In his last media availability of the week on Wednesday, Dan Lanning extolled the virtues of simplicity.
"I think as an entire staff we've challenged ourselves," Lanning said to Erik Skopil of 247Sports and the rest of the media. "Just because we ran it in fall camp doesn't mean it's a play we have to carry into game one."
"We carried a little bit more of our menu in last year and this is a lot more condensed going into this season of what we want to execute at a high level based on our opponent."
Fans and analysts often say when a team enters a tune-up game, "They're going to go 'plain vanilla,'" meaning a basic, pared-down offense, not wanting to show too much to future opponents, keeping some weapons under wraps.
That doesn't mean the Ducks have to be boring or unproductive. Chip Kelly's 50-point-a-game blur offense of the early 2010s ran about eight basic plays and tipped their intentions with the way they lined up the running back (Outside Zone or Inside Zone) but they did it at a furious tempo and with relentless execution.
Montana State is no pushover. In FPI ratings and other measures, they are better than many FBS teams. The Bobcats posted a 15-1 record in 2024, runner-up in the FCS Championship.
The "plain vanilla" concept is a major temptation for coaches, who are almost addicted to secrecy. As a fan I've always wanted a team to go the other way.
Curious to see if Oregon goes "plain vanilla" in an attempt to keep stuff off film. I've never liked that approach. Go full throttle. Throw as much up on the film as you dare and give future foes a thousand things to prepare for. It's the Nike "we're always on offense" approach.
— Dale Bliss (@AutzenZoo_Bliss) August 30, 2025
Duck fans want to see Kenyon Sadiq, Dakorien Moore and Dante Moore unleashed. Air it out. Give future opponents something to obsess over. Challenge them. Score points. But first of all, win the game and focus on getting better.
Since the 2023 season, Oregon has only lost to teams that either reached or won the CFP championship 🤯 pic.twitter.com/CSNaF27l3x
— ESPN BET (@ESPNBET) August 29, 2025