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The Oregon Ducks have mastered the regular season under Dan Lanning. Since entering the Big Ten, the Ducks have lost just one regular season game, falling at home to Indiana last season in a tight battle.
That puts the Ducks on the path to the postseason routinely, but one reason the program hasn't overcome its demons in the playoffs yet is because of the potential for a rematch.
In 2023, Oregon came up short against Washington twice, including in the Pac-12 Championship game rematch with a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line. The following season, the Ducks took down Ohio State in a thriller at Autzen Stadium, but fell flat in the Rose Bowl to end the season.
Last season was a familiar story. The Ducks played hard against the Hoosiers in Eugene, but fell apart from the first snap of the Peach Bowl in another blowout loss to end the season. So, how do the Ducks do something different to hurdle the last obstacle in their path to a championship?
Lanning has spent the offseason working to find a solution, and he's turned to the NFL for answers.
“It's most common in the NFL," Lanning told reporters on Monday. "You know, so just more so conversations with approach and what that might look like. You know, it's a little bit different. I won't hop into great detail on it, but there's certainly some things that I think we've learned from and can use."
On paper, it makes sense. The NFL schedule requires teams to play the other three teams in their division twice. More often than not, teams that make the playoffs will play some teams for a second or even a third time. Rematches are commonplace, and the best teams know how to win them to advance.
The reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, are a perfect example. The Seahawks had to play a pair of division rivals three times. The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams beat the Seahawks in their first meeting, but the Seahawks won the final two games against both, including wins in the playoffs over both teams, en route to a championship.
That's the goal for Lanning and the Ducks in 2026. Even if Oregon stumbles in an early matchup, the Ducks need to have better answers and a better mentality going into a rematch.
"Coach Lanning does a great job just finding keys and details of certain things that will help us as a team," Oregon quarterback Dante Moore said. "I wasn't a part of that with him, what he was doing, but it's just true. You just got to find things from different teams. You know, you never want to be too big-headed. You always want to learn from somebody."
Where could that rematch come from? The Ducks will play several playoff contenders in conference play, including USC, Michigan and Ohio State. The Ducks and Buckeyes are two of the top contenders to win it all, and they could have a rematch in the Big Ten championship game or in the playoffs, depending on how the season shakes out.
Moore knows he needs to be sharper in bigger games, and he said he's treating last season's games against Indiana as lessons rather than losses. But he's also trusting his supporting cast and coaches to put the Ducks in a position to succeed.
"You know, Indiana, for example, did a great job last year on Ohio State," Moore said. "Everybody copied that defense. So it's going to be a lot of things that happen with change. That's how football works. But yeah, I know coach Lanning. I'm trusting his game plan, and I'm excited for this year."
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dan Lanning studying NFL tape to help Oregon overcome rematch curse
Continue reading...
That puts the Ducks on the path to the postseason routinely, but one reason the program hasn't overcome its demons in the playoffs yet is because of the potential for a rematch.
In 2023, Oregon came up short against Washington twice, including in the Pac-12 Championship game rematch with a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line. The following season, the Ducks took down Ohio State in a thriller at Autzen Stadium, but fell flat in the Rose Bowl to end the season.
Last season was a familiar story. The Ducks played hard against the Hoosiers in Eugene, but fell apart from the first snap of the Peach Bowl in another blowout loss to end the season. So, how do the Ducks do something different to hurdle the last obstacle in their path to a championship?
Lanning has spent the offseason working to find a solution, and he's turned to the NFL for answers.
“It's most common in the NFL," Lanning told reporters on Monday. "You know, so just more so conversations with approach and what that might look like. You know, it's a little bit different. I won't hop into great detail on it, but there's certainly some things that I think we've learned from and can use."
On paper, it makes sense. The NFL schedule requires teams to play the other three teams in their division twice. More often than not, teams that make the playoffs will play some teams for a second or even a third time. Rematches are commonplace, and the best teams know how to win them to advance.
The reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, are a perfect example. The Seahawks had to play a pair of division rivals three times. The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams beat the Seahawks in their first meeting, but the Seahawks won the final two games against both, including wins in the playoffs over both teams, en route to a championship.
That's the goal for Lanning and the Ducks in 2026. Even if Oregon stumbles in an early matchup, the Ducks need to have better answers and a better mentality going into a rematch.
"Coach Lanning does a great job just finding keys and details of certain things that will help us as a team," Oregon quarterback Dante Moore said. "I wasn't a part of that with him, what he was doing, but it's just true. You just got to find things from different teams. You know, you never want to be too big-headed. You always want to learn from somebody."
Where could that rematch come from? The Ducks will play several playoff contenders in conference play, including USC, Michigan and Ohio State. The Ducks and Buckeyes are two of the top contenders to win it all, and they could have a rematch in the Big Ten championship game or in the playoffs, depending on how the season shakes out.
Moore knows he needs to be sharper in bigger games, and he said he's treating last season's games against Indiana as lessons rather than losses. But he's also trusting his supporting cast and coaches to put the Ducks in a position to succeed.
"You know, Indiana, for example, did a great job last year on Ohio State," Moore said. "Everybody copied that defense. So it's going to be a lot of things that happen with change. That's how football works. But yeah, I know coach Lanning. I'm trusting his game plan, and I'm excited for this year."
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dan Lanning studying NFL tape to help Oregon overcome rematch curse
Continue reading...
