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Oregon

Dan Lanning explains why he has a 'sour taste' in his mouth after Northwestern win

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax14 hours agoBarkleyTruax
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Oregon head coach Dan Lanning looks to the clock towards the end of the first half as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Oregon defeated Northwestern 34-14 on the road during the Ducks’ Big Ten opener on Saturday. Despite improving to 3-0, head coach Dan Lanning isn’t pleased with how things ended.

“I’ve got a little sour taste in my mouth with the way we ended,” Lanning told FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft. “We’ve got to win the fourth quarter. But ultimately, I saw some good players to some stuff we can build off of.”

The Ducks scored the first 34 points of the game and appeared en route to a shutout against the Wildcats on their home turf. Instead, Northwestern rattled off two touchdowns in the final seven minutes of regulation to make the game appear closer than it was down the stretch.

Oregon was outscored 14-3 in the fourth quarter. Though, there wasn’t a need for concern give the five-score lead the Ducks had already built up. It was insurmountable, but Northwestern played until the end.

Despite this, the Ducks’ lead allowed them to sit their starters down the stretch. This was when the Northwestern run occurred.

Ducks QB Dante Moore finished the game completing 16 of his 20 passes for one touchdown and an interception. RB Dierre Hill Jr. added five carries for 94 yards and a touchdown on the afternoon as well. Lanning believes the sky is the limit for the Ducks with someone like Moore under center.

“It’s unbelievably high, right? We go with the quarterback,” Lanning said of Moore’s abilities. “We’ve got a really good one here.”

Moore has been impressive during the early portion of the season. It’s his second in Eugene and first as the starter. He has the Ducks’ offense looking like one of the best teams in the country and are ranked like one, too. Oregon came in at No. 4 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

A similar story to Saturday has been told in each of Oregon’s three games so far. During the season opener, Oregon outpaced Montana State 59-13 before turning around to beat Oklahoma State 69-3 during Week 2. Saturday’s game against Northwestern was never close after halftime.

Looking ahead, Oregon will move forward with its final non-conference matchup of the season at home against in-state rival Oregon State during Week 4. The Sept. 20 matchup will likely see the Ducks become heavy favorites during the matchup. Odds will be provided by BetMGM in the days leading up to kickoff.