SEATTLE, Wash. — Dan Lanning has by no means handed the blame following a troublesome loss, and Saturday was no completely different.
Shortly after a trio of failed fourth down performs made the distinction in Oregon’s 36-33 loss to No. 7 Washington, Lanning informed reporters he deserved the blame for his aggressive decision-making.
“I feel that this sport is 100% on me. I do not suppose you must look wherever else in addition to me,” he mentioned. “I feel everybody of us can have a look at selections made right this moment, and … like I mentioned you kick the sphere purpose earlier than half otherwise you kick the sphere purpose some place else, it may’ve been a distinct end result. You by no means understand how the remainder of the sport goes to play out, so that you make these selections primarily based upon the knowledge you’ve gotten.”
Oregon was twice turned away within the pink zone on fourth down performs when makable subject targets would’ve supplied the scoring mandatory for a distinct last end result. The primary got here on the ultimate play of the primary half when a move try fell incomplete from throughout the 5 yard line and one other came about within the third quarter.
Even after these failed fourth down performs, Lanning continued to roll the cube, electing to aim a move play with 2:11 left in regulation with a four-point lead somewhat than punt to pin the Huskies deep. Washington wound up scoring in simply two performs to regain the sting, and survived the menace when the tying subject purpose off of Camden Lewis’ proper foot went large.
“Oh, it is exhausting. I am my greatest critic. I feel coach Lanning is similar means,” quarterback Bo Nix mentioned of second-guessing selections and execution all through a slender loss like this one. “You possibly can look again and go sluggish the movie down, and also you’d need nearly all the things that did not go proper again, however that is soccer. We have been a play away from profitable that sport, and that is a part of it.”
Oregon has been among the many extra aggressive groups on fourth downs since Lanning took over final season. The Geese had succeeded on 8-of-10 tries — greatest amongst Pac-12 groups — coming in earlier than going 0-of-3 on Saturday.
Final 12 months’s loss to Washington additionally featured a failed fourth down play within the closing minutes. The Huskies kicked the go-ahead subject purpose shortly after to finish the upset.
“I feel I am going to all the time return and consider myself,” he mentioned of his fourth down philosophy. “With that being mentioned from a likelihood standpoint, how we felt about seems to be that we have been getting, we felt like we had an opportunity to have success. All of the conditions right this moment the place we went for it on fourth, we had a possibility to name timeout if we did not like what we noticed.
“I am going to definitely return and consider myself, and it is about adapting. The sport is about adapting and determining the place you might be higher. You’re taking a kind of subject targets early on and we’re taking a look at most likely just a little bit completely different state of affairs.”
Making an attempt a 21 yard subject purpose on the ultimate play of the primary half might have made the distinction on Saturday. Nonetheless, a profitable move play for six would’ve as nicely, he defined.
“We felt that was a possibility for us to get a landing and a landing modifications the sport,” he mentioned. “Clearly, we’re most likely not speaking about it if we get a landing.
“With that being mentioned, the one earlier than half is one the place you actually can return and say let’s take that subject purpose, and it’s one thing I’m going to evaluate, go consider for me, and we checked to see if we appreciated the look. We appreciated the look earlier than we ran the play. We had a timeout if we didn’t just like the look. We appreciated the look, and we simply didn’t execute.”
The Geese are set to face Washington State at dwelling subsequent week in what shall be a attainable rebound sport from this weekend’s disappointing rivalry loss.