Dan Lanning addresses expectations from Oregon pass rush

Through two weeks of the season, Oregon has had its issues under new head coach Dan Lanning. While the Ducks easily beat Eastern Washington out of the FCS, their trip to Atlanta to play Georgia was a disaster. They were blown out and have been largely discredited ever since. Part of the issue was their defensive struggles, in particular, when it came to rushing the passer.

While speaking to the media, Dan Lanning was asked to assess Oregon’s pass rush through two weeks of the season.

“It’s twofold, right?” Dan Lanning said. “We’d obviously love to be in the backfield a little bit more, but if the ball’s getting out quick you’re not going to have 15 sacks.”

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For Dan Lanning, there are a couple of things that you need to look at. First, do you have the opportunity to make sacks? Second, did you take advantage of those opportunities?

“To me, it’s about winning the game. So, I’m not a stat counter. I don’t care how many sacks we have. I care how many wins we have, right? Certain times, you play teams they’re going to allow you to get those when the ball is put on the perimeter a little bit more, you’re not going to get those opportunities,” Dan Lanning said.

“But what we can’t do is miss sack opportunities when we have them. So, if we have a guy wrapped up and we don’t finish on him, that’s on us. Right, and there’s a couple of those moments we’ve seen in the first two games.”

Through two weeks, Oregon has recorded just two sacks. That’s tied for 110th in the country, with plenty of time for those numbers to improve.