Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks are officially out of the running to reach the College Football Playoff. To make matters worse, their most-hated rival knocked them out of the mix.
The Washington Huskies have upset the Ducks of Oregon 37-34 at Autzen Stadium this Saturday night. UW quarterback Michael Penix was spectacular (26 of 35 for 408 yards and two touchdowns with one pick). The Oregon defense had no answer for the Huskies’ passing attack.
However, the game ultimately changed late in the fourth quarter when Oregon was on offense. The Ducks rattled off an impressive 10-minute drive after picking off Penix at their one-yard line. The playoff hopeful appeared to be in control of the game at that point. But on a third-and-five in the red-zone, a quarterback keeper by Bo Nix was blown up two or three yards short. Nix came away from the play injured.
Video courtesy of John Canzano.
Oregon went with the field goal to make it a 34-27 game at that point. Just moments later, Penix silenced the Autzen crowd hit Taj Davis on the sideline for an electric 62-yard touchdown to tie the game.
Video courtesy of FOX Sports.
Oregon got the ball back with about two minutes left in the Pac-12 thriller, but turned to backup quarterback Ty Thompson with Nix in the medical tent. The Ducks ran four straight runs, including an aggressive fourth-down call in their own territory that ultimately cost them the game, that all came up short of first down.
“I can’t comprehend what Dan Lanning just did. Incomprehensible. Could cost his team the Playoff,” said Stewart Mandel.
Washington took advantage of Dan Lanning’s awful fourth-down call with his backup quarterback in the game and kicked the go-ahead field goal with 50 seconds left. The Ducks couldn’t come up with anything significant on their following offensive possession and Washington held on for the upset victory.
Every year it feels like Oregon sneaks it’s way back into the College Football Playoff discussion. And every year it seems like the Ducks lose a late-night November game to an opponent they should beat.
Dan Lanning’s had a great first year in Eugene, but this one is going to sting a while. But Oregon can’t let this one haunt it for very long.
A motivated Utah team, which beat the Ducks twice in 2021, is coming to town next weekend. The Utes aren’t going to show Oregon any mercy.