After Dillon Thieneman's interception secured a 30-24 double overtime victory over No. 3 Penn State, the Oregon defense made the unusual and unorthodox decision to sprint down the field and face the PSU student section, taunting them with two-hand waves and a few obscene gestures.
According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, their jubilation over a hard-fought turned to vengeance. They faced the stunned crowd of 111,015 (second highest in program history) and shouted out "What now?" and "Let's hear it!" "What you got!" "Come at us,"
They'd used the crowd's energy to motivate themselves during the game, and when Dillon Thieneman sealed it with a leaping interception on Penn State's first play of the second overtime, that boiled over into a direct challenge.
"Allar, sideline... OOH IT'S PICKED! DILLON THIENEMAN CALLS GAME! THAT'S A WALK-OFF WHITE-OUT WINNER FOR THE DUCKS!" - Noah Eagle pic.twitter.com/NmIja5qtqu
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 28, 2025
The brashness fueled a tremendous effort by the Oregon defense. They held the Nittany Lion running game to 139 yards on 35 carries, quarterback to 137 yards on 14-25 passing.
After the game Dan Lanning told the press corps, "That' was the best game I've ever been a part of. Regardless of who won that game, just unbelievable back and forth. I mean Penn State is a damned good football team."
On the pivotal deciding play, Thieneman lurked behind the referee in the middle of the field. PSU flooded the zone to the right, and the transfer safety from Purdue came up like a linebacker to cover the back coming out of the backfield.
Reading the quarterback's eyes, he recognized the Red Zone play from film study and leapt up to snare a pass intended for the tight end behind him.
“They were doing hints about they could get to it, especially in the red zone,” Thieneman said. “That was a tendency.”
The decision to rush the crowd was spontaneous and perhaps a little brash, but it was the culmination of a long week of tense preparation. They'd steeled themselves not only to do battle with the No. 3 opponent, but the White Out crowd itself.
In the runup to the game, Dan Lanning had told them, "Warriors control the environment," a lesson they took to heart. Even so, the direct challenge at the end of the game could have turned ugly. It was a field rushing turned on its head.
Lanning said, "I thought our players handled the crowd. The crowd didn't make a single play."
The Ducks have swagger and arrogance. They play with an attitude, embracing the FEBU ("[Forget] Everybody but Us") mentality. It works for them, something that Dan Lanning has cultivated. They've taken on his competitive, cocky personality. They don't mind being the team you hate.