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Dan Lanning Fought Back Tears During Interview After Double OT Win at Penn State

Dan Lanning was emotional after Oregon defeated Penn State in double overtime.

Eva Geitheim

Oregon football coach Dan Lanning gave a passionate postgame speech after defeating Penn State.
Oregon football coach Dan Lanning gave a passionate postgame speech after defeating Penn State. / NBC Sports/Peacock.
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Playing in Happy Valley for Penn State's annual White Out game, Dan Lanning and his Oregon Ducks came out on top, taking down the Nittany Lions 30–24 in double overtime.

The game began as a defensive slugfest, with both teams managing just a field goal by the end of the first half. The Ducks then gained momentum in the second half, taking a seven-point lead in the third quarter off a touchdown pass by quarterback Dante Moore and then a two-touchdown lead in the fourth after a scoring run from Jordon Davison.

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Oregon appeared on their way to a win at that point, but Penn State fought back. The Nittany Lions rallied with two touchdowns in the final quarter, tying the game at 17–17 and forcing overtime.

Though Lanning nearly jinxed his own team, the Ducks came through in overtime. After Penn State opened the extra frame with a touchdown, Oregon scored two touchdowns on back-to-back series and picked off Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar to seal the game.

Lanning told reporters following the game, "I think that's the best game I’ve ever been a part of."

More: Fischer’s Takeaways from Oregon–Penn State: James Franklin Fails in Another Big Game

In Lanning's postgame interview immediately after the victory, he was visibly emotional. "Gonna be about 1,000 cuts. Every cut matters, every cut matters," Lanning told NBC Sports. "Unbelievable job of our guys keeping their composure. We said this game's gonna be about 1,000 cuts. Every cut matters, every cut matters. Eventually, we hit the jugular. That was it, right there. Our quarterback is an absolute all-star. Our team, special man, special."

With this win, Oregon moves to 5–0 and continues its success since joining the Big Ten. They'll head on bye but look to continue their win streak in Week 7, when they return home to face Indiana.

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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