EUGENE – Intense emotions flooded Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning immediately following Oregon’s 30-24 double-overtime win Saturday at Penn State.
He pumped his fists, screamed and hugged seemingly everyone in sight, including his wife, Sauphia, who jumped into his arms.
“Just jacked, man,” Lanning said of how he felt. “I was excited.”
The enormity of the moment left him wiped.
“I didn’t play a single snap and I’m the guy cramping on the plane ride home,” he said with a smile. “You feel like you played a game. It’s mentally exhausting. It’s physically exhausting.”
Despite the almost championship-like celebration on Saturday, the reality is that a lot of football is left to play for the Ducks (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) before they can hoist the national championship trophy, which is their goal.
Up next is No. 8 Indiana (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) at home on Oct. 11.
“Ultimately, love the position that we’re in but only love it if we keep watering the plant and keep growing and keep getting better,” Lanning said.
So, this week, despite not having a game Saturday, the Ducks went back to work. That entailed getting treatment to heal up following what Lanning described as a “one of our most physical games,” addressing weaknesses and cleaning up tendencies that future opponents could exploit.
“Some of those we can certainly sprinkle in some wrinkles that make us different,” Lanning said.
Having the off week land between Penn State and Indiana, and the week classes began at Oregon, worked out well for his team.
“It’s a great time to be able to start school in a unique time where it doesn’t really necessarily affect us in the middle of a game week, so our guys can really attack the classroom the way they need to be able to attack the classroom,” Lanning said.
Indiana will require the Ducks’ full attention. Winning at No. 7 Penn State (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) might not have been a more formidable challenge than facing Indiana.
Last week, Indiana won a challenging 20-15 game at Iowa after destroying No. 22 Illinois 63-10.
The Hoosiers went 11-2 last season to reach the national playoffs, where they lost 27-17 to Notre Dame.
While UO quarterback Dante Moore has vaulted into contention for the Heisman Trophy, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is also in the race with similar numbers.
Mendoza has passed for 16 touchdowns with one interception while completing 73% of his passes for 1,208 yards. He’s also rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
Moore has passed for 14 touchdowns with one interception on 74.6% passing for 1,210 yards.
“They’re obviously really well coached,” Lanning said. “They’ve got a team that plays really hard. They’re getting great quarterback play. I think to have a good team, you got to have good quarterback play.”
Oregon faced the 6-foot-5 Mendoza in 2023, when he played for California, with both teams in the Pac-12. The Ducks won 63-19. Mendoza completed 18 of 34 passes for 177 yards and one interception.
“We had some success that day, but he also had some success as well,” Lanning said. “I think you’ve seen that this is a guy who can play football at a high level.”
For Mendoza and Indiana to knock off the Ducks, they must get it done at Autzen Stadium.
Lanning, after dealing with 111,000-plus in a White Out game at Penn State, said he is looking forward to hosting the Hoosiers.
“We just experienced an unbelievable environment and I’m excited to experience ours,” Lanning said. “We prepared all week for a real challenge of, ‘What is this going to look like playing in a place where you don’t have that on your side?’ Now, at Autzen, this should be something that can be an advantage for us and something that we will have on our side.”
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No. 2 Oregon (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 8 Indiana (5-0, 2-0)
When: Saturday, Oct. 11
Time: 12:30 p.m. PT
Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene
TV: You can watch this game live for free with Fubo (free trial), with DirecTV (free trial) or streaming live on demand with Paramount Plus.
Stream: DirecTV (free trial) or Fubo (promotional offers) or Paramount+ (free trial) or Sling (college football season pass is just $199). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.