Dan Lanning addresses his viral emotions in postgame of Penn State game

To say Dan Lanning was pumped during his postgame interview after Oregon‘s overtime win over Penn State on Saturday would be an understatement. He wore his emotions on his sleeve, and let it out for the nation to see.

The interview went viral that night and over the next couple of days. The Ducks head coach has since addressed his emotions on the field.

“It was a ‘We did it’ feeling. It was like, ‘Okay, we accomplished it.’ And like I said, I really set my mind in that game that, regardless of what happens, I’m super proud how we played,” Lanning said during an appearance on The Triple Option podcast. “We told our players all week, it’s about 1,000 cuts. Death by 1,000 cuts.”

That’s one cut at a time, meaning or one tackle, one block, an extra yard — whatever it may be. Oregon looked to have cut its opponent down, taking a 17-3 lead into the fourth quarter. However, Penn State threw a pair of hacks themselves, managing to force overtime. In the end, Oregon would prevail on a defensive stand, 30-24 in 2OT.

Lanning also clarified that some of his hand gestures during the game corresponded with the ‘death by 1,000 cuts’ theme. He was the subject of criticism on social media during the game for appearing to make a throat slashing motion after an Oregon touchdown.

“I think somebody caught me in the game doing this (slashing motion) and like, that’s all it’s saying, ‘Hey, it’s another cut. That’s another cut.’ Everybody thought I was saying games over, which is not at all what I was saying,” Lanning continued. “You could see our players throughout the game signaling to each other, that’s a cut, that’s a cut.

“Eventually we’re going to hit an artery. … It was like, the next play is the most important, and when the game’s over with. Now, eventually get to say, ‘We got it. We got all of our cuts in. It was just a special moment.”

Oregon is idle this week, giving the feeling of victory some time to settle before returning to the field against No. 8 Indiana at home during Week 7. If the Ducks can get past the Hoosiers, who is also 5-0 and on their by this week, the hardest stretch of their schedule will be past them. As it stands, the Ducks won’t play another ranked team until the postseason.