Dan Lanning, players break down Oregon's win over Minnesota

 

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Oregon coach Dan Lanning didn’t have to be reminded how challenging the last two weeks had been — bad weather, mounting injuries and a short turnaround leading into Friday night’s game against Minnesota.

What he saw in response was a team that, in his words, “played well in all three phases” and finally showed what its offense could look like in ideal conditions.

“Coming off a short week to be able to come out and perform the way they did, whether it was just the efficiency of our offense and our quarterback, or our defense being able to limit their rushing opportunities,” Lanning said, “there are still some things we can walk away with and get better at, certainly, but I’m proud of the guys’ performance tonight.”

Moore’s record night, shared credit

Quarterback Dante Moore turned in a career performance, completing 90% of his passes and breaking Marcus Mariota’s single-game completion percentage record despite playing without top receivers Dakorien Moore and Gary Bryant Jr.

Moore deflected credit to the rest of the offense.

“I just got to give the shout out to the 10 other players with me on the field,” he said. “With them making the spectacular catches, the front five giving me time in the pocket, the running backs opening the run game… I couldn’t do it without them. It feels great to have that, it’s a true blessing for sure, but without my teammates I wouldn’t have gotten it done.”

Lanning echoed that sentiment.

“I think it’s a great performance by Dante, but I think he’d be the first to tell you too, some unbelievable catches within that, some great protection,” Lanning said. “He can’t throw it and catch it. We had some guys that were doing a great job in catching it tonight.”

Freshman receiver Jeremiah McClellan, who caught the highlight toe-tap touchdown in the corner of the end zone, said he wasn’t surprised Moore played at that level.

“I’m just excited for him,” McClellan said. “I’m really proud of him, just all the work he’s been put in and all the sacrifices he didn’t have to go through. I’m just proud of him and everything he’s been able to accomplish.”

Asked what his own priority was on the touchdown grab, McClellan’s answer fit the simplicity of a receiver’s job description.

“Catch the ball,” he said. “Catch the ball first, and then worry about dragging my legs.”

Moore said the play was one he had targeted going into the game.

“It was a concept that we loved this week,” Moore said. “I was telling the receivers and the team like, this is going to be a scoring play of this game. I kind of just spoke it into existence… I just still can’t explain how he got his foot down.”

Weather break, scheme shift

For the first time in nearly a month, Oregon’s offense operated without rain or heavy wind. Both Moore and McClellan admitted it mattered.

“It’s been actually a clear day for us,” Moore said. “It was great to be out there with the boys and make sure that we got the job done.”

McClellan was even more blunt.

“Amazing,” he said. “It was amazing finally to get the dry game.”

With the improved conditions — and several receivers still sidelined — Oregon leaned into heavier personnel groupings, using more 12, 21 and 14 personnel than in almost any game under Lanning.

“A lot of teams think when you go heavy sets, a lot of runs and things with that,” Moore said. “But we have great running backs, we have great tight ends, we can go 14 personnel, it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, we’re always going to find a way to move the ball.”

Lanning said the shift was about using his personnel, not scrapping the offensive identity.

“That variety makes it change,” he said. “When you can be in empty and open or you can be in three-back sets… I think our coaches have done a really good job of finding what do guys do well and utilizing them, whether that’s handing the ball off to a tight end or whether that’s throwing it to them or letting them block.”

Tight end Kenyon Sadiq, returning from injury, posted career highs in catches and yards and drew praise from both his quarterback and head coach.

“He’s a game changer for us,” Lanning said. “I’m glad we were able to shut him down there for a little bit and get him back. The way he worked this week, it felt like it could have the potential to be a good week for him.”

“As a quarterback, you want to make the pass as easy as possible,” Moore said. “But sometimes they’ve got to save the day for you, too. Kenyon always does a great job making sure he’s always going to get the ball in the air.”

“Strength in numbers” and next-man-up

Injuries at receiver and tight end had forced Oregon to rely heavily on its depth in recent weeks, a theme Lanning emphasized again.

“We’ve said strength in numbers all season,” he said. “In these last couple games, it’s really starting to show up where we need other guys to step up and create opportunities, and they’ve done a great job of that.”

Moore framed it as a built-in expectation.

“It’s always been next up mentality for people that have gotten hurt on this team,” he said. “Oregon’s always got depth of players, so it’s always next up mentality… When a new player comes in, you’ve got to communicate with them and give them confidence.”

McClellan, who has seen his role expand amid the injuries, said he just wants to be “as useful as I can for the team.”

“If that’s blocking, if that’s catching the ball, just making myself as valuable as I can to the team,” he said.

Defense leans on fundamentals, red-zone focus

On the other side of the ball, linebacker Teitum Tuioti said the defensive plan against Minnesota’s rushing attack was built on fundamentals and effort.

“I think it’s just honestly just playing our brand of ball,” he said. “We knew coming into this game they were going to do a little bit of everything… but just following our technique, trusting our eyes, trusting the keys, and then at the end of the day just having relentless effort chasing the man down, getting them on the ground.”

Minnesota reached the red zone multiple times but was often held to field goals, an area Tuioti said had been a point of emphasis.

“We’ve got to be better in the red area,” he said. “Our mentality this week was different, understanding that we need to do more in the red area. We need to get stops. You can talk about it all you want, you actually got to do it. I think we did a better job this week of stopping them and putting out the fire.”

Tuioti also said Oregon’s preparation helped them handle a heavier dose of Wildcat than expected.

“That’s a new look that we got. We didn’t expect, obviously,” he said. “But we get so much practice in it through fall camp and through our own offense that not much is going to phase us. We’re just going to line up and we’re going to do what we do.”

Two-minute poise and a connected locker room

For the second straight week, Oregon’s two-minute offense produced points in a critical spot before halftime.

“You see guys executing at a really high level in those moments,” Lanning said. “Those high-pressure moments are when you have to be your best, and they did a good job of that tonight.”

McClellan pointed directly to practice for that success.

“I would just say the preparation we have, just the countless situations Coach Lanning will put us through at practice,” he said. “So we already did it at practice, so just going out there and having the confidence… to go out there and execute that again.”

Tuioti said that level of execution is rooted in how connected the roster is.

“I really do believe that we have a really connected group,” he said. “It don’t matter who you go up to — offense, defense, wide receiver — everyone is connected. Through that connection we just build trust in each other… we ain’t playing for any individual, we’re playing for each other.”

For Oregon, the win over Minnesota did more than improve its record. It restored rhythm in the passing game, validated schematic flexibility on offense and defense, and reinforced the message Lanning has repeated since August.

“We’re a physical football team,” Lanning said. “I don’t think that’s any secret. It shows up in practice. And it certainly paid off tonight.”