Oregon Coach Dan Lanning Gets Real About Ryan Day After Ohio State Upset

COLUMBUS, Ohio - An Oregon Ducks fan broke out in singing the Oregon fight song in the Columbus airport in the early morning hours. Other Ducks fans high-fived and exclaimed, "we needed that!" and "we're alive!"

A few hours earlier at Ohio Stadium, the mood among Buckeyes fans was much different. Chants of “Fire Ryan Day” rang out as No. 23 Oregon handed No. 12 Ohio State a 41-28 loss, its third defeat of the season.

What Oregon Coach Dan Lanning Said About Ryan Day

Oregon coach Dan Lanning had a different perspective on Day. Before facing more than 100,000 fans and the team that ended Oregon’s 2024 College Football Playoff run, Lanning showed his players something he recognized in the Day's press conferences... Himself, two weeks earlier.

Nov 7, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning talk before the game at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Coach Day is an outstanding coach. I said this to our team earlier. I showed some of the press conferences from this week of them, and I said, 'Guys, that was me. That was me two weeks ago,'” Lanning said.

“You guys felt that in our building, and it's hard really to overcome because what you do in those moments is you just try harder and harder and harder to fix things, and you can't fix everything," Lanning continued.

Two weeks ago, Lanning and the Ducks suffered a loss to Illinois on the road, their first Big Ten road loss ever. Oregon had experienced the frustration of an offense searching for answers. The Ducks’ response on Saturday showed how much could change in two weeks. Oregon erased a 14-0 deficit with 38 unanswered points, turning an early hole into a 24-point fourth-quarter lead.

The win also showed that Lanning's team DNA and culture are alive and well in the Oregon program. The Ducks could have quit after losing their starting quarterback Dante Moore and suffering three losses, but instead they have rallied around backup quarterback Dylan Raiola and provided some of the most gritty wins of Lanning's Oregon tenure.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, left, talks to Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola before a touchdown play as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes on Nov. 7, 2026, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Ducks left with a win that moved them to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play... the same records as Ohio State. However they are two teams that have much different momentum behind them.

Ohio State had won 140 consecutive home games when leading by at least 14 points. Oregon ended that streak and handed the Buckeyes their largest home deficit since trailing Illinois by 29 points in 1999.

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

For Lanning, the result did not erase his respect for Day or the memory of being on the receiving end of an Ohio State rout, when the Buckeyes beat the Ducks, 41-21 in College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the 111th Rose Bowl, two seasons ago.

“(Day's) teams are always hard to beat. We were on the other end of a butt whooping like this, you know, at the Rose Bowl,” Lanning said. “And, I mean, that certainly resonated with me. You know, so I know how good of a job they do.”

Lanning knows all too well what it's like to adjust to an injury to your Heisman-caliber starting quarterback. Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin is out, as is Moore. The Buckeyes turned to a freshman in Luke Fahey, a former three-star recruit, against the Ducks.

“I know it's hard when you change what you think you're going to be throughout the year and somebody gets injured. It takes a while to kind of figure that out,” Lanning said. “And in college football you just don't have time to do that.”

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day walks across the field before the NCAA football game against the Oregon Ducks at Ohio Stadium on Nov. 7, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Ducks defense didn't make it easy for Fahey in his first start at home. Oregon forced a turnover on downs on four consecutive drives in the second half. Oregon's secondary also accepted the challenge of containing Ohio State's star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Smith finished with seven receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown on Saturday.

Oregon's Offense Finding Momentum With Dylan Raiola

Meanwhile, Oregon's offense and Raiola showed no quit in his fourth start of the season, racking up 334 total yards after the first quarter.

"We just kept stacking, and we looked up and it was like, wow, there's just green left," Raiola said. "All the only red left is on the seats, and so, yeah, I'm just proud of this team. Yeah, we've been through a lot, but we're just getting started.”

Lanning and Day have traded wins on some of college football’s biggest stages, and each knows what it feels like to leave this matchup searching for answers. Saturday belonged to Oregon, but Lanning’s respect for Day was clear.

With the pressure and stakes that follow both programs, their latest showdown showed that competing against each other has only deepened that respect.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google