Oregon’s Lanning: Loss to UW is ‘100% on me’

Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Personnel WriterOct 14, 2023, 10:03 PM ET

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• Covers the Pac-12.
• Signed up with ESPN in 2014.
• Attended Washington State University.SEATTLE– In an all-time great rivalry

game, Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. tossed a go-ahead touchdown pass with 1 minute, 33 seconds left and, after Oregon missed out on a game-tying field goal as time ended, the No. 7-ranked Huskies won 36-33 to take control of the Pac-12 title race.Ducks coach Dan Lanning, whose three failed fourth-down attempts backfired,

stated he has just himself to blame.”I think this game is 100%on me,”he said.After trailing by 11 late in the third quarter, No. 8 Oregon (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) came back to take a 33-29 lead and, following a goal-line stand with 6:33 left to play, the Ducks had a possibility to put the game away. They picked up two very first downs and drove 51 lawns, but facing fourth-and-3 from the Washington 47-yard line with 2:11 left, Lanning attempted to end the game on the spot. Rather, a pass from quarterback Bo Nix fell incomplete, setting the high-powered Huskies up with a short field for the consent score.Editor’s Picks 2 Related Lanning said he felt comfortable going all out due to the fact that the defense had been playing well in the 2nd half and the Ducks had a play-call they were positive would work.”That being said, it didn’t work, “Lanning said.”So clearly it will be second-guessed. “Washington(6-0, 3-0 )needed just two plays to make Oregon pay. After a 35-yard pass to Ja’Lynn Polk, Penix struck Rome Odunze in the end zone to put Washington ahead.Oregon’s missed fourth-down effort was its 3rd of the game. Routing 22-18, the Ducks missed on fourth-and-goal from the 3 as time expired in the first half. Then, tracking 29-18 in the third, Nix threw another insufficient pass on fourth-and-3 from the Washington 8. “The one before half is where you can say let’s take that basket,”Lanning said. “And it’s something I’m going to examine. Go evaluate for me. We checked to see if we liked the appearance.

We liked the appearance before we ran the play– we just didn’t carry out.” Against a Washington team that came into the game balancing 46 points per game, there likewise was a sense that field goals might not suffice to keep up– especially after the Huskies scored goals on four of five drives in the middle of the game.”I believe that a lot of those coaches that we face, consisting of today, they’re aggressive by nature. We would anticipate that whether it protested us or not,” Washington coach Kalen DeBoer said.”But there’s no doubt our defense has to defend probably the more aggressive design offenses due to the fact that the other group understands our offense puts the points on the board.”In the first top-10 match in the rivalry that dates to over a century, Penix improved his Heisman Trophy chances with a memorable last drive. He ended up 22-of-37 for 302 yards with 4 touchdown passes and one interception.”If there’s one that

I’ve belonged of that was larger or much better, I can’t think about it right now,”DeBoer said.”This moment today is something that’s actually special for our program.”Nix nearly matched Penix throw-for-throw.

He finished 33-of-44 for 337 lawns with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions.