In the last two seasons, there have been only two teams that have beaten Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks football program – the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers. Obviously, it’s anything but easy to beat them. Texas Tech head honcho Joey McGuire is well aware of that, and he has cooked up a very detailed plan to dismantle the Oregon Ducks’ national title dream.

On December 22, Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire hopped onto the podium before flying out to Miami for the Orange Bowl to talk about the matchup.

“We talk all the time about complementary football, how we play off of each other. Indiana did a phenomenal job of that, meaning their offense was on the field probably longer than anybody else, or comparable to some of the tough games they’ve had; in those instances, Indiana was really effective on offense. We’ve got to be effective on offense to help our defense,” said McGuire.

He dropped three key plans to take down the No. 5 Oregon Ducks:

1) Go toe-to-toe at all positions

If you look at it on paper, both teams have a similar level of talent. Joey McGuire even called Oregon a “mirror match” of his own team. Mind you, the $28 million-backed Red Raiders squad may have bullied its way to the quarterfinals, but they haven’t faced anyone of equal pound-for-pound quality yet. Many analysts believe this is the biggest challenge of Joey McGuire’s career.

McGuire wants his guys to match Oregon’s strength everywhere on the field, ensuring they can hang tough whether they’re on offense or defense.

2) Stop their run game with the front-seven

“I think with those guys, it all starts with their run game, where they create explosives through their run game. So we’ve got to eliminate some of those explosives, get the ball down, make them drive the field.”

The Oregon Ducks have an excellent and deep running game, which is easily one of their biggest strengths. They are one of the best rushing teams in the country, if not the best. The Ducks’ offense averages 217.1 rushing yards per game and an impressive 5.9 yards per carry. They’ve also rushed for over 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground.

However, the positive news is that the Red Raiders’ front seven is no slouch. They have two to three potential early first-rounders up front in Jacob Rodriguez, David Bailey, and Romello Height. Texas Tech also boasts the nation’s No. 1 rushing defense, allowing just 68.5 yards per game and only 2.3 yards per rush.

3) Pressure QB Dante Moore

Joey McGuire even gave Heisman-level praise to Dante Moore:

“This quarterback is special. If he decides to come out, he’s probably the number one quarterback taken in the draft — him or the Indiana kid—but he’s really good. So we’ve got to put some pressure on him, and we’ve got to do a good job of stopping the run to do that.”

Dante Moore has been phenomenal over the last few games and was even a Heisman favorite at one point this season. In his first-ever playoff game, Moore threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns against the JMU Dukes. The Texas Tech defense clearly has its work cut out.

Regardless of who wins, this is going to be one tough game. Oregon is a bit of a favorite, but Texas Tech is coming in with only bad intentions after winning 12 games by 20-plus points this regular season.

The only glaring concern for the Ducks is that they allowed around 500 yards against a Group of Five opponent earlier this year—something they absolutely cannot afford against the Red Raiders. Meanwhile, Dan Lanning also has a few logistical issues to worry about.

Dan Lanning calls out the CFP format

Oregon beat James Madison 51-34 on December 20 to move on in the College Football Playoff. Now, the Ducks will play Texas Tech on New Year’s Day in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Texas Tech has not played since December 6, which led to questions about whether Oregon has an advantage.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said the bigger issue is the playoff format, not whether to rest or adjust the timing.

“The way we do playoffs in college football is messed up,” Lanning said.

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He explained that even though Oregon is excited to play in the Orange Bowl, the higher-seeded team should be rewarded.

He then doubled down, “This game should be played at Texas Tech.”

In this 12-team playoff format, the top four seeds receive a bye, but they do not host a game. However, the quarterfinals are played at neutral bowl sites, such as the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl.

Lanning made it clear he’s not a fan of that setup, and while changes could come in the future, he believes the current format doesn’t fully reward the higher-seeded teams.