“You can sleep when you die,” joked Dan Lanning after last year’s spring practice. Its grit like that which allowed him to build an undefeated regular season program in 2024. Now he is aiming for the same this year, and their win against Penn State is proof of it. They are at 2-0 in their conference, which is proof that Lanning’s building a powerhouse even when he went in with an unproven QB in Dante Moore. All of this success even forced a Penn State alum to praise him!

Winning against one of college football’s most hostile crowd in front of 111,015 fans in Beaver Stadium was never going to be easy. But Lanning did it so well that the same crowd booing them started chanting “fire Franklin.” After seeing this, Adam Breneman praised Lanning’s dominance despite being a Penn State alum. “Oregon’s win at Penn State was not just a road upset. It was proof that Dan Lanning is building a powerhouse in Eugene, Oregon. In front of a 111,000 people, the toughest road environment they faced this season. The Ducks did not just survive. They knocked off number three, Penn State, in double overtime,” he said. He also highlighted the QB’s performance. “Moore is a first-year starter at Oregon, on the road, can’t hear anything in that white out, and I’ve played in it. And he showed complete poise,” Breneman added.

Well, that makes sense. Dante Moore was explosive in front of Penn State’s relentless defense. Going in for 29 of 39 passes for 248 yards with three touchdowns proves his dominance. On top of that, he also avoided turnovers in the entire game while rushing for 35 yards, while taking big hits. Through five weeks Moore threw for 1210 yards, 14 TDs, and just 1 interception. And if this kind of success goes on, he can be the first Heisman winner for Oregon since Marcus Mariota in 2014.

It’s not just offense, even their defense is breathing fire. And their best moment came during double overtime when Penn State needed a touchdown with an extra point to win. And in the very first play, Penn State QB Drew Allar threw an interception, and Dillon Thieneman caught it, ending the game with a win for the Ducks. Even Breneman points out the same: “A defense that’s aggressive, can be lights out in big moments, and held Penn State to just three points through three quarters, and you see why Oregon looks built to last as a premier program in college football.” That’s how explosive they are!

Players like linebacker Bryce Boettcher, leading the team with 39 total tackles and 1 interception, and Matayo Uiagalelei, who leads the team with 4 sacks, show how well both their offense and defense are working together. All this is proof of why Oregon can win it all this season. But along with the perfect season’s prediction, Dan Lanning’s funny jabs are also taking center stage.

Dan Lanning’s tunnel comment goes viral

It’s pretty clear that going up against Penn State in Happy Valley wasn’t an easy task for Dan Lanning and his team. And their “We are Penn State” chants before the game kicked off showed it perfectly! But Lanning had his own version of this chant for Penn State fans.

That’s exactly what he did in a viral clip of Oregon’s Ducks vs. Them series. Lanning was seen making a bold joke before heading into the tunnel to run out into the white-out game! His words? “‘We are about to get our a– kicked,’ is what they’re about to say.”

Looks like Lanning already knew the game’s outcome, and that’s what happened. After a tough defensive battle the entire night, they finally took a 17-3 lead, but Penn State pushed it to overtime. And despite all the efforts, it was a 30-24 double overtime win for the Ducks, thereby vindicating Lanning and his team.

But despite the win, the jabs didn’t stop. After winning against Penn State, he put up a story on Instagram with Penn State’s fan favorite song, “Mo Bamba,” calling it his new favorite. So, it’s clear that Lanning’s not just dominating the football field but also taking over the social media feud to another level. Now, let’s just wait and see if all this translates into a 12-0 season for them or not!