Dan Lanning explains how his head coaching debut felt during Oregon's spring game

Saturday was a big day for Dan Lanning, as he made his debut as the Oregon football coach at the Ducks’ annual spring game. In front of an estimated 42,000 fans, Lanning led the team out for what will be the first of many times at Autzen Stadium.

The coach could feel the energy even before then, as he took in a bustling pregame setting on campus in the hours before kickoff. In his postgame press conference, Lanning expressed gratitude to those who came out to make his first experience one to remember.

“You could smell it out there today,” he said. “There was a tailgate experience. The environment is something we played in pregame at our meeting today. We kind of showed them, ‘What’s a hostile environment? What’s it like to play here?’ Our players got a chance to really experience that today. When we have over 42,000 fans, that’s pretty special for a spring game.”

Offense stole the show as the Yellow Team defeated the White Team by a score of 31-21. Auburn transfer quarterback Bo Nix was also making his debut in Eugene, and he certainly didn’t disappoint. Nix began the day with a 70-yard connection with Seven McGee and refused to slow down. He ended the day 8-of-15 passing for 230 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Four different Ducks receiver recorded at least 100 yards receiving as the backup quarterbacks also performed well.

“I love the explosiveness,” Lanning said about his quarterbacks. “Obviously, you get excited about that; came out from the jump and hit one really early. I thought they did do a good job of pushing the ball down the field, but you can’t put the ball in jeopardy.

“That’s one that I know every one of those quarterbacks wish they had back. You know, protecting the ball a little bit better is something you walk away with, for sure.”

Lanning comes to Oregon from Georgia, where he spent he spent four seasons as a linebackers coach and defensive coordinator. That culminated in a national championship for the Bulldogs this past season as they finished first in the country in scoring defense and top five in total defense.

The coach is now tasked with taking over an Oregon squad that finished this past season ranked seventh in the Pac-12 in total defense. The Ducks still managed to advance to the conference championship game, and were considered a College Football Playoff contender at one point. While Dan Lanning has one debut out of the way, he now awaits another as Oregon is set to open the season against his former team, Georgia, on Sept. 3.