Dan Lanning Delivers Critical Jalen Lott, Iverson Hooks Injury Updates

Dan Lanning didn’t mince his words in his postgame press conference after the No. 2 Oregon recorded 10 penalties in their Week 1 performance vs. Boise State.

Now the Ducks’ attention shift to their first road test of the season against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Oregon got back at it in practice on Monday after a recovery day and film review on Sunday. Lanning opened his Week 2 press conference by addressing the group’s response.

oregon ducks dan lanning oklahoma state cowboys boise state broncos davon benjamin offensive line eric morris mestemaker — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

But outside the too-close-for-comfort 34-27 win against the Broncos, Ducks fans were also concerned by the absences of receivers Jalen Lott and Iverson Hooks. Lanning acknowledged their statuses on Monday.

Receivers Iverson Hooks, Jalen Lott Injury Status:

“Yeah, Jalen will be down just for a little bit. Had a minor, you know, corrective surgery on his hand. Iverson kind of tweaked his hamstring in the middle of last week, so just wasn't able to go full strength. Think we'll have him back this week.”

Everything Dan Lanning Said Before Week 2

Opening Statement:

“Well, certainly a little bit different getting right back to work, but I want to take the time to again thank our fans for the incredible atmosphere this past weekend and some great lessons that we were able to learn as a team. But got a ton of respect for Coach Morris and what we're about to face here at Oklahoma State.”

“I know this will be his first home game there. I'm sure it'll be an unbelievable atmosphere. Actually, never coached there, but I know they do a really good job, and it's really a new team, a lot of new faces in that program.”

“I think they have you know over 90 new players in that program, so it's going to look a lot different than the last time we faced this team. The first opportunity for us to travel on the road and see what we are able to do on the road.”

“So, it's a good opportunity for us. Certainly, our guys were anxious to get to work today. They did a good job of attacking the things that they got to work on. But this will be a fun one for us for to go face a good team out of conference in a different environment.”

The Response Since Game 1:

“Sunday was really a recovery day for us, so today was our first time to get some time. But there were a lot of players in the building watching film yesterday. I thought the guys responded well, you know.”

“And you see a result like that for us, ultimately, there were some things that we did that were really good in the game, and then there were some things that we didn't do well in the game as well.”

“So, I think there's individual performances that were really positive, and then some that weren't. But ultimately, just came out slow. And then give credit to a good team too. Boise, Boise's a good team. They always play as tough. But I thought our guys responded today, attacked what they needed to attack.”

If Situational Football Created Growth Moments From the Game:

“We certainly didn't win in some of those moments. So, we had some critical fourth downs that we didn't convert on. We had some mistakes in special teams that showed up.”

“Obviously, muffed punt. There was also some missed calls. I mean, specifically Evan (Stewart’s). You know, that should have been a penalty. So, I don't think you can lose sight of that.”

“But that doesn't mean that we can't do a better job coaching it and do a better job in general, you know, handling some of those situations. But when you don't convert on fourth and you do and you go forward on fourth in the middle of the field, you're going to give them short fields, right?”

“When you know don't tackle well, you're going to give up some explosive plays. So, there's all things that we can really attack. Some of it's situational, but some of it's you know, technique and some of his performance.”

Offensive Line Performance:

“Overall, I thought they played well together as a unit. I thought they were able to protect the quarterback. You know, we got movement at times and handled some things really well at times, and then certainly some moments that we can be better too. So, you know, first glance at that group, I think we'll continue to see how that group develops over time.”

What He Saw From Linebacker Dylan Williams’ Film:

“Yeah, biggest thing I think Dylan played fast. You know, at times there's also some plays that he wishes he had back, and some moments he could have back as well. But I thought Dylan proved why he was on the field and how he could impact us.”

Oklahoma State Quarterback Drew Mestemaker’s Interest in Oregon During Offseason:

“I was never talking to Drew. That doesn't mean that that people didn't communicate or were aware that he was in the portal. I'm sure any good player we’re aware of in the portal.”

“But I think it was pretty quick that he made the decision he was going to be going, following his coach there. I will say this: Drew's an unbelievable player. You see his arm strength show up.”

“He's a guy that can stand flat-footed and you know throw a 60-yard bomb. So, he's got a really strong arm. They have a really strong passing attack. There's a reason they're the number one scoring offense in the nation last year in North Texas. But that shows up, and he's obviously a guy that makes that tick for them.”

What Stands Out About an Eric Morris Coached Team:

“The first time that we bumped into him was one of my early games here when he was at Washington State. He was the offensive coordinator there, and we were down in a crazy environment there, kind of similar in a lot of ways, to the game that we just played, Boise State, even more so.”

“I think we were down 12 points in that game, and Cam Ward was playing for him at that point. But he does a lot of stuff that's disruptive on offense. That's tough. He can create explosive plays. They thrive off him. They throw the ball extremely well.”

“You know, he's even improved in the performance when it comes to the run game and what they're able to create in the run game now. But always thought he's done a really good job from that that perspective.”

How Much First-Game Jitters Play a Role in Penalties:

“I don't attribute any of it to first game jitters. I attribute that to lack of discipline. I thought we had a lack of discipline at times that created some of those penalties. You know some of them, I don't necessarily agree with every one that was flagged, but ultimately I think some of those penalties are definitely avoidable regardless of what game it is.”

Defensive Line Getting Home and Finishing Rushes:

“Yeah, there were some moments that we did it. I think we executed our rush plan. Guys used proper technique. We were able to get home. I also think Boise State had a great plan of getting the ball out. You know, and I think when we were able to take advantage of this, when there are known passing situations and they had to throw the ball, we were able to rush well in those moments.”

Five Defensive Linemen Formation:

“Some good, some bad. Ultimately, it creates one-on-ones up front, which makes it a challenge, you know. But there's also other positives and negatives to it as well. Coverages kind of show themselves a little bit more in those looks, so you have to be able to do it with different presentations.”

Assessment of Perimeter Blocking on Screen Passes:

“Yeah, it's pretty good on the J-Mac screen. But yeah, inconsistent is fair. I think the space, blocking ones, the one where there was you know, large areas of space between us and the blocker. Those are the ones we have to improve, and something we're going to work to improve.”

Scouting a New Roster Outside First Game Film:

“Yeah, you evaluate. I mean, you go all the way back to the history of the coaches, what you're playing. You take a look at the first game and say how much of it does it line up with the history of what they've been in the past and what they do?”

“There's some similarities in the things that they did at North Texas and in their first game here against Tulsa. But just kind of do a deep dive and then you evaluate yourself. What have you been susceptible to? What do you need to improve? And try to attack it kind of from both fronts.”

Processing Oklahoma State’s Week 1 Result:

“Yeah, I mean, I don't necessarily put a ton of stock in the fact that they didn't they win the game. You look at the scheme, and it's been effective everywhere that he's been, whether it's Incarnate Word, whether it's Washington State, whether it's North Texas, and now at Oklahoma State.”

“So, they've created a lot of points wherever they've been. It's a first team. You have 91 new players. I mentioned that's tough to get that figured out in a short amount of time. Especially when we don't see what it looks like until you really get on the game field.”

Oregon ducks dante moore dan lanning boise state broncos drew mehringer chris hampton autzen stadium eugene — Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris speaks during OSU Football Media Day in Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“So, they also had some really tough situations throughout the game. They had the bull down at the goal line. They're about to punch it in to have a score, and they don't get it right. They had some costly turnovers that happened throughout the game.”

“So, the score could be completely different given a couple different situations, kind of similar to ours. Our score could be completely different based on a couple situations.”

How Things Went With Two New Coordinators:

“Yeah, I think I said after the game, I thought operationally it was really smooth, right? And you want guys in a position where they're going to be successful, and you have coaches across the board that can be up or down that you trust to get great information from and deliver great information. So, I thought overall the operation there went smooth.”

What Stands Out About Oklahoma State’s Defense:

“Yeah, Skyler Cassity does a really good job there. You know, again presents a lot of different looks. They’re primarily a four-down team, right? But they do a lot of stuff. Ultimately, and they can do it in a lot of different ways, right?”

“They utilize nickel personnel. They can play bracket quarters, right? They can bring a lot of simulated pressures that you have to be prepared for. But yeah, just the fact that they're adaptable and adjustable, I think you can see that. They travel the nickel to the boundaries.”

“Sometimes they don't. Sometimes there's like combination of both. There's a lot of different pictures that they can present. They get to go against tempo every single day. I think that's one of the biggest things that obviously they present on offense.”

“So, their ability to line up. We had some successful plays on Saturday because we were able to line up fast and get the ball out before the defense was lined up. That I don't know that you can anticipate that happening in this game because they get to face that quite a bit.”

Continuity of Bulk of Oklahoma State’s Offense Previously Playing at North Texas:

“Yeah, I think there's a huge benefit there when you start looking at the personnel. Obviously, you mentioned quarterback. You know, some dynamic wideouts that were there as well. So, there's certainly a lot of that that allows them to run their system effectively.”

How Early Season Road Trip Can Prepare Them Long-Term:

“Yeah, just a little bit different. I mean, we're playing this game at 9 a.m. our time. I think the heat will be something that we'll have to adapt to relatively quick. It hasn't been hot up here, and it's obviously going to be really warm on the turf there.”

“So just traveling, how you hydrate, how you make sure that you're fresh when you get down there, all those things will contribute, and we have to handle it really well because you're going to travel in this conference.”

Cornerbacks Carl Williams IV, Davon Benjamin’s Week 1 Performances:

“Yeah, some good and some bad. I know everybody's picking a play, the touchdown play for Carl. It's really not Carl's mistake on that play. The coverage was executed wrong, so it's easy to like to look at one play as a fan and say, ‘Okay, this isn't right,’ and it's not at all correct.”

“So, congrats, right? On the same note, I thought Davon made some good plays. You know, had some positive moments. Obviously had TFL, and it's proven again that he's got to complete winning football, and that's why he was out there for us.”

Hottest Game He’s Ever Coached:

“I mean, when I was at Arizona State, I'm sure I coached in some hot ones, right? And I mean, it's a different type of heat. That's the oven heat. In Georgia, I've coached in some really humid ones, right? And same with Memphis or my time in Texas.”

“So, I've certainly been in some hot games. I think in these games again, it's what prep can you do throughout the week to make sure you're able to perform when you get there, and then it's about how many players you have that can play winning football because it's strength in numbers has to show up in a game like that.”

Trent Ferguson and Douglas Utu Competition at Left Guard:

“Yeah, combination again. Trent has shown that he's able to, but I mean, obviously had the false start early. Can't have that, right? But he was able to go out there and execute, you know.”

“And we had some success there in the second half. I think there's some moments that he wants to have back. I also think Doug played a really good half too, and did some good things in the game as well.”

Not Being in School Influencing Travel Structure:

“It doesn't really affect us from that from that standpoint. We are going to travel on Thursday, and that's strictly because we're playing in a 9 a.m. game. So, when you're traveling multiple time zones and you're going to play early, I think there's an advantage to getting there a little bit earlier.”

“But it doesn't necessarily change any of our practice structure. We practice Thursday mornings anyway, so a lot of that's going to look the same. We'll just be there a little bit earlier.”

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