How Oregon football's Dan Lanning is preparing to lead Ducks for second season

After a successful 2022 campaign helping lead the Ducks to a 10-3 record and a Holiday Bowl win, second-year Oregon football coach Dan Lanning said the biggest difference between game week this year versus last is just knowing what’s coming next. “You never know what year one’s gonna feel like going into that first time,” Lanning said. “But it’s not the first time anymore, so certainly a different approach.

” For the most part, Lanning’s process hasn’t changed much over the year-plus he’s been in Eugene. Fresh off an extension that ties him to Oregon through 2028, the 37-year-old has settled in for the long haul and is hoping a good 2022 season can turn into a great one in 2023. With the Ducks’ season opener on Saturday against Portland State, Lanning said he’ll be preparing the team and himself all the way until kickoff.

“At the end of the night, I’ll kind of sit down and go through, play the game in my mind before the game is played and make some additional notes for myself that I want to hit in the morning with the staff," Lanning said. "Yeah, just try to get into an easy spot where I can figure out what’s next for us. ” With Lanning's lead signal caller returning in Bo Nix, his leading rusher in Bucky Irving, and his leading receiver in Troy Franklin, Oregon should pick up right where it left off as one of the nation’s top offenses.

And through a revamped and reloaded defense, Lanning is hoping that unit can make some strides starting Saturday against the Vikings. In terms of wholesale changes to the way he approaches game week, Lanning said for the most part things haven’t changed with the expectations as high as ever. “I mean the process is still some of the process,” Lanning said.

“Little notes here and there from how we practice what we feel like we have to practice that will get the best out of us. ” .