Notable quotes from Dan Lanning ahead of Week 1 game vs. Montana State

The Oregon Ducks' 2025 fall camp has come to a close, as just one week remains before they'll take on the Montana State Bobcats on Saturday, Aug. 30, at 1:00 p.m. (PST). With that comes questions inquiring about an opponent for the first time in a long time.

The Ducks will open the season at No. 7 in the AP Poll after finishing the 2024 regular-season with a 12-0 record that culminated in a Big Ten championship and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. But after seeing 10 players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft and several others sign as undrafted free agents, head coach Dan Lanning has his work cut out for him as far as replenishing talent and building on a terrific season.

In his first game-week media session of 2025, he touched on his excitement for Week 1, Montana State's running game, the hiring of former defensive back Verone McKinley III and more.

Opening Statement

Lanning: Exciting week is finally here. I get to go play a football game against a really good opponent. You know, Coach (Brent) Vigen has done an unbelievable job with his team. I think he's the second winningest coach in Montana State history. Obviously, they've competed for championships, and when you watch their team play, you see why they've been so successful, right? Do a really good job disguising coverages on defense, playing with relentless effort. They have some guys that have had a lot of success, a little bit of continuity there, some good rushers. But some guys that can play football on that side of the ball on offense also have a lot of talent. Taco Dowler is a really talented wide receiver. It's been really good in the return game for him as well. Quarterback that we've actually seen before, Justin, the guy that we played against when he was at Stanford, and sounds like he has good control the offense. So gonna be some new pieces, some changes, obviously, new coordinators on both sides of of the ball for them, one that's been there on defense and then one that's a change there offensively. So have to prepare for a lot of different things, but excited for this opponent.

Montana State's rushing offense

Question: Going back to the offense, number one rushing offense last year in college football, just what makes their rushing offense so productive?

DL: Yeah, I think they present a lot of different pictures that are tough. Their guys play with some physicality. I mean, they have some guys returning up front that have been good players for them on the offensive line, but they're really good at creating hats in the run game. They've always been dangerous when it comes to quarterback run as well, right? And that's something that you know, that Justin's shown in his past, his ability to run. So it's something we certainly have to prepare for.

New Montana State coaches

Q: There's new coordinators, new faces for them, across positions. How do you kind of prepare? What's the process for that when there's so much newness?

DL: You prepare for a lot, and ultimately you try to say, 'Okay, our rules have to play out,' right? You get a lot of different things, and you have to say, 'Okay, our rules sound.' And if you have sound rules, the rest kind of takes care of itself.

Film of Montana State schemes

Q: Dan, from a practical standpoint, just how much film is there from Colorado School of Mines for you guys to mine through?

DL: Yeah, we've been able to get something. You have to work connections a little bit different when it comes from Hudl and trying to find different ways to find that. But we've been able to find a lot of film.

Opposing QB Justin Lamson film

Q: Kind of building off of that, just how much film are you able to watch of Justin from that 2023 game against Stanford, and how much do you have to kind of go off of that, but also look at some of the more recent film and how he is grown since?

DL: Yeah, I think, I mean, you look at that for an evaluation as a player, but you spend a lot more time watching scheme from, you know, coordinators perspective and what Montana State did last year on an offensive perspective, as that falls in.

Stopping the run

Q: Back on media day, you said, to play winning football, we need to learn to stop the run at a more consistent rate. With the running attack that Montana State brings, what have you been preaching to the defense and what do you hope to see coming thisSaturday?

DL: Well, just that. I mean, they've had a lot of success. They've out rushed their opponent, you know, and several of their wins like that's a common denominator for them. When they out rush their opponent, they win the game, right? So we have to do a great job of rushing more than they're able to rush and stopping the run when we get those opportunities.

Improvement through fall camp

Q: Since you you got here, I think one of the biggest themes that you talked about is Oregon versus Oregon. It's us versus us. Just how has the team on both sides of the ball kind of made each other better throughout fall camp in preparation all for this game one?

DL: Yeah, you know, I said the other day, I think we're ready to hit another team, right? We're trying. We're ready to hit somebody else other than ourselves. You know, that being said, I think there's a lot of respect for this team that we're about to play. I think it's a great, you know, first team to have that opportunity for so we will take all the days of prep that we can get. But it is, it's about us playing to our standard. There's some unknowns about the opponent, because it is game one, and they have some changes just like we have, right? So can you make sure you have sound rules again for your players and let them go execute at a really high level? And the thing that I'm probably most proud of in fall camp is there's not a day where I was like, Okay, we didn't get work accomplished today. We got better every day with this team, and they had a level of maturity to go do that.

Verone McKinley III hiring

Q: Bringing Verone (McKinley III) onto the support staff and recruiting staff, just what do you hope he, as a former All-American here, what you hope he brings to the staff? And why was this the right time for that happen?

DL: Yeah, we really care about the guys that have given so much to this program. Verone's a great example. Was a great player here, went on to have an opportunity in the National Football League, and a chance to keep playing. And I think you realize, 'hey, I want to still be around football.' And when you can have guys that had great experiences at Oregon, that love this place like we love it, they want to be back here. You know, I'm excited to see what he's going to be able to do for us, and I know that all that will come with hard work and just finding a way to make our team better.

First game jitters

Q: A lot of guys on Saturday are playing their first career start at Oregon, or their first start ever at a college level. Do you embrace that, maybe anxiety or excitement towards it, or do you kind of downplay and don't talk about it with so many guys in your roster?

DL: I haven't really talked about it yet, because the truth is, there's gonna be a lot of guys out there playing for us that haven't played a lot. But you know, what gives you confidence in those moments is that they've had a lot of experience in practice, right? And that experience, that we've done a good job of making it feel like a game, it's going to carry over.

Lanning's excitement level

Q: I know you're probably a veteran at this point, but what's it been like for you personally these past couple days, knowing that the season is right there, right on the cusp?

DL: Excitement. Yeah, I mean, I have a lot of excitement. So your favorite part of the year is getting to coach football, right? And I enjoy practice just as much as the games at times, you know, just because you get to see the growth and the opportunity to improve. But, yeah, I'm really excited to get out there.

Kingston Lola's versatility

Q: Does Kingston (Lopa) offer you guys just a little bit more of a way of versatility than compared to, there's not a lot of six-foot-five DB's who might be able to play both inside and outside. Does he offer just a little bit more than than most of guys his size?

DL: Yeah, yeah. I mean, Kingston was a great wideout coming out of high school, is obviously also a really talented DB, but he has some athletic traits that aren't common in his position and certainly help us out.

Sense of identity

Q: With how many elements that are new to this team, do you feel like this week, one game is going to be a true testament to figuring out who you guys actually are? Do you guys feel like you have a good sense of your identity from fall camp?

DL: I think regardless of result or whoever we are on Saturday, I hope it's not remotely close to who we become, right? And you always talk about becoming, you know, the best version of yourselves. And I think we're a long ways away from what we could become, but I think this would be a good starting point to assess exactly where we're at.

Closing statement

DL: Make sure all of our fans show up. I know we're gonna have an unbelievable crowd on Saturday, excited to see Autzen full again.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Notable quotes from Ducks head coach Dan Lanning on Monday of Week 1