Dan Lanning wants a very specific type of fan right now. If you stopped rooting for Oregon because of a bad start, he does not want you back. He wants the people in the locker room to focus on the field rather than the crowd.
The Ducks are currently 3-1 after a big 41-27 win against USC. They had a rough start earlier this year when they lost to Oklahoma State. That loss dropped them from No. 2 to No. 21 in the AP poll. Now they are back at No. 15. Lanning is not interested in the hype that comes with that jump.
Lanning wants loyalty, not hype
The coach is being very blunt about who matters to this program. During a Big Noon Kickoff clip, Mark Ingram II asked why fans should join the bandwagon. Lanning gave a very clear answer to the question. “We don’t want you. No offense to you. … I love when no one else believes in us. … We don’t need anybody else to hop on the bandwagon? The only people that matter are the people in the locker room, and it’s about what we do on the field.”
I love this energy. It is easy to cheer when the team is winning. It is much harder to stay when things look bad. Lanning is building a culture that does not care about social media trends. He wants players who play for each other. He is not looking for fans who only show up when the wins are easy.
The team has seen both highs and lows recently. They went from a top-two ranking to a much lower spot. Now they are climbing back up. Lanning wants the focus to stay on the work required to get even better. He is not looking for a crowd that disappears during a slump.
The team is still a work in progress
Even with a win over a ranked USC team, the job is not done. Lanning is not resting on his laurels. Per reports, Lanning said the team is “not remotely close to what we need to be.” He even said, “I’m not talking about that game anymore.” He wants the squad to look forward to the next challenge.
The recent win over USC was also a scary game. It was an emotional night for the Ducks. Quarterback Dante Moore had to leave the Coliseum in an ambulance. He suffered a concussion after a targeting hit from USC player Desman Stephens II who was ejected from the game because of that hit.
Backup Dylan Raiola stepped in and did a great job. According to Yahoo Sports, he threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Lanning said Wednesday that Moore is doing well and is healthy. However, the coach said Moore is still under evaluation. We do not know if he will play in the next game yet.
The Ducks have big games ahead. They face No. 23 UCLA at Autzen Stadium on October 10. They are also playing in the Big Ten now. Lanning is looking at the future of the program. He wants to see this team reach the national championship game. That is the big goal for this group of players.
Some experts see the potential here. According to Yahoo Sports, Kirk Herbstreit thinks the team is back. On College GameDay, Herbstreit posted on X that “Oregon stock is going up.” He believes the win over the Trojans proves they are a real threat. But Lanning is staying grounded. He knows the road ahead is long and tough.
