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QuickTake:
Oregon beat USC with star power, depth and a head coach who keeps proving why he’s staying. In a season full of bigger stakes, Saturday was a reminder of how secure this program has become.
Of the many lessons to take from Oregon’s 4-8 2016 season, one that I’ve carried with me is an appreciation for the B-level games.
Until then, I’d mostly covered success on the Ducks beat — and when a team is winning nearly every game, it’s easy to get elitist in our nostalgia. It was all Rose Bowls, Natty-talk and wins over the Huskies, and the “lesser” wins were easy to footnote or take for granted.
If this 2025 Oregon season continues on its current trajectory, Saturday’s 42-27 win over USC won’t make the lead credits. The Ducks still have to beat Washington to reach the playoffs. They might host a home playoff game against a program like Alabama. And they’re a win over the Huskies — plus a Michigan upset of Ohio State — from returning to Indianapolis to defend their Big Ten title.
Even Penn State felt bigger in the moment.
But if everything goes south a decade from now, and wins-along-the-way become rarer, Saturday will be one of those days I’ll look back on with fondness. From sunrise until the fog tucked into Autzen Stadium after a job well done, it was a showcase for Oregon’s program.
To be clear: The Ducks were far from perfect. How could they not be? They started the game with four receivers and at times played with three. Fox Crader started at left tackle for Isaiah World. Charlie Pickard replaced Iapani Laloulu at center.
They tallied 130 yards in penalties. Dante Moore threw an interception. USC was explosive through the air.
But the Ducks were better throughout. Oregon never trailed after the first quarter, and the final score capped a day that began with Dan Lanning on GameDay — the shirt stayed on this time — celebrated Marcus Mariota’s and Hroniss Grasu’s inductions into the Oregon Hall of Fame, and ended by closing out a home schedule that positioned the Ducks a win away from the postseason.
“That was a fun one tonight,” Lanning said. “Really proud that we were able to go do that in that environment with our seniors.”
Eugene popped on TV as twilight and shadows draped Oregon’s victory. On the field, it was another display of the program Lanning has crafted over his four seasons.
He got elite production from his stars — Dante Moore (257 yards, two touchdowns), Kenyon Sadiq (six catches, 72 yards, two touchdowns) and Noah Whittington (19 carries, 104 yards, one touchdown). But once again, Oregon leaned on its depth — especially up front, where Crader, a redshirt freshman, was suddenly tasked with protecting Moore’s blindside.
“Our coaches have a lot of confidence in him,” Lanning said. “Being ready for that, that means he did a lot of work until he got that opportunity. That doesn’t just happen on accident.”
Lanning’s here to stay
In Mario Cristobal’s fourth and final season, Oregon entered its 10th game of 2021 in a similar position. Ranked No. 3, a win over No. 23 Utah would have kept the Ducks right in the playoff hunt.
They left Salt Lake City with a 38-7 loss.
“A lot of our goals — most of our goals — are still ahead of us, and we’ve got to get ready for them quickly by going back to work,” Cristobal said after Oregon’s playoff elimination. “They ain’t going to fix themselves.”
Oregon beat Oregon State the next week, got embarrassed by Utah again in the Pac-12 title game and played the Alamo Bowl with Mike Bellotti on the sideline after Cristobal bolted for Miami.
It was a bleak time.
I’ve thought about that contrast as Lanning closes his own fourth season. Not only has he won 10 more games than Cristobal did through four years, he’s removed the anxiety from the coaching carousel entirely.
As silly season sweeps through the sport — with Lane Kiffin’s will-he/won’t-he saga at Ole Miss headlining — Lanning continues to do what some coaches won’t in pledging his allegiance to his program.
“You’ve got to be able to appreciate what you have,” he said on College GameDay. “And I appreciate what I have here so much. This will be my spot. This is where I’m at forever.”
Like those 2021 Ducks, Lanning’s team has things to fix. They need to be more disciplined. They need to be better on third down defensively. They need to stop getting hurt.
But doesn’t it feel different when the coach who’s pointing out the problems actually wants to be the one to fix them?
“That’s something I’ll never take for granted,” Lanning said. “I want to be able to see it through.”
Air Sadiq
How good of a mood was Lanning in?
He was asked about Kenyon Sadiq’s second-half hurdle over a USC defender — and didn’t mention ball security.
“I just say, ‘I wish I could do that,’” Lanning said. “Kenyon’s a special man. And I always have a good feeling whenever I’m able to touch base with him before a pregame, and he just kind of gave me that look, like, I’m ready to roll today.”
Sadiq has starred with 14 catches, 158 yards and three touchdowns over his last two games, but Oregon has also been pleased with Jamari Johnson’s emergence.
The Louisville transfer has added 11 catches over the last three weeks.
“Our other tight ends played well today, too,” Lanning said. “Jamari had some big plays. But Kenyon’s a special player, man. I think we’re lucky to have the best tight end in the nation. His play has shown that. We’re better when he’s out there with us. And he’s tough to defend — whether he’s lined up at wideout or blocking…he does this at a really high level.”
What did Chattanooga State do to deserve this?
Lanning was raised in the SEC, but Saturday he finally took the last step toward the resistance when asked about Oregon’s playoff standing.
For weeks, national analysts have taken swipes at Oregon’s quality of wins.
Oregon’s quality of wins.
“This conference is a really good conference. It’s competitive,” Lanning said. “We didn’t play Chattanooga State today, like some other places.”
For the record: Chattanooga State doesn’t field a football team.
Then again, the Citadel — which No. 6 Ole Miss beat 49-0 two weeks ago — isn’t exactly a national powerhouse. And what’s your favorite memory of Eastern Illinois, whom Alabama beat 56-0 yesterday?
The stage is set
Kickoff for Washington is set for 12:30 p.m. Saturday in Seattle. The Huskies are 8-3, coming off a 48-14 demolition of UCLA and have beaten Oregon in three of the last four meetings.
The Ducks are favored by 7.5. The playoffs are on the line. It should be a hoot — and I’ll be in Seattle with photographer Isaac Wasserman for full coverage from Husky Stadium.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and thank you for reading.
And now, your words, not mine
