Sunday Morning Sidewalk: Statues and Pitchforks

 

As I was driving this morning, I kept thinking about the fine line between winning and losing. Sometimes that line is a canyon; other times, it’s a single play. But that same line often separates statues from pitchforks.

A lot went wrong for Oregon on Saturday — and yet, the biggest issue might have been expectations. Dan Lanning, his staff, and every player in that locker room would be the first to say the Ducks didn’t meet their standard against Indiana. That’s true. But it’s also true that before the season began, most realistic observers saw this as a playoff-caliber team, not necessarily a national championship team. There were too many variables still in motion.

A rebuilt offensive line with three transfers. A quarterback with five career starts. A running back room without a defined workhorse. A receiver corps missing its most dynamic weapon. A tight end group that lost most of last year’s production. A defense full of new faces, untested linebackers, and a completely overhauled secondary.

And yet, Oregon started 5–0 and looked unstoppable doing it. When the Ducks went into Penn State’s White Out and won, it felt like the bar had moved. The perceived litmus test wasn’t just passed — it was obliterated. But maybe the real test was the one that came two weeks later. Against Indiana, the team we expected to see before the season — one still learning, still developing, still searching for rhythm — finally appeared.

In truth, we’ve been a little spoiled. Bo Nix arrived in Eugene with 34 SEC starts and left with 61 career starts. Dillon Gabriel stepped in last year with 49 career starts. Both were seasoned quarterbacks who had been through the fire long before they put on an Oregon uniform. Dante Moore entered this season with five starts — against San Diego State, North Carolina Central, Utah, Washington State, and Oregon State. We knew there would be growing pains; we just didn’t expect them to come against Indiana.

Credit to the Hoosiers — their game plan was exceptional. They disguised pressure, baited reads, and attacked protections with precision. Moore was hesitant in clean pockets and missed a few reads he’ll make a month from now. The running backs and tight ends struggled in pass protection, and the offensive rhythm never found its footing. Still, despite all the issues, Oregon tied the game on Brandon Finney’s pick-six, a moment that almost felt like a cosmic reset — the Ducks might somehow survive their own mistakes.

But maybe this was the kind of game they needed to lose. The kind that strips away illusion and reveals where the work still lies. The kind that humbles and hardens at the same time.

Which brings me back to that line — statues and pitchforks. After Ohio State’s loss to Michigan last year, the calls for Ryan Day’s job grew deafening. A few months later, he was hoisting a national championship trophy. Leadership, in the real world, doesn’t mean firing people when things don’t go right. It means developing them through adversity.

Will Stein didn’t suddenly forget how to coach football. He had a poor game plan, failed to adjust, and couldn’t out-talent a well-prepared opponent. That’s part of growth. Coaches improve through adversity just like players do — and that’s where leadership matters most.

Dan Lanning’s handling of Stein reflects exactly that kind of leadership. He’s not the type to react emotionally or make symbolic changes to appease public frustration. Instead, he operates with a growth mindset and adaptive leadership lens — recognizing that long-term strength is built through short-term struggle. Lanning creates an environment of psychological safety, one where his coaches can make mistakes, learn from them, and get better without fear of being scapegoated. He challenges Stein privately, supports him publicly, and turns failure into curriculum.

That’s servant leadership in motion — developing the people who drive the program forward. It’s not about blame; it’s about building capacity. Lanning knows that reacting out of frustration fractures culture, while responding with discipline and teaching builds it. Oregon’s success under his tenure has never been about perfection — it’s been about response. And this week, that response might be what defines not only the rest of the season, but the next chapter in Stein’s coaching evolution.