Sitting in my seat, you get excited after a big play, but then you realize you're also upset because you gave a big play. And same thing for those players, you want to put them in position to be successful,” Lanning said.

“And a lot of times, regardless of the balls coming to you or not, we want to identify our guys doing their job. Are they running the route at the right level? Are we blocking the right person? Are we covering the right guy?”

“And those things, I think, have really stepped up for those guys, and that's what I want them to realize, is you can get is you can gain confidence from doing your job. It's not always about a big play catch or a big run or a big tackle. It's about doing your job. That's where you gain confidence.”

How Aydin Breland’s Athletic Ability Translates To The Field:

“I don't know if I know the plethora of things that Aydin could do. That being said, I know I definitely seen him do some athletic stuff, and you want that quickness, you want that speed on the field for you, that ability to react, and that's certainly shown up at moments in fall camp. I think he's got a lot in him, and this will be a great year for that opportunity to come out.”

The Craziest Thing Breland’s Has Done On The Field:

“Nothing that crazy. He's a talented player. He's very athletic. I like when he's rushing the passer, man, he's done a good job of being a sub rusher for us now at the times on third downs, he's shown the ability to anchor on first and second, which is something we needed to see show up from him. He's grown a lot, and there's still a lot of room for growth, but I think he's going to be a really talented player for us.”

One Of His Proudest Moments Through Fall Camp:

“As you say, like we had an overtime period the other day, and the energy and enthusiasm on the sideline was pretty awesome. You would feel like Autzen Stadium was packed. And that's part of what we talk about, is trying to create gameday like situations in practice, and our guys have done a really good job of that,” Lanning said.

“Whether it's the juice, the energy and enthusiasm that's required, there's been a couple moments like that and fall camp, guys getting excited for the person.”

What Stood Out From Dante Moore And The Offense’s Play:

“I don't know that anything necessarily stood out, like I said, I think defense won the day. They were able to get some three-and-outs. But, operated efficiently, but we just didn't create the explosives and didn't have some of the downfield passing attack that we've had in other days in fall camp. I've come in here before and told you that the offense won the day today. I feel like defense won that.”

How Special Teams And Punting Looked:

“I need to go back and be able to watch the film to tell you, because I don't know if I necessarily knew who was punting what I'm sitting back there with returner overall. I think our coverage units have to do a better job,” Lanning said.

“That wasn't where it needs to be today. So, whether that's kickoff cover or punt cover, we gotta do a better job in those categories. But it seemed like kick locations were good for the most part. And the kicks that we had opportunities to make. I thought we did a good job putting it through the upright.”

What Makes Noah Whittington And Jayden Limar Reliable In Return Roles:

“I think it always starts with decision-making. You got to be great decision-makers back there. There's a lot of things that can happen when that ball is in the air. And it seems simple as a fan, but there's a lot of decisions on, if this ball needs to come out, what's the hang time? Where's this where's this return need to go?”

“It's getting the ball to 25 better than trying to attempt to return. All those things kind of factor in, where is it kicked, and those guys have proven to be great decision makers, and I think that's where it starts in special teams, the number one goal for us is possession of the ball,” Lanning continued.

“They've done a good job of making sure that we get possession of the ball in those moments, and then they're both big play threats. They have the ability to hit it vertical and create some positive plays for us.”

How Did The Secondary Gel:

“Pretty good. I thought there was good communication. That's one thing that really stood out to me on defense. I thought there was really good communication. If we can get 11 guys playing the same call, you get a chance. So, for a few moments where there was confusion in the back, in there. So overall, all solids, from that standpoint.”

How The Offensive Line Has Been Working Together:

“There’s been some real positives. Probably the last four practices. I don't know if that'll be the case today. With the last four practices, they've hit their target goal when it comes to run average today. I don't know if that happened or not,” Lanning said.

“We'll have to go back and be able to evaluate it, but there's been some really positive moments there. And they've done a good job IDing the points and getting to the guys that need to, and they're an aggressive unit, staying connected at the end of the play right here.”

“They're gonna be working for a little bit tonight, and that's what's required to be great. All of our families make great sacrifices, but luckily, we're in a place where they can get up here and spend some time with us when they get the opportunity.”

The Importance Of Creating A Family Atmosphere:

“I've said before, there is no balance in our sport. So, we always want to steal moments and try to make sure we get an opportunity to be around our families. As I'm walking on the field, I'm seeing a lot of our coaches’ families down there on the field ready to greet their husbands, knowing that they're about to go in to grade film from this scrimmage and get prepped for tomorrow, and they're not necessarily going to be at home in 30 minutes,” Lanning said.

What Stood Out About Wideouts Jeremiah McClellan And Dillon Gresham:

“We've had some big, big plays. I think both those guys was about figuring out what do I need to do, what's my job on this play? And then the contested catches is always a big piece for wideouts. You have to be able to attack the ball, and sometimes you're gonna be covered. You still have to go win. I think we've won a lot more on those 50-50 balls against some long DBs to do a good job this fall camp.”

Has Anyone Rose To The Occasion At The Wide Receiver Position:

“A lot of guys have, we've had explosive plays. You name a wideout, they probably had one, right? And you know, Kyler (Kasper) was a little bit more limited early in camp, but he's been able to do a little bit more lately,” Lanning said.

“From the rest of the group, we've seen each one, each guy, step up and make some big plays in big moments. And whether that's a package call where we're able to get them in an advantageous situation, we've had a lot of guys take advantage of those moments.”