As Dan Lanning enters his fourth season as Oregon’s head coach, he’s had to lead his Ducks into some of the most challenging and hostile environments in college football such as Michigan Stadium, Reser Stadium (Oregon State), Rice-Eccles Stadium (Utah), and Husky Stadium (Washington) – which is known as “The Greatest Setting In College Football.”
Lanning’s first trip to Beaver Stadium is accompanied with White Out treatment, which is referred to as “The Greatest Show In College Football.”
Lanning kept things in perspective for this highly anticipated road matchup.
“Yeah, I mean, we played in good environments before,” Lanning told reporters Monday night. “They’ve described it as a good one, right? And that’s part of what makes college football fun. It’s real fun to get to go play. We’ve got a great atmosphere here. It’s been an asset for us. I’m sure they’re counting on it being an asset for them. But again, play the game, not the occasion.”
The preparation for the occasion will have Lanning playing “Mo Bamba” a few times in practice, but what Lanning is preparing for is one of the deepest teams he has had to prepare for.
“Penn State is an extremely talented team,” he said. “They do it well in all three phases. Coach [James] Franklin runs a great organization, and they present a ton of challenges. I’ve said it before, but defensively, there are as multiple and disruptive as anybody we will play.”
Lanning had to plan to neutralize EDGE rusher Abdul Carter, who was the top defensive player chosen in the 2025 NFL Draft, in last season’s Big Ten Championship Game.
Although Lanning’s strategy kept Carter from getting to Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in Indianapolis, he recognized that Carter’s successor Dani Dennis-Sutton is equally a handful to prepare for, saying Dennis-Sutton is “one of the better defensive edge players in the league and nation.”
Lanning was followed up as to what makes Dennis-Sutton a problem.
“I think you see relentless effort on film from him, and he had that before, but you can see a confidence in him that he’s going to be a guy that goes and makes the play,” Lanning said.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“And you know, he’s whether it’s shots on the ball, whether it’s the way he rushes, the way he attacks in the backfield, it really shows up.”
Penn State’s major staff addition in the offseason was defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
This will be the third time Lanning is seeing a Knowles defense in the last 12 games.
In their first duel, Lanning and offensive coordinator Will Stein confused a Knowles defense led by a breakout performance by wide receiver Evan Stewart, who had finished with seven receptions for 149 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Gabriel had his signature performance as a Duck going 23 for 34 passing, 341 yards in the air, and three total touchdowns (2 pass, 1 rush), that included a dazzling 27-yard rushing touchdown score to give Oregon a one point lead early in the fourth quarter.
After Oregon finished with 496 yards of total offense, Knowles had a second crack at the Rose Bowl where he presented different variations to his complex scheme that the Ducks could not read.
While Oregon was trying to adjust, Ohio State jumped to a 34-0 lead and held Oregon to 3.9 yards per play and was held to -23 yards rushing.
Lanning recognized what Knowles brings schematically for Penn State and the challenge that presents.
“You’re seeing a lot of scheme variation, which he had at Ohio State, but it’s a lot of the similar scheme that they carried at Ohio State, and he always has new wrinkles,” Lanning said. “Every week you see something new that you haven’t necessarily seen on film, that he’s able to pull from, that he thinks defends you well. And that’s always going to present a good challenge.”
The veneration from coaches across the nation for Franklin was once again on display from Lanning.
“When you win like he’s won, I mean, he did it at Vanderbilt, he’s done it at Penn State,” Lanning said. “He’s had a lot of success. He’s had coordinator changes and still been able to have success. They’ve adapted with the times. I think they’re one of the better teams in utilizing the personnel they have.
As Lanning is building the Oregon program into his vision, he recognized how Franklin’s track record of winning through his stops but also his ability to change it up to maximize what personnel Franklin has at his disposal.
“You saw what their attack looked like last year with Tyler Warren, now what their attack looks like this year with their backs, their quarterback, schematically on defense, willingness to change and adapt,” Lanning said. “I think there’s been a lot of variety that he’s shown over the years, and the ability to win.”
No. 3 Penn State hosts No. 6 Oregon in Beaver Stadium on Saturday, kickoff at 7:30 PM (Eastern) on NBC and streaming live on Peacock.
