‘Cinderella story’s over’: Ducks beat Deion’s Buffs

• Paolo Uggetti, ESPNSep 23, 2023, 07:50 PM ET

EUGENE, Ore.– Ducks coach Dan Lanning wished to send out a message. Or perhaps 42.

That’s the number of points Oregon scored versus the much-hyped No. 19 Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, as Lanning and his team went above, beyond and level of their way to let the remainder of the college football world know they are much better than Deion Sanders’ group in a dominant 42-6 victory.No.

10 Oregon outgained Colorado 518 backyards to 194 and had 30 very first downs to the Buffaloes’ 13. The first-half performance was the showstopper, as Lanning’s team scored 35 points with ease and held its conference challenger to only 56 passing yards and minus-35 hurrying backyards.

“We were prepared for a battle; it didn’t wind up being a fight,” Lanning stated after the game. “I’m thankful we got to put Oregon in the light it is worthy of to be in.”

The supremacy was so comprehensive that, in the first half, the television broadcast revealed video of Lanning’s pregame speech, throughout which he stated Oregon was “rooted in substance not flash.”

“They’re defending clicks; we’re fighting for wins,” Lanning stated in the video. “The Cinderella story’s over.”

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This wasn’t Lanning’s first singing foray about Colorado and Sanders. Prior to the season, Lanning was asked at Pac-12 media days about Colorado’s relocate to the Big 12.

“I’m trying to bear in mind what they won to affect this conference and I don’t keep in mind,” Lanning said. “Do you remember them winning anything? I don’t remember them winning anything.”

After Colorado raced to a dramatic and compelling 3-0 start that included Sanders & Co. utilizing the quips about the Buffs as motivation, Lanning was asked if he regretted those comments.

“I don’t regret anything I have actually said for this program,” Lanning said. “At the end of the day, I wasn’t speaking about Deion’s group; I was speaking about the past and the future for our group. But if that serves as product for them, excellent. I do not think it’s going to have any bearing on the game or the success of the game.”

Lanning may have not been straight describing “Deion’s group,” however it was evident from the first snap at Autzen Arena on Saturday that Oregon wanted to make a statement.While the Ducks’defense hounded quarterback Shedeur Sanders and completed with 6 sacks, Oregon’s offense put the Travis Hunter-less Colorado defense on its heels, gathering plays of 10 lawns or more with ease and stitching together goal drives with hardly a sweat. When the Ducks were finally stopped on 3rd down in the 2nd quarter near their end line, Lanning called a phony punt that worked to excellence and produced another goal drive.It didn’t stop there. Lanning went for it on fourth down four times,

succeeding on three occasions. And when Bo Nix and the offense were nearing completion zone toward the end of the second quarter, Lanning called a timeout with 17 seconds delegated guarantee the Ducks scored once again for 35-0 halftime advantage.Lanning was not all set to pull back.” We’re not done yet. We’re not pleased,”Lanning said in his halftime interview.

“[ I]

hope everyone that’s been viewing [Colorado] each week is still enjoying. “After the game, Lanning took a step back when asked about his pregame speech. He minimized it and acknowledged that he had to”simple”himself since it was just one game. “There is no pregame speech that wins games,” Lanning stated.”Gamers do.

“Sanders was requested for his response to Lanning’s speech and whether he had

seen or heard about it.” I got messages,”said Sanders, who called the game a”great old-fashioned butt kicking.” “God bless him,”Sanders included of Lanning.”He’s a fantastic coach. Take shots, they won.” Sanders credited Lanning and Oregon, however Sanders didn’t shy away from sending a message too.”Candidly, you much better get me right now,”Sanders said.”This is the worst we

‘re going to be.”