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Dan Lanning Provides Promising Jordon Davison, Jeremiah McClellan Injury Updates
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- Dan Lanning Provides Promising Jordon Davison, Jeremiah McClellan Injury Updates
Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning | Darby Winter
The Oregon Ducks enter a highly anticipated matchup against the No. 11 Ohio State Buckeyes coming off a 34-26 win against the previously ranked No. 20 Northwestern Wildcats.
As coach Dan Lanning gets ready to travel to "The Shoe" for the first time with the Ducks, Oregon will prepare for an Ohio State team coming off a loss. The Buckeyes dropped their second game of the season in Los Angeles to the USC Trojans, as they deal with injuries amid starting quarterback Julian Sayin's absence.
Oct 24, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning arrives before a game against the Illinois Fighting Illinois at Gies Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
But Oregon is handling injuries in its own right. Lanning addressed where running back Jordon Davison's health stands after he exited the game against the Wildcats and returned to the sideline in street clothes.
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"Yeah, same thing. Our status report will come out on Wednesday," Lanning said. "You know, don't think it's long term with Jordon, but it'll you guys will find out when the injury report comes out."
Oregon's first Big Ten required injury report is set to be released at 5 p.m. PT on Wednesday. Another injury question mark has to do with receiver Jeremiah McClellan, who's be sidelined with a broken foot sustained in warmups before the Week 3 win over the Portland State Vikings.
"Yeah, he's been doing some stuff with us in practice," Lanning said. "Continue to evaluate where he's at, but certainly is promising, the growth and the steps that he's taken."
Lanning continued his Monday night press conference by discussing quarterback Dylan Raiola's recent performance, the challenge of defending Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith and what he saw from the Ducks' play-calling against Northwestern.
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Everything Dan Lanning Said
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning speaks during a press conference on Aug. 15, 2026, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Opening Statement:
"First, I want to start by shouting out our cross country team for sweeping the Big Ten. Unbelievable job by them. And then women's basketball got off to a hot start tonight. I know men's about to start up, so we're certainly pulling for those teams as they approach."
"But following up after the game, again, I want to thank our crowd. I thought the atmosphere was awesome. I thought our players really showed some resiliency in that game, and really kept their focus and were able to attack."
"So, some real positives that came out of that, and obviously that matters when you're going to play a team like Ohio State and a legendary place there at 'The Shoe.' Coach Day does an unbelievable job. It's a really well-coached team. They've got good personnel in all phases. They really show up. So, it'll be a real challenge for us, but one that we're certainly excited about."
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Unique Circumstances of the Matchup Not Being What's Anticipated:
"Yeah, I think that Ohio State speaks for itself. They're a really good team, and it's a real challenge this time of year. I mean, it's part of what makes it exciting about being at Oregon or being at a place like Ohio State to get playing games like this. So, one that certainly means a lot to both of us."
Quarterback Dylan Raiola Finding Consistency:
Darby Winter
"Yeah, I think the more comfortable he gets, the better he's going to play. And like I said, kind of postgame, he builds confidence as the game goes. So, I think it's important for us to be able to start off early, but him also understand I don't have to force anything, right? For us to have success and be able to lean on the players that he has around him to be able to have success and us have a great game plan for him."
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If He's Seen Similar Growth From His Coaches This Season:
"I think we all are. Yeah, I think we all are. I don't know that I've sat back and tried to like analyze what makes one coach better than another. But I think all of us learn from moments throughout the season. I've told you guys before that we do pretty critical write-ups after every game and evaluate. Okay, if we're going to do this all over again, what would we do different?"
"Those continue to be something that we utilize and affected us this season on how we would approach things differently and how we'd use them. So certainly not just myself, but everybody in the program."
What Stands Out About Ohio State Quarterback Luke Fahey:
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Luke Fahey (13) looks at the scoreboard for a replay during the NCAA football game against the USC Trojans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Oct. 31, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
"Yeah, I remember Luke coming out of high school. Went by seeing him when he was in high school, and he's an operator. He's a really smart quarterback, right? He's a winner. Like, but his intelligence that shows up. This is an offense that has a lot of moving parts. I thought he handled it extremely well in that environment."
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"If you look at it in a lot of ways, you'd say, okay, they won the game in a lot of categories. They kind of lost in field position. It was kind of break even when you come when you talk about the takeaway battle. Third downs and conversion downs were really similar on both for both teams. Really, the difference was scoring in the red area, right?"
"And their success down there. So, I thought he operated well. It wasn't the best conditions either, you know, playing in the rain. But he's proven that he can be a guy that can be successful and operate their offense, and certainly coming out of high school, we remember him being a guy that was like that."
Game Planning on Receiver Jeremiah Smith:
"Yeah, we're gonna see if we can play with 12. No, I guess I realize that's not funny against this team. But no, I mean Jeremiah is special. He is a special player. You have to know where he's at all times. He's dynamic in every phase."
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"I think it's one that our players are excited about, that challenge. But there's a real challenge involved in defending a guy like him. He's certainly pro-ready. I think anybody that's played against him already would tell you that he probably was two years ago, right?"
"So, he certainly is now. So, he's a guy that you have to know where he's at all times. They've done a good job of moving him around and making it challenging. And Arthur and their offensive staff do a really good job of finding ways to get him the ball and be able to take advantage of it."
Ohio State Defensive Front:
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day reacts during the NCAA football game against the USC Trojans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Oct. 31, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
"Yeah, one. I mean, they make it really difficult the job that they do up front. I think they create a lot of one on ones. They have a lot of a multitude of fronts that they use and guys that they move around in a lot of different positions. I would call them a game plan defense, where what they do one week is different than what they do the next week."
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"You don't necessarily know where they're always going to line up, and they always have small variations that they'll do based off of what you do as a team. Whether it's a cheated nose, whether it's a bear-front or a four-down front, the variety that they provide, and then their ability. They're hard to move. The guys that are hard to move and have had a lot of success, obviously, really well coached."
Dylan Raiola Being More Aggressive and Ball Security Concerns:
"I hope he's still worried about protecting the football. We threw it past that third-and-four play, we throw the touchdown to Jamari, right? Like I don't know how many times we'd thrown it past the sticks on third-down recently."
"I think there's certainly there was a freedom in the way that all of us coached and played, I think in that game. You think back to, like, the UCLA game, and you're like, man, this is a game that if we didn't have seven turnovers or six turnovers or five turnovers, we're in a position to have success in the game."
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"And I think that moments like that make you coach different. Because you're like, all right, if we just protect the ball, we don't make mistakes, we're gonna win. And that's not always reality. You have to be true to your identity. And I feel like there was moments in that UCLA game, in Illinois, that we weren't true to our identity."
"I think that let our players play a little more free, let them do what they do, and again, not so much concerned about outcomes, but the best possibilities are created in moments where you're able to say, okay, I'm going to make a decisive decision and attack it and go play."
If He Saw More Confidence:
"Yeah, I thought our players had been more confident."
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Difference in His Pregame Walk at a New Venue:
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field before the game as the Oregon Ducks face the USC Trojans on Sept. 26, 2026, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
"Certainly excited to go play in this venue. I don't know that the walk's any different. But it's certainly, it's one of those boxes that you want to check with the opportunity to play in a place that's special like that."
Receiver Messiah Hampton's Status:
"Yeah, continue to evaluate, and you guys will be aware of it based on status reports."
What He Wants From the Defensive Backs Against Jeremiah Smith:
"Yeah, I'm looking for their best. It's going to be a great opportunity. I think Coach Day said it early in the year. If he's one-on-one, he's open. If there's two guys covering him, he's sort of open. If there's three, that means somebody else is open."
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"I think that's the great challenge with this game, is wherever Jeremiah is at, everybody defends him different. And if you want to roll the coverage or take two guys over to him, that means somebody else all of a sudden became the hot boy and became available, and they've got other good players on this team that are available that they're able to utilize and can create explosive plays."
"So, really, in the secondary linebacker, even with the front, it's kind of, it's a collective unit that everybody has to play together to try to limit explosive plays for players like him."
Coaches Who Were on the Staff the Last Time Oregon Played in Columbus:
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said Thursday he still wasn't sure who would call the OSU defense after the Buckeyes failed to contain CJ Verdell and the Oregon Ducks in a 35-28 loss. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
"Not specifically, just because there's a lot of different people in the room for us. Certainly, a lot of talks logistically about the environment, the crowd noise, locker room location, stuff like that. But obviously, it was an exciting history there for the Ducks. And this is a new season, new game, new team in a lot of ways. A lot of people that weren't necessarily a part of that experience, but all that other stuff plays into it."
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Outside Linebacker Teitum Tuioti as a Blocker in the Jumbo Packages:
"Yeah, the same reason you like Teitum closing on a counter is the same reason you like him blocking a counter, right? Because he moves bodies and does an unbelievable job of doing that."
Takeaways From the Play-Calling Operation:
"Yeah, I thought overall it went really smooth. I think there was one moment in the game where we were a little frustrated with the execution. It was much about the way we lined up and executed as players, as it was the operation itself."
"But there was a couple negatives that we wish we could have had back because guys just didn't line up as fast as we wanted to in the sequence we wanted. But overall, I thought the communication on the headset was great. The preparation was really good."
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Kirby Smart's Comments on NIL and Injuries:
"We've had plenty of conversations. I didn't see his exact comments, but I do think it's the challenge of, all right, season can be longer. You want to be able to make sure that you're really efficient with your practice time and what you're able to do."
"I think depth across college football is a lot different because it's spread out between a lot of teams. So, some of the physicality that you could have in the past because you felt like you had a roster that was stacked from top to bottom, it's not necessarily the case."
"You're talking about guys that are playing, really maybe a really high level for you, and then the next guy in line is a freshman that maybe at times in other instances in our history in college football they might be waiting more of their turn. But yeah, it is it is a little bit different game, from that perspective."
Oct 31, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart exits the field after the win over Florida Gators at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
"And I think you're always playing that cat-and-mouse game of, okay, do we need more practice time? Do we need more physicality in practice? We certainly have adjusted the way that we do things at times. But then there's moments that it's just it has to happen. It has to look a certain way, and you get frustrated because somebody might get nicked or banged up, but that's just the reality."
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"Now I also think players are bigger, faster, and stronger, and that probably leads to injuries as well. So, there's a lot of things that play into that, but it's a different game for sure. I think a lot of that starts with like the length of the season and the amount of time that we have our players. You also get to spend a lot more time with them in the off season."
"So, when you introduce something, you might have already walked through it 15 times in the summer or in the spring. So, different from that standpoint, for sure."
Growth in Avoiding Penalties:
"Yeah, I mean, you never want to be the team that's penalizing yourself. And those yards add up. So, I thought our guys had done a better job of competing. It's the little things that you coach every single day that have to continue to show up, and preparation. Like some of those mistakes that didn't show up this Saturday hurt us against Illinois."
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"We had a couple of short-yardage situations that became third-and-longer because we did jump offside. So, I always think our team does a good job of where we put our focus as coaches. Like, those things show up for us, and how fast can we identify them? And I think that was a lot of a lot of our players' focus on Saturday was really in the right place when it came to things like that."
D'Antre Robinson Increased Workload:
Oregon defensive lineman D'Antre Robinson, left, brings down Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles as the Oregon Ducks host the Northwestern Wildcats on Oct. 31, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
"Yeah, I think D'Antre's continued to get better and better and better, and I think there's still a level of improvement that he can see that he hasn't even touched yet. I think the biggest thing is how coachable he's been. He's really grown as a person and a player since he's been here. And there's still another level of an untouched player or an untapped into player that I think we can see and expect to show up before the season's done."
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What He Meant By Having Independent Contractors:
"Yeah, I mean, ultimately, everybody's got to be on the same team. And it all has to come from in house. And we have one guy not doing his job, you're not going to have the success needed. And even though we walked away with success on Saturday, we could have been so much more successful if we had 11 guys doing exactly what they're supposed to do and what they're supposed to do."
"Now, as a coach, that means you're either coaching or allowing it to happen. But I'm looking for guys that'll be assassins, not superheroes. You don't have to feel like you have to make a crazy play every single play."
"Sometimes when you're trying to go so much hard because you put in this unbelievable effort, you're all of a sudden, you're not in your gap, or you're trying to make a pick because your eyes aren't on your man anymore. Or you're trying to run a route because you think it'll be open, but that's not the route that's designated in this coverage."
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"I think there was a few of those moments in Saturday that hurt us. And when you go back and you just point to the entirety of the game to our players. You show, hey, look, we had 11 guys doing what they were coached to on this play. Look at the result. You recognize that there's a lot of success on both sides of the ball when that happens."
"So, our guys care. Sometimes that means they press right. And again, we don't want superheroes. We want assassins. We want guys that do their job consistently. Don't really care where the credit comes, and they make 100 percent of the plays that they're supposed to make. I don't need anybody making 100 percent of the plays that they're not supposed to make. Because that means they're probably not doing their job somewhere else."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oregon as Dan Lanning Provides Promising Jordon Davison, Jeremiah McClellan Injury Updates .
