What did Oregon coach Dan Lanning say about the Lions to kick off Penn State week?

Oregon coach Dan Lanning held his first news conference of Penn State week on Monday night in Eugene as his Ducks continue to prepare for their top 10 matchup with the Nittany Lions on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium.

“[The media has] been thinking about this one for a long time, and now we finally can focus on as well,” Lanning said in his opening statement. “I mean, Penn State is an extremely talented team. They do do it well in all three phases. Coach [James] Franklin runs a great organization, and they present a ton of challenges. I’ve said it before, but defensively, there are as multiple and disruptive as anybody we will play. They got great edge play. Dani Dennis-Sutton is one of the better defensive edge players in the league and in the nation. They’ve got good play in the back end as well. They do a great job overlapping, and have a lot of variety of schemes.

“Offensively, they’re really tough to prepare for, because they’re moving almost every play. So it just presents challenges, the shifts and movements and motions that they do. And have great running backs, a good quarterback and their wide receiver plays really stands out this year. They have some speed on the field. And then special teams are really sound. So, excited for that environment. It’s one that I haven’t been to before.”

What else did Lanning say about this week’s opponent and the game overall? We have a full transcript of his comments on Penn State below.

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On what Joe Lorig and Oregon co-offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer, who was a graduate assistant at Ohio State, have shared about the White Out

“Yeah, I mean, we played in good environments before,” Lanning said. “They’ve described it as a good one, right? And that’s part of what makes college football fun. It’s real fun to get to go play. We’ve got a great atmosphere here. I’s been an asset for us. I’m sure they’re counting on it being an asset for them. But again, play the game, not the occasion.”

Will Oregon play Mo Bamba in practice this week to prep for Beaver Stadium?

“It’ll play a couple times,” Lanning said. “We’ll do everything we can to be prepared for that environment, for sure.”

On the Penn State passing attack

“I mean, they have some guys that can stretch the field,” Lanning said. “They run good routes, and the quarterback can make all the throws. He’s got a big arm. They throw more intermediate passing game and shot game than we’ve really seen. And that’s one of the great compliments to their run game, you know, is what they’re able to build off of that run game with shots down the field. So they have the guys that can go get it. They have a guy can go throw it.”

On what Jim Knowles brings to Penn State

“You’re seeing a lot of scheme variation, which he had at Ohio State, but it’s a lot of the similar scheme that they carried at Ohio State, and he always has new wrinkles,” Lanning said. “Every week you see something new that you haven’t necessarily seen on film, that he’s able to pull from, that he thinks defends you well. And that’s that’s always going to present a good challenge.”

On PSU’s first three opponents having success with third and fourth down stops

“Yeah, we’re certainly looking at all film we have access to,” Lanning said. “Each one of those teams is different than us, schematically a little bit different than us. They’ll probably attack us differently than they attack them. But looking at every bit of film that we can.”

On Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen

“It’s multiple,” Lanning said. “It’s not like you can say, ‘OK, all the point of attacks are here, right? It’s in different directions. And those guys are really good at sticking their foot in the ground and getting vertical. They’re both different runners.

“You know, [Singleton] hits it and builds to speed, quick. [Allen], I mean, he’s playing as good as anybody right now. You know, he’s got great vision, he’s got good patience, and he’s able to get vertical as well. So they’ve got a great O-line up front blocking for them. They get hats on hats. They play a physical brand, but it’s tough because of the variety of scheme.”

On putting an emphasis on starting fast

“Yeah, it doesn’t change,” Lanning said. “Your preparation doesn’t change because it’s Penn State, right? That’s more of a preparation for what you do every single week. And starting fast is important for us in each game, but it certainly matters in games like this, right?

“When the crowds involved, that’s something that you can attack early. If you start fast, that can be an asset. But there’s going to be highs and lows in this game regardless, right? There’s gonna be plays that they win. There’s gonna be plays that we win. It’s really about the next play. That’s the next most important play.”

What does Lanning appreciate about James Franklin?

“When you win like he’s won, I mean, he did it at Vanderbilt, he’s done it at Penn State,” Lanning said. “He’s had a lot of success. He’s had coordinator changes and still been able to have success. They’ve adapted with the times. I think they’re one of the better teams in utilizing the personnel they have.

“You saw what their attack looked like last year with Tyler Warren, now what their attack looks like this year with their backs, their quarterback, schematically on defense, willingness to change and adapt. You know, I think there’s been a lot of variety that he’s shown over the years, and the ability to win.”

On what the Penn State transfer receivers bring to the table

“I think more than anything, just the speed,” Lanning said. “I think you see the speed that shows up, and they’ve made more plays on contested catches this year than they had in the past, you know? But again, they have the ability to stretch the field.”

On Penn State defensive end Dennis-Sutton

“I think you see relentless effort on film from him, and he had that before, but you can see a confidence in him that he’s going to be a guy that goes and makes the play,” Lanning said. “And you know, he’s whether it’s shots on the ball, whether it’s the way he rushes, the way he attacks in the backfield, it really shows up.”