Dan Lanning slams Oregon after 34-14 Win: 'Still disappointed'

Oregon cruised to a 34-14 victory at Northwestern on Saturday, improving to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten. Yet head coach Dan Lanning made it clear he was far from satisfied with how the game ended.

After dominating their first two nonconference opponents by an average of 56 points, the sixth-ranked Ducks entered their league opener with momentum.

They built a 31-point cushion through three quarters but were outscored 14-3 in the final frame. Lanning said Sunday that the late effort did not meet program expectations.

“Still disappointed. Yeah, disappointed in the way we finished. We want to be a team that wins in the fourth quarter,” Lanning said at his weekly press conference. “Regardless of who’s in, what the situation is, you want to be able to take advantage of those moments. We had the ball down tight to the red area and had to settle for a field goal. Not able to punch that in, and then we give up two scores late. That’s not something we want to do.”

Much of the fourth quarter was played with Oregon’s reserves, but Northwestern took advantage. The Wildcats outgained the Ducks 174-47 in the final period after being held to 139 total yards through the first three.

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Northwestern scored twice in the final six minutes, first on a one-yard run from Caleb Komolafe and then on a 79-yard burst by Dashun Reeder. Those drives followed an Oregon field goal from Atticus Sappington and a three-and-out series by the backups.

Overall, Oregon was held to 373 total yards after piling up 506 and 631 in its first two games against Montana State and Oklahoma State.

While the outcome was never in doubt, Lanning doubled down on his demand for a complete performance.

“We were able to do that the first three quarters and didn’t do it in the fourth,” he said.

For Lanning, the scoreline mattered less than the standard, and he made it clear that Oregon must learn to finish games if it hopes to contend in the Big Ten.