Oregon football fall camp is an opportunity to learn and get better, and after talking with head coach Dan Lanning, the team is progressing toward the week one matchup with Georgia.
Lanning was asked about injuries but gave the standard response that the team will not talk about them, which is commonplace going all the way back to Chip Kelly. He did say that younger players who may not have been provided the chance have had an opportunity to step in and show what they can do to help, “We got better today. There is a lot to clean up, but it was a good day of practice.”
The Ducks are working on ball control and security, an area where the head coach made clear that work needed to be put in, “Offense moved the ball well, but we had a lot of self-inflicted wounds…need to do a better job in red zone defense…we had four picks today and several balls on the ground.”
The first-year head coach was pleased with the play of the offensive line for the most part. They were able to drive the ball down the field on a drive that ended in a turnover on multiple possessions. Lanning attributed some of the mistakes to overthinking, “Offense moved the ball well, but we had a lot of self-inflicted wounds…need to do a better job in red zone defense…we had four picks today and several balls on the ground.”
How does Lanning see himself getting better now and throughout the season? That answer was pretty easy, “I mismanaged in the game situation today that I want to get better. There is still some stuff I want to keep coaching myself. The thing that will really help me be successful are the coaches around me.”
Mismanaging in a scrimmage and learning from it is far better than not learning until an actual game. The Ducks have a few weeks before they head to Georgia to take on the Bulldogs as Fall Camp continues this week. Lanning said there will be a shift as they head into game week, “There was a lot less thinking and a lot more playing and that is what you want.”
Oregon and Georgia meet in Atlanta on Saturday, September 3rd. Kickoff is set for 12:30 pm Pacific time on ABC.
All quotes were obtained during media availability on August 20th with Head Coach Dan Lanning.
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