What Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Said After Second Spring Scrimmage

The Oregon Ducks held their second scrimmage of spring practice on Saturday, and Oregon coach Dan Lanning spoke to the media afterwards. Lanning was careful not to reveal too much about his team after the first scrimmage, and he kept his cards close to his vest.

Unfortunately, Lanning did not reveal any specifics about the quarterback battle between Dante Moore and Austin Novosad. Still, the Ducks coach did say that he is pleased with his team's improvement and that the coaching staff is practically finished with spring install.

The Ducks will have two more practices before their annual spring game in Autzen Stadium on Saturday, April 26.

What Dan Lanning Said:

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning watches the clock expire as the No. 9 Oregon Ducks fell to the No. 21 Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore. Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022 | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Opening statement:

"Appreciate your patience. We got some ball players walking around here today, so spent some time with them. But really good day scrimmage wise, some really good competitive periods. All around definitely fun for our group. I'm definitely seeing improvement across the board in all phases."

On the offensive line:

"Yeah, some good, some bad, right? Kind of the same answer you probably always get from me, right? But we had some explosive runs today, had some errors in protection, had some positives. So that's the piece about practice, man, it's about development and continuing to grow."

On the running backs/defensive takeaways:

"Yeah, a little bit of both. I mean there were two interceptions today. I mean, several of our backs had positive runs. I can't name every single one of them right now, but there was good ebb and flow throughout practice. You know, finishing off with competitive two-minute series there at the end as well, so overall good good day."

On quarterbacks' command of the offense:

"I'm just seeing growth, right? I'm seeing guys, take steps and and move in the right direction. I've seen our coaches even say, 'Okay, hey, there's something we got to challenge ourselves to give a little bit more to these guys,' because they're handling it well, they're able to process it."

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On Kingston Lopa's role against Penn State in the Big Ten title game:

"Yeah, just what he does every day in practice. That's the part that we get to see, and Kingston's gonna be an unbelievable player for us. You know, he's had a really good spring so far, but, he earned those moments by what he did in practice. You come here as a talented guy, and if you're good enough, you're old enough, we say that all the time. So as a freshman, we had confidence in him going in there to do his job."

On the spring install compared to last offseason:

"You know, to be real we have most of our stuff in at this point, and they're handling that well. When they prove that they can't handle it, that's when you really back it up. And we were probably a little bit slower with our process as far as install, but at this point, we have almost everything in."

On Taylor Lewan and Will Compton visiting:

"Yeah, it was great. You know, those guys are are two guys that have done it at the highest level, played the highest level, and they're doing an unievable job kind of what they're in now, right? But, they're fun guys to be around. I think our players like to lean on the experience that those guys have, and they bring flavor and juice when they step out on the field in the weight room which is fun for our players to be around."

On linebacker depth:

"Yeah, I feel great feel great about it. I think we have a good group. We're getting a lot of experience there."

On linebacker Jerry Mixon:

"Yeah, he's become more and more comfortable out there on the field for us. He's a guy that's around the ball consistently. He's always been a guy that, you know, creates turnover-worthy plays, and he's communicating really well, so he's had a really good spring so far."

Nov 16, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Evan Stewart (7) greets fans following the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

On Evan Stewart and wide receivers room:

"Yeah, love our depth there. We got a lot of guys I think that can play winning football, and Evan's certainly a part of that."

On Oregon Ducks in the NFL Draft:

"Yeah, I think a lot of those guys have established what it means to be at Oregon, and, now to see them get the opportunity to carry on their dreams is really exciting. You know, Josh (Conerly Jr.) being a guy that was in that first signing class with us and put himself in an unbelievable position because of the way he worked every day. You know, Terrance (Ferguson), Jordan (James), those same, those guys all have the same traits. When they stepped on the field, they worked, right? And when they were in practice, watching film, they worked, right? And now they're getting to reap those benefits. Really excited for those guys."