Coaches know the value of peaking at the right time, that right time being at the end of a season. Dan Lanning knows that better than anybody.
Oregon’s head coach witnessed firsthand a national championship peak as defensive coordinator at Georgia in 2021 when the Bulldogs lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game only to avenge that defeat in the following College Football Playoff Championship Game. That’s why Lanning appreciates that Ohio State is playing its best football of the season entering the Buckeyes’ CFP quarterfinal matchup with his Ducks.
“I think our best game, just overall, that we've played is probably our Washington game in all three phases,” Lanning said on Monday. “I think we've gotten better at different things with each group and each side of the ball throughout the season. But I think at moments, we’ve certainly shown our ability to play really good football. I think you'd probably argue that Ohio State's best game was the game that they just played. So it's important at this point in the year that you're playing really good football. And sometimes you don't know that until you step on the field.”
Lanning’s always spoken highly of the Buckeyes, whether that’s due to gamesmanship, admiration or some combination of the two. The two teams’ first clash was one of the best college football games this season, with Oregon winning a 32-31 thriller that came down to the final seconds. Since then the Ducks capped a 12-0 regular season with a Big Ten Championship in their first year in the conference, earning the No. 1 seed in the CFP.
“I don't know if there's a more talented team in the nation,” Lanning said of Ohio State. “Obviously, they've got great weapons outside at wideout and across the board. Their tight end is a big target. Their running backs are elite. I think they've settled in with their offensive line and that's really shown up. And then defensively, they play with relentless effort. They've got talent across the board at really every position.”
It’s hard to argue with Lanning when he says that the eighth-seeded Buckeyes’ best game this season is the one they just played. Ninth-seeded 10-2 Tennessee rolled into Columbus with somewhere around 30,000 fans and got dog-walked 42-17. Ohio State led 21-0 by the end of the first quarter and outgained the Volunteers 473 yards to 256.
The first-round playoff win was also a major bounce back and perhaps the best performance of the year for Buckeye quarterback Will Howard, who finished 24-of-29 for 311 yards and two touchdowns. It’s his second 300-yard outing in 2024, the first coming at Oregon on Oct. 12. He was over 80% completions in both games.
“I think he's built a lot of confidence in the guys that he's able to throw the ball to and even some confidence in the quarterback run game,” Lanning said of Howard. “I think you see him utilized a little bit more in the QB run game later in the season. But he does a good job of throwing good balls. He certainly threw a lot of good balls the other night down the field and was able to target those wideouts for explosive plays down the field.”
While Howard will aim to replicate his success in Eugene earlier this season – sans a slide that came a second too late on Ohio State’s final play as the clock expired on a one-point loss – both teams have evolved since they met the first time. The Buckeyes’ ground game went completely to gap schemes against Tennessee, a response to two weeks of offensive line and run game struggles following a season-ending injury to center and Rimington Trophy winner Seth McLaughlin.
“You look at what worked, you look at what didn't work, you look at how your team has changed and you try to play, again, to your strengths,” Lanning said. You look at how your opponent's team has changed. So there's going to be some differences in this game from the last game, for sure.”
"I don't know if there's a more talented team in the nation."– Dan Lanning on Ohio State
For Oregon, it will have the services of star defensive end Jordan Burch, who missed the Bucks and Ducks’ earlier clash with a lower-body injury. In just nine games this year, Burch has 30 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.
“God doesn't make a lot of people that look like Jordan Burch,” Lanning said. “I think when people see him, they're always surprised to hear that he's almost 300 pounds because he looks really good at his size. But he plays like a beast on the field. Relentless effort and the fact that we have great depth and several guys that can play edge positions for us, it allows us to make sure that when he's on the field, he's fresh. And a fresh Jordan Burch is really dangerous.”
Above all else – and similar to Ohio State head coach Ryan Day – Lanning is eager for another clash between the two Big Ten titans.
“Super excited,” Lanning said. “Getting the opportunity to play great teams, that's what it's about. And this part of the year, I think when you play great teams, that gives you some extra motivation to go work really hard, to be prepared and ready to be out there on the field. So obviously Ohio State's a great team and the path to the end is tough, which is exciting for our team and certainly for me.”
