Dan Lanning Clears the Air on Portland State Blowout

The No. 20 Oregon Ducks have turned the page in preparation of facing No. 12 USC on the road, but Ducks coach Dan Lanning seemingly gave his final thoughts on the discussion surrounding Oregon's 84-0 win over Portland State.

Dan Lanning Clears the Air on Portland State Blowout

With some criticizing Lanning and the Ducks for running up the score by punching in one final touchdown with 29 seconds remaining, the Oregon coach offered a new piece of information.

oregon ducks dan lanning portland state score blowout touchdown dante moore usc trojans jeremiah mcclellan fox crader — Oregon running back Brandon Smith, right, carries the ball as Portland State safety Deryk Farmer defends as the Oregon Ducks host the Portland State Vikings on Sept. 18, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

According to Ducks Wire's Zachary Neel, Lanning confirmed that the Ducks offered to play 10-minute quarters two separate times during the second half against Portland State and that the Vikings did not take Oregon up on those offers.

Dan Lanning Explains Benefit of Late-Game Reps

An argument levied on behalf of Oregon has been the ability to give younger players valuable experience as Ducks like tight end Kendre Harrison, offensive linemen Tommy Tofi and Immanuel Iheanacho, and safety Jett Washington all took steps forward with extended playing time against Portland State.

Lanning spoke to the benefit of giving players those reps given the unpredictable nature of a college football season when asked about the benefits of reviewing film against Portland State. The Ducks coach specifically pointed to offensive lineman Fox Crader's 2025 season as an example.

“Those are still things that are for us to certainly clean up. But I always think back to past experiences for us. Fox Crader's a guy starting for us right now at tackle a year ago. You know he got 10 reps in a Montana State game, right?" said Lanning.

“And then a couple weeks later, he's starting against USC, right? That's what you get. You get game experience. That's the first college game for a lot of players in our program. The opportunity to evaluate that, and then there's things that we were attacking from the previous week that we said, ‘Hey, we have to be better at,'" Lanning continued.

Crader is now a mainstay on the Oregon offensive line, and he will be facing USC again on Saturday, Sept. 26, but this time in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Oregon Ducks Suffer Key Injury Before USC Trojans Game

The Ducks appeared to get back on track against Portland State before the road against the Trojans in Oregon's first Big Ten game of the season. However, Lanning revealed that Oregon receiver Jeremiah McClellan broke his foot during warmups before Portland State and will be out for an unknown period of time.

McClellan did not play against the Vikings, opening up the door for freshman receiver Messiah Hampton to earn some valuable reps. Can Hampton step up and become the third wide receiver option for Oregon quarterback Dante Moore alongside receivers Evan Stewart and Dakorien Moore?

Ducks tight end Jamari Johnson missed weeks 2 and 3 but is expected to return against USC, according to Lanning on Monday.

Betting odds from DraftKings Sportsbook opened up with Oregon as 5.5-point favorites before the season, but the line has continued to shift. As of Tuesday, the Ducks are favored by three points over USC coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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