If you've watched the Oregon Ducks under Dan Lanning, the demeanor of the head coach has been far different this season. In the past, you'd see a fired up Dan Lanning pacing the sidelines in past seasons, but this season it's seemed like every time he's shown on the broadcast, he just saw a ghost as he's searched for answers.
It's easy to see why Dan Lanning has brought that same energy as he lost his potential top 10 NFL Draft pick Dante Moore, for the season, Oregon's offensive coordinator was clearly a bad hire, and the team has dealt with countless injuries, only adding to the struggles.
While the lack of energy was explainable, Oregon fans have been waiting to see that swagger from their head coach and team for most of the season. On Saturday, Oregon fans finally got that energy they've been waiting for as the Ducks knocked off the 20th ranked team in the country.
Dan Lanning was back to his old self in the win over Northwestern
This week, Dan Lanning made the decision to fire offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer as the unit clearly wasn't playing at a high enough level. Pulling the plug seemingly took a weight off Dan Lanning's, and the Ducks played like a whole new team, even after falling into a 10-0 hole to start the game.
Dan Lanning showed he had that swagger we've seen in the past in part because he appeared to believe in the offense today. Trailing 23-20, Lanning easily could've kicked a field goal on 4th and goal from the 2, but he instead trusted his offense, who paid off the gamble by scoring what ended up being the game winning touchdown.
On the next offensive drive, that swagger was shown again as Oregon's lead was cut to 1 point. Instead of playing things safe and trying to run clock, Oregon simply said You can't guard Dakorien Moore 1-on-1, converting on a post route for a 75-yard touchdown that seemingly killed Northwestern, even as they only trailed by 8.
Dan Lanning's reaction to the play said it all as he was clearly fired up, with the energy everyone has been looking for.
Dakorien Moore GOES 75 YARDS TO THE HOUSE! 😮💨
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) October 31, 2026
📺 Big Ten Football: Northwestern vs. Oregon on Peacock & NBCSN pic.twitter.com/VuwgzoCEcB
The defense brought that same energy as well, even after allowing 20 points in the first half to Chip Kelly's offense. It seemed like the defense was challenged at halftime, and they came out in the second half looking like a group insulted by the way they played in the first half.
Oregon is far from perfect, and at this point in the season, everyone is willing to admit that fact. While the team has a long way to go, they can still control how they play each game, and the team bringing that swagger and energy was an impressive response to the way that things were trending. This college football season has been chaotic, and if Oregon could put their heads down and take things a week at a time, they could at least find themselves back in an interesting place down the stretch.
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