“Rooted in substance.”
It echoed around Oregon’s camp following the Ducks’ 42-6 dismantling of then-ranked No. 19 Colorado. The Ducks –– who went viral for a post-game video titled “Ducks vs. Them” that was released on the GoDucks YouTube channel –– have prided themselves on their identity of “substance, not flash.”
Sure, Oregon doesn’t have A-list celebrities on the sidelines or at College GameDay like Colorado did. Certainly, there was validity to Oregon head coach Dan Lanning’s statement that while the Buffaloes were “fighting for clicks,” the Ducks were “fighting for wins.” Oregon did win 42-6. But there was a sense of irony amid Oregon’s talk of being focused on the on-field play.
“Today we talk with our pads,” Lanning said in the video. “When they talk you don’t say [expletive].”
Oregon may not talk on the field, but their behavior off the field tells a different story. If there’s one problem with the Ducks’ on-field mantra of being “rooted in substance,” it’s that off the field, they never have been.
Which program led the college football uniform revolution? Which program is currently signed to an $88 million apparel deal with Nike? Which program’s quarterback had BO-dacious billboards across the nation before the season had even started?
It’s always been Oregon, and why shouldn’t it be?
When you have Phil Knight, the Forbes-reported 28th richest person in the world, as a noted alumni and booster, you can embrace the flash. In 2020, the Ducks installed the biggest jumbotron in all of college football at Autzen Stadium. Before every home game, a custom Harley-Davidson motorcycle leads Oregon onto the field. In Weeks 2 and 7, the Ducks wore shiny chrome helmets. The examples are endless.
The Ducks have never been a classic old-school college football program, and they shouldn’t try to be. Why not bring the flash? Yellow and green “stripe-outs” of Autzen Stadium are fun. Why not bring more of that?
“Oregon is known for its unbelievable facilities,” UO student Kai Brown said. “Why not embrace that more; if it’s not going to be a money problem, why not have more cool stuff for all of the players and coaches to use and wear?”
However, Oregon’s self-imposed dichotomy between substance and flash can be comical at times. The game of Lanning’s infamous speech preaching Oregon’s on-field focus, the Ducks wore cleats that, when exposed to the players body heat, quite literally changed colors.
“That’s a great representation of what it’s like to be at Oregon and be connected with a place like Nike,” Lanning said about the cleats after practice. “Those are pretty neat.”
Lanning wasn’t kidding; Oregon’s connection with Nike is no joke. From custom Jordans to never wearing the same uniform twice, Oregon and Nike are synonymous.
“This game ain’t gonna be played in Hollywood,” Lanning said to his team in the same video. “It’s going to be played on the grass.”
Oregon is Hollywood for football, though, and it’s not very good at hiding it. Off the field, Oregon is as extravagant as they come. The Ducks’ play on the field, however, is an entirely different story.
“We’re gonna compete to a standard everyday,” Lanning said in his introductory press conference. “The Oregon standard.”
And that’s exactly what Lanning and the Ducks have done.
Behind Lanning the Ducks have played extremely well, despite a recent tough loss to rival Washington. Behind Lanning, the Ducks are hard-nosed, physical and easy to like. Behind Lanning, everything that Oregon wants to accomplish is still obtainable.
“We are in control, we can go out and win out,” Bo Nix said after the Washington game. “Put ourselves in a really good spot, that’s all we can control and that’s really all we have to control.”
When asked to characterize his team’s identity going into a tough stretch of games, Lanning, in typical coach speak, stressed his team’s toughness.
“Toughness, right, the toughness has to show up now,” Lanning said prior to the Washington game. “This season is getting longer, and we’re not even at the midway point for us, we have to look to continue to grow.”
Lanning’s players have bought into his message, too. “We just go to work, and we let that noise stay outside,” Nix said before the Colorado game. “We let the fans and everyone outside of the program handle all of the noise.”
Oregon knows how to toe the line between cocky and confident. But in a rebuke to its own head coach’s mantra, Oregon quite simply keeps being cool.
As it should be.
Oregon’s on-field play certainly backs up its flash. The Ducks’ leading wide receiver Troy Franklin is a budding star, and running back Bucky Irving –– who starred in Oregon’s unveiling of its throwback uniforms –– is a human highlight reel. Nix, amid his Bo-dacious campaign, is a Heisman candidate.
Lanning’s play-calling certainly backs up Oregon’s flash, too.
He has gone for a two-point conversion in four of their first six games. Against Colorado, the Ducks called and converted a fake punt from their own 17-yard line.
It doesn’t always work –– as was seen in some controversial decision-making in the loss against Washington –– but Lanning is comfortable with his decisions.
“The right time is when they don’t think it’s coming,” Lanning said to GoDucks after the Colorado game. “I’m not really interested in running fake punts when everyone thinks we’re gonna run a fake punt.”
Everything about Oregon is flashy, even its special teams. But amid the Ducks’ inalienable swag, their players remain focused on the task ahead.
“I just keep the main thing the main thing,” defensive lineman Taki Taimani said before the Washington game. “And that’s winning a football game.”
The Ducks are perpetually focused on the next task ahead, not on the noise surrounding the program.
“It’s something that you know you look at, but at the end of the day we’re really focused on what we are doing to accomplish our goals,” defensive lineman Casey Rogers said. “You can get into it if you want, but at the end of the day you have to stay focused on what the task is.”
Oregon has always been about flash; just don’t tell that to Dan Lanning or the rest of the team.
