Monday morning reporters asked Mike Gundy what he thought about Oregon and he took a shot at how well-funded the Ducks are, so Monday night reporters asked Dan Lanning for a response.
Gundy said, partly speaking to reporters and partly delivering a message to his own boosters, "Oregon is playing really well. I think they're well coached. They're spending a lot of money and they've put a lot into that organization and you can see; they're a good football team."
Lanning hit back, "I got a ton of respect for Coach Gundy. You know, ultimately how blessed are we to be in a place that's invested in winning?"
"If you want to be a top ten team in college football, you'd better be invested in winning. And we spend to win. Some people save to have an excuse for why they don't."
Dan Lanning responds to Mike Gundy’s multiple comments on Oregon’s football spending. Oh my, it’s worth listening to. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/43oCnXsZiS
— Cam (@CamDerbyTV) September 2, 2025
In a radio interview Gundy said, "I think Oregon spent close to $40 (million) last year alone. So, that was just one year. Now, I might be off a few million."
Lanning continued, "Ultimately, he's a great coach and they've done an unbelievable job, but I want to be a team that's competing at the highest level and we're fortunate to be in that situation. I can't speak to their situation. I have no idea what they've got in their pockets over there. I'm sure UT-Martin didn't maybe have as much as them last week and they played. So, we'll let it play out."
Gundy also said redshirt freshman quarterback Zane Flores wouldn't be bothered by the noise at Autzen, even though he'll be making his first-ever start after taking over in the second quarter after starter Hauss Hejny suffered a broken foot. “I don’t know that will affect him a lot," Gundy said.
There's a lot going on here. Part of it is Gundy has watched the film a couple of times and he knows what's coming. Lanning's getting bristly over a narrative he's heard from everyone from Kirby Smart to Lane Kiffin to the Beavers.
Gundy wants to get in Lanning's head if he can, and the same time he's pleading his case to the OSU faithful, as if to say, this is what we're competing with.
The challenge for the Oregon staff and team is to ignore all the noise. They can't be distracted by a first game where everything went right and everyone is telling them how great they are. They can't allow Gundy to pull the ten gallon hat over their eyes while taking a page right out of the Lou Holtz School of poormouth coaching.
The trick is to put aside the rhetoric and focus on getting better and playing football. If they're smart, they'll let it play out.
This game likely won't be as easy and seamless as Week One. The Cowboys are bigger and more talented than Montana State, and they have a week of film to study and a game under their gunbelts.
Still, Lanning isn't a coach you want to make mad. He has the temperament of a sharpshooter hiding behind the water trough.