STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — He met Penn State coach James Franklin at midfield, slapped hands and gave his counterpart a short hug. Then he had a quick moment of quietude before his postgame interview on NBC.
Dan Lanning let out a primal scream.
Celebration? Of course.
Catharsis? You bet.
“We said the ‘White Out’ was really going to be a white canvas for us today,” Lanning said. “We get an opportunity to paint our masterpiece and those guys did it.”
The emotion you saw from Lanning on TV was real. His team rolled into one of the most hostile settings in college football, built a two-score lead, blew it, and pulled out a 30-24 double-overtime win anyway.
Let it out, Dan. You wild soul.
Guessing that Oregon fans everywhere were screaming right along with you.
Penn State had the tailgaters, the band, the tradition, the white…
So much white.
No matter.
“I think that’s the best game I’ve ever been a part of,” Lanning said.
Lanning sprinted to the northeast corner of Penn State’s Beaver Stadium, raised his arms in triumph and pointed to the Oregon fans at the top reaches of the stadium. His wife leapt into his arms.
Then, Oregon’s fourth-year coach found his boss, Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens. The two men hugged tightly. And over the din of the celebration, Lanning yelled in the AD’s ear, “You weren’t nervous were you?”
Nervous? Uh, no way.
Never a doubt.
Not when the Ducks’ defense gave up two fourth quarter touchdowns after stymying the Nittany Lions through the first three quarters. Not when Penn State went up 24-17 in overtime and 20-year-old Dante Moore faced a fourth-and-1 from the 5-yard line. Not when Moore delivered a perfect strike on the first play of double overtime only to have his two-point attempt intercepted.
Not one single doubt, no sir.
At least not once Purdue transfer Dillon Thieneman snagged Drew Allar’s pass from the sky in the second overtime.
“My watch is going off,” Mullens exclaimed, glancing at the technology on his wrist and then tapping at his chest.
But here’s what else should not be doubted: The Oregon Ducks are right back where they spent all last year: In the driver’s seat in the Big Ten.
Ohio State still have to play Penn State and play at Michigan. Penn State must travel to Columbus and host Indiana. The Hoosiers are coming to Eugene in two weeks, too.
The Ducks’ biggest test is now behind them.
And after running the table last year before reaching the national quarterfinal, they look capable of pushing it even further.
This is the team that Phil Knight has called the best in Oregon history, remember?
It can also now boast what has to be considered the most impressive win of Lanning’s three-plus years in Eugene.
Knocking off Ohio State at Autzen Stadium last year was historic. But it came at home. It required some luck. Saturday’s win validated Lanning’s program in a way no other performance has.
Oregon has now won its first 12 conference games since joining the Big Ten. It has emerged victorious from Michigan Stadium, Camp Randall and now Beaver Stadium.
Does the West Coast curiosity have your attention yet?
There would have been no shame in coming into Happy Valley and losing in the White Out game at night.
Instead, they ground out yards and first downs. They converted on five of seven fourth down attempts.
Moore delivered in the biggest game of his career. He completed 29 of 39 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns. He also helped the Ducks convert five of seven fourth-down conversions, none bigger than when the Ducks faced fourth-and-one from the five in overtime, trailing 24-17.
Moore kept the ball up the middle for the first down and on the next play found Jamari Johnson for the game-tying touchdown.
“I think we’ve got the best quarterback in college football,” Lanning said.
Is he good enough to lead the Ducks to a national title? That is the goal, after all.
There is a whole lot of season left. There are more than two months before the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis. But traveling to Penn State was the biggest test on Oregon’s regular season schedule.
The Ducks still must deal with Indiana, but that’s at home.
They have to go to Iowa, but after Saturday that feels manageable.
Especially if Tosh Lupoi’s defense can play like this for the duration.
It stopped up the run against the same two running backs who went for nearly 300 yards against the Ducks in last year’s Big Ten championship. Before the Nittany Lions went 75 yards in four plays for its first touchdown in the fourth quarter, Penn State had managed just 47 yards rushing. Total. They finished the game with 139.
The defensive front hounded Allar, sacking him twice.
The problem with packing 111,015 fans into your stadium, as Penn State did on Saturday, is that when they boo the home team, it gets loud.
Franklin will have to answer for this game for a long time here in Happy Valley.
Don’t worry about it, James. Some days you’re the masterpiece, some days you’re the canvas.
Doesn’t that just make you want to scream?