Dan Lanning is about to put his name in a very small Oregon club, and he’s doing it at a blistering pace.
The Ducks coach sits at 49-8 entering Saturday’s game at Oklahoma State, which means his next win will be his 50th. If Oregon gets there this weekend, Lanning would reach the mark in fewer than five full seasons after taking over the program in 2022.
Kickoff is set for 9 a.m., and if the milestone doesn’t happen in Stillwater, the next shot comes Friday night at home against FCS Portland State. Either way, barring two massive upsets, Lanning’s 50th victory should arrive in his 58th or 59th game.
That would make him the fastest Oregon coach to 50 wins by a wide margin.
Only three Ducks coaches have ever reached that number, and each needed considerably more time. Len Casanova got there in his 10th season, with his 50th win coming in 1960 when Oregon beat West Virginia 20-6 and finished 7-3-1.
Rich Brooks needed 12 seasons before his 50th, which came on Oct. 1, 1988, when Oregon opened 4-0 with a 34-13 win at San Diego State before finishing 6-6. Mike Bellotti reached the milestone in the first game of his seventh season in 2001, when Oregon beat Wisconsin 31-28 at Autzen Stadium and eventually finished 11-1, good for a No. 2 ranking.
Lanning’s climb has been even faster than those names, and his first game in Eugene showed just how far the program has come since then. Oregon opened his tenure against defending national champion Georgia in Atlanta, where Lanning had spent three seasons as defensive coordinator. The Bulldogs rolled 49-3, still the most lopsided defeat of his career.
Since that night, the Ducks have settled into a different level. Oregon went 10-3 in Lanning’s first season, hasn’t lost more than two games in a year since, won the 2024 Big Ten championship and made the College Football Playoff twice.
Asked to compare himself now with the coach who walked into Oregon for that first game, Lanning didn’t hesitate: “Light-years of changes. I don’t think I could pick one thing. But you’re drinking out of a fire hose at first.”
He added, “Obviously, the first game result was pretty poor. So, we’re a little bit different team since then, for sure. Certainly, I’m a lot different.”
If Saturday doesn’t bring win No. 50, the calendar says the Ducks won’t have to wait long. And when it comes, it will arrive faster than it ever has for an Oregon coach.
In Other News...
Oregons Boise State Win Just Took On A Different Look
Oregons opening-night win over Boise State looked solid enough in the moment, but it carries a different feel now that the Ducks have seen how the rest of the early schedule has shaken out. The latest FPI numbers still like Oregon plenty, slotting the Ducks at No. 8 with a 22.7 rating, and they also show that the margin for error is already getting a little tighter after both teams involved in that first game took a step back following Week 1.
That backdrop matters with Oklahoma State coming next, because the Cowboys are trying to sort through an uneven start and an offense built around several newcomers. Their Week 1 loss to Tulsa only added to the uncertainty, and now theyll be without starting left tackle Jacob Sexton for the rest of the season. For Oregon, it turns a routine nonconference tune-up into a game that looks a lot more complicated on paper than it did a week ago. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Just Got A Huge Shot With The Nations Top Safety
Oregons recruiting board for the 2028 class just got a major boost with a visit set for one of the countrys premier defensive prospects. Gaige Weddle, the top-ranked safety in the class according to Rivals and No. 12 overall, is expected at Autzen Stadium on November 14, giving the Ducks a chance to make an impression on a player whose name already carries plenty of football weight.
Weddle, the son of former NFL safety Eric Weddle, plays at Rancho Bernardo High School in California and has narrowed his attention to a seven-school visit list that also includes Utah, Cal, BYU, Miami, UCLA and Ohio State. For Oregon, landing him on campus is only the opening step, but it is the kind of early development that can matter when the nations best defensive back prospects start sorting out where they want to spend the next stage of their careers. [Read more 🡒]
Dante Moore Keeps Showing Oregon Has A Weapon Teams Fear Late
Dante Moore keeps giving Oregon something it has wanted in big moments: a quarterback who looks comfortable when the clock is working against everyone else. Against Boise State, Moore helped steer a late first-half touchdown drive on the way to Oregons 34-27 win, and his career-high 378 passing yards only added to the sense that the Ducks can lean on him when possessions get tight. The two-minute offense has become more than a situational package for this team, and Moore has been at the center of it.
For Oregon, the encouraging part is how this has started to feel like a pattern rather than a one-off surge. The Ducks have seen similar late-half success in previous games and seasons, even as the staff around the offense has changed, including Mehringers promotion to offensive coordinator. Now the next test comes against Oklahoma State, and if Moore keeps turning late-game pressure into points, Oregon will keep giving opponents one more thing to worry about. [Read more 🡒]