Dan Lanning Final Updates Ahead of No. 6 Oregon vs. Oklahoma State: "The standard's starting to set in"

No. 6 Oregon (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) is now three days away from a Week 2 contest against the Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) and head coach Dan Lanning met with reporters in Eugene for the final time before that game.

Below are some of his top quotes and full video of his media availability.

Opening statement: “Really good practice today as far as intensity level and execution. Was really proud of that. Putting stuff together on a little bit shorter week in comparison to what these guys have had for prep. So good job today. Excited to get back out and get to work tomorrow and Friday to get ready for this game.”

On growth of Tionne Gray in past year

Lanning: “Just came in with size and a lack of experience. And it’s just different from high school ball to college ball. But did a really good job of utilizing his hands. Has been consistent throughout practice, so really proud of his growth.”

On what the staff has seen from Brandon Finney Jr. to be a starter

Lanning: “Above line football. I mean, he probably takes the work necessary to be good as serious as anybody. This guy grinds. I mean, he’s mature beyond his years. As far as how much time does it take to be great, like he puts in the time. He’s one of the first in the building every morning. he’s watching extra film. He’s early into practice to get a warm up. He’s gonna do the extra and because he does the extra and then executes at a high level, it’s allowed him to be successful out there.”

On what he’s seen from Aaron Flowers in terms of growth, learning the defense

Lanning: “When he first got here he was waiting for somebody else to communicate with him to say, Okay, here’s what I gotta do next. Now, he’s the guy that’s helping activate that communication. He’s the one that has an active role in that. Because of that, it allows him to see things quicker and execute faster. And when you have a talented player and he’s able to execute fast, it gives him a chance. And that’s what he’s been able to do so far.”

On young players’ mentality to show up, stay late

Lanning: “I just think the standard’s starting to set in here. There’s good examples of leaders that have been here, and know what it looks like. And then there’s guys that are really hungry. You’re looking for ambitious guys. But that also understand that if I don’t do what’s necessary, I don’t deserve that role. And I think they realize you gotta pay rent every single day. We’re always looking for that when we’re looking for players. For guys that are ambitious, they love ball. They want to be great. They’re infatuated being great. They see growth moments, and we have a lot of guys on our team like that right now.”

On Jahlil Florence limited snaps in Week 1, if it was health related, getting young players snaps

Lanning: “Combination. He’s been able to go in practice. He’s been able to do some good things for us in practice. We were able to use him on kickoff and some other situations. Dime would be a scenario where we’ll he’ll show up. And I think if he keeps attacking reps and opportunities, then some of those can start to go up.”

On what stood out to him about the offensive line after watching film

Lanning: “I like our group. Probably what stood out more than anything is that there was a lot of moving parts. There was a lot of changing pieces, and the way that they handled that, I was proud of the way they handled that. And again, I thought we blocked with an intensity up front. I think we can do a better job spotting some of our runs and making sure we’re on the right guys. But they played with great effort.”

On Makhi Hughes‘ usage in Week 1

Lanning: “We got a lot of really good players. There were plays that he was in, called runs, and we had heavy boxes and the ball was thrown. He’s in also in a two-minute scenario where the ball’s probably gonna be thrown a little bit more. But we got a lot of really talented players and it’s gonna continue to be a challenge for us to figure out how do we use guys in the proper roles.”

On what’s made Cooper Perry above the line

Lanning: “Cooper had an unbelievable spring. He makes plays. He consistently catches the ball. He’s in the right spot. He pushes himself really hard to the point of exhaustion, and that’s what’s going to allow him to play fast on game day. But just been really pleased with his growth. He’s not operating like he’s a freshman. He’s not a guy saying, ‘Okay, let me wait my turn.’ He’s out there saying, ‘Okay, how can we get better every single rep?’ And he’s done a really good job.”