Dan Lanning says Ducks are 'dialed in' ahead of top-10 matchup with UCLA
Dan Lanning senses his team is ready.
The 10th-ranked Ducks (5-1, 3-0 Pac-12) host the ninth-ranked UCLA Bruins (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) Saturday afternoon. ESPN’s College GameDay will be in town. The national attention will turn to Eugene. Stars will be out. The environment figures to be electric as any we’ll see for a Pac-12 game this regular season. But to a team trying to win a football game, that’s an awful lot of distractions.
Lanning has tried to impress on his team this week that it has to stay the course. As gameday approaches, he seems to think they’ve handled things well.
“Play the game not the moment, and I think our guys are more dialed in. We’re really not concerned about all the other pieces,” Lanning said on Wednesday.
A win on Saturday would keep the Ducks unbeaten in Pac-12 play and leave them in the driver’s seat in the Pac-12. With USC losing to Utah this past weekend and Utah already falling to UCLA, the battle between the Ducks and Bruins will leave only one unbeaten team in the Pac-12.
Oregon knows the stakes.
“These are games that don’t take a lot of pep talks,” Lanning said. “Guys are excited. We all realize the moment here. Guys want to play at a high level. But it’s also about keeping that energy directed. That’s what it’s about — a one-play focus.”
Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT on FOX.