What Dan Lanning Said About Oregon Ducks' Playoff Game Against James Madison

The No. 5 Oregon Ducks are set to host their first College Football Playoff (CFP) game at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks learned during the 2025 bracket reveal that they'll face off against the No. 12 James Madison Dukes on Dec. 20.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning addressed the opportunity to play a unique opponent during his Sunday press conference. Lanning expressed the team's excitement to play another game at Autzen Stadium and revealed the Ducks' mindset entering the postseason fro a second consecutive season.

What Dan Lanning Said

oregon ducks dan lanning college football playoff james madison dukes bob chesney dante dakorien moore drew mehringer hampton — Dec 31, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning during the Rose Bowl head coaches press conference at Sheraton Grand LA. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Opening Statement:

“I think our fans are going to be unbelievable. This will be a unique atmosphere that doesn't exist in the last 20 years, and now you get the opportunity to experience it now. I know our players are excited to play this team, just really getting started, hopping in and evaluate these guys. Been watching a little bit this afternoon. Obviously, they got a really talented team,” Lanning said.

“Coach Chesney's done a really good job with these guys. They've been really successful in several games. Just looking through it this morning, I think they've had nine games where they rush for over 200 yards, and that's a common component for them and their success. Played really good defense and really good special teams. I'm so excited about the opportunity.”

What It’s Like to Be Part of Autzen’s First Playoff Game:

“First one ever. So that's the exciting piece to get the chance to do something that hasn't been done here before. I know our players are really excited about it. I know our fans will, again, create an incredible atmosphere,” Lanning said.

“I think this is an opportunity for the whole world to kind of see a little bit about what makes Autzen special. So, I'm anticipating that energy and enthusiasm there. I think we all got to see some cool games last year in a similar format. So, I think that'll be a special opportunity to peel back the layers and let people see what makes this place so special.”

If He Still Preaches Postseason Matchups as Just Being Another Game:

“Ultimately, the process is the part you have to focus on, and the process has to be very similar to a normal game. But the stakes are certainly really high knowing that this is, if you don't take care of business, you don't get a redo. You don't get another opportunity. So, there is a difference, and I think that the piece for us is to focus on what allows you to have success and what creates the result you want. And that's maintaining that process.”

What He Learned from the Long Gap in Between Games Last Postseason:

“There's some benefits to how this has played out, potentially this year, just with class wrapping up, a lot of those things have been a piece of this that our players are dealing with, finishing up classes, finals, giving them an opportunity to have a little bit of a reset.”

“This past week for us was really more lifts and just an opportunity to attack the classroom and get a little bit of a break from us, which I think is a positive, and then able to reset in this next coming week into what it'll look like moving forward. So certainly, some lessons learned. I won't share all those, but take a little bit different approach to some of the things we attack this season.”

His Thoughts on the CFP Allowing Unique Matchups:

“I mean, it's creating some opportunities. This game would probably never exist. They'll never really be a situation where we play a team like James Madison, so it's unique in the way that it's set up. The College Football Playoff itself takes away some excitement and some of these other bowl games,” he said.

“I think we're all seeing it now today, where teams are dropping out right and left. It's great to be a team that's getting an opportunity to continue to play ball right now. And while these are unique matchups that, these are fun. It's fun to be a part of something that’s a little bit more of a March Madness feel nowadays than football. It's changed a little bit.”

How Dante Moore’s Changed Over the Course of the Season:

“I just think the maturity and time. We started this season with a lot of guys, Dante being one of them, that experience had been limited, and we got to see a lot of action in practice, but now that experience is no longer limited,” he said.

“You've seen a guy win a game for us in overtime. You've seen a guy create two-minute drives that turned into success for our team. You see a guy that's won over his teammates. So many people fighting for positions throughout the season, and he's a person that stepped up and has great maturity, a great disposition that I think showed up for us throughout the season.”

What He Learned About Juggling Two Coaching Positions at Once When He Was at Georgia:

“It's a tough position to be in, but it's one that's really rewarding. The hard part is just not being able to be boots on the ground there and being here and focusing on what's going on here. Because the reality is, you have to be able to do a job here, and you have to be present for that job,” Lanning said.

“So, the hard part is doing that knowing that you're not going to be able to be somewhere else. You got to have people you trust there. But there'll be a lot of conversations between now and the end of the thing for those guys to be able to make sure they maximize that opportunity.”

How Dakorien Moore Has Attacked Rehab and His Leadership:

“I think it starts with mindset. And Dakorien, like several of the other guys that have been in that position, realize that they have a job to do, as far as pushing themselves to be back in a position where they can help this team, and they can still help this team, even when they're not out there on the field necessarily for us. So really proud of how he's handled that, proud of several of those guys and how they've handled that situation.”

His Expectations for the Atmosphere and the Game at Autzen:

“It’s going to be a great atmosphere. The 10-day forecast around here never necessarily holds true, so we'll see what that looks like as we prepare ourselves. But one thing I know I can count on is Autzen fans to make this a really fun experience for our student athletes. And we went out there on senior day, and I remember talking to some of our players, saying, I hope this isn't the last opportunity we get to play on this field. Well, now all those seniors get an opportunity to do it one more time here, which is really special.”

Preparing For JMU:

“No different than every other team that we prepare for. You're usually so focused on the team that you're currently playing that you're not watching a lot of other college games throughout the season. So as the film gets uploaded on your system, you start breaking them down,” Lanning said.

“You try to take an opportunity to go back and watch those, and that's what we've already started the day. So, process is really no different. Evaluate the film that you see, attack what you see, try to talk to some people that have maybe played common opponents, see what opinions they have on that team, and break it down just like a normal week.”

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The Dukes’ Run Game:

“That's certainly one of the things we noticed this morning, going back and watching the film, evaluating them, that they run the ball really well. I think they've got a good system in place to make sure they're running runs that create success. It's going to be something we have to prepare ourselves to stop.”

His Familiarity with JMU Coach Bob Chesney:

“Not a lot of familiarity beyond what I've been able to watch this morning. Haven’t worked with him before, but I am familiar with his path and being able to follow him and the success that he's had, and obviously, he's done an unbelievable job.”

On the Potential for Three Cross Country Trips in Three Weeks:

“If anybody's prepared for it, it's us. We've done it a lot, and I think we travel really well. We'll try to keep the routine as simple as possible, as much like normal games that we've done in the past. But before we ever get to that point, we got to take care of business here.”

His Pitch to Student Planning on Going Home During Winter Break:

“No, I don't think I have to create a pitch. Our fans are going to show out for this game. There's zero doubt in my mind that they'll be there. If it's not a student, it'll be another Oregon fan that's in there, but they don't want to miss the opportunity to see the one playoff game in Autzen Stadium. That hasn't happened before. So, I think we'll have a lot of fans there ready to support it and ready to see that myself.”

How the Ability to Win in Different Ways Gives Him Confidence:

“I have a lot of confidence in our team. I think it's about all three phases being strong. When you get towards the end of the season, I don't think you can be a team that relies on one thing to have success. You got to be a team that can open it up and do it in different ways. I think we've certainly done that this year. What you hope is that all three phases come together in these games and make a big impact.”

When the Team Will Reconvene:

“Everybody will be back tomorrow. We'll be rolling on Tuesday.”

How Much He Watched the Conference Championship Games:

“It's probably a little bit more like a fan, like you guys. I was just flipping channels, watching football all weekend. It was awesome. I guess that's what people get to do on a normal Saturday. But yeah, we watched all of them, watched Tulane, watched a little bit of JMU, watched each game that was on, so it was fun to be able to sit back and watch and evaluate.”

What Makes Recent Signees Jalen Lott and Kendre Harrison Special:

“Certainly, want to focus on the playoff game, but we were able to add some elite players. And those are two guys that are certainly worthy of that discussion. You watch what they've done for their teams, what they were able to create with their high school teams. Kendre's a guy I got to see in person play. Set school records there for touchdowns. Obviously, a huge target in the red area, but also a guy that can carry the ball. He does a lot of different stuff,” Lanning said.

“And then same thing for Jalen. He's a guy that got multiple touches, speed, I think everyone recognized his catch radius, his ability. It just shows up consistently on film. And certainly, a guy that has a lot of versatility for his team. We're hoping to carry that over here to Oregon.”

If Teams Opting Out of Bowl Games is Good or Bad:

“It certainly changed. I can't speak to anybody else's situation, but ours. I would say it doesn't look the same as it's ever looked, especially when the portal opens in January as well. You used to be able to use this time, and it's almost like another spring practice. You used to be able to get more high school seniors or guys that join your team and to build practice. A lot of that stuff's changed a little bit. So, this is a unique time in that frame. And I certainly can't speak to anybody else's situation.”

On the Reports on Drew Mehringer and Chris Hampton Promotions:

“I'm not going to hop on that right now. Certainly, appreciate it. There's going to be great opportunities for a lot of guys within our staff. But that's not the focus of this talk.”