At the Monday morning meeting Dan Lanning said to his team, "We prepared ourselves all year for this moment."
Lanning told them they had been developing iron fists, hands bruised and toughened by combat. The power point showed a montage of Bruce Lee. Before the game in the locker room he repeated the lesson. "What's ruling with an iron fist mean? Operating from a position of power."
The latest edition of the "Ducks vs Them" series showed how the atmosphere at Autzen and 21 days of intense preparation set the stage for a fast start in the 51-34 win over James Madison in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
A view of football the telecast can't provide
It flashed back to a leadership meeting in May, when Dan Lanning challenged Malik Benson to embrace a role as the team's explosive playmaker at wide receiver.
In front of the whole room in Sun River Lanning said to the senior transfer from Florida State, "Malik, challenge yourself with extra catches because like everybody in here, you see, does everybody agree Malik got special speed? Like I don't know if there's a guy on our team that we'd rather be able to take a shot with. You have to grow the most in this year here.
Like this has your big has to be your biggest growth year. And in clutch moments, you got to be the best."
Benson took the lesson to heart, harnessing his 10.4 speed for 36 catches for 642 yards and six touchdowns, eight catches of 30 yards of more.
The series allows Oregon fans (and recruits) to see Duck football from a field-level view, to see both the planning and the passion that fuels success.