How Dan Lanning Motivates Oregon Ducks Football With Noah Lyles' Olympics Triumph

In episode three of the Oregon Ducks docuseries "That Team Out West", Coach Dan Lanning uses Olympic Champion, Noah Lyles' 100-meter dash victory as a learning tool.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning leads his team onto the field before the game against Colorado in Eugene Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Sprinter Noah Lyles captivated the world with his triumphant performance in the finals of the 100-meter dash at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The American superstar sprinter defeated Jamaican Kishane Thompson and fellow USA star Fred Kerley to win the first American gold medal in the glamour event of the Olympic Games since 2004.

The times? Lyles 9.79, Thompson 9.79, & Kerley 9.81. The difference between the fastest men on the planet was a mere 0.05 seconds. 

The margin separating the gold medal winner and the 7th place finisher was less than one tenth of a second. There aren’t many better visuals to showcase the harsh realities of competing on the highest level than that. You can run one of the fastest times ever recorded and still fall short of your goals by a sizable margin despite how close it may feel.

Aug 4, 2024; Paris, FRANCE; Noah Lyles (USA) defeats Kishane Thompson (JAM) and Fred Kerley (USA) to win the men's 100m final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade de France. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports / James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

In episode three of “That Team Out West”, the image of that race is exactly what Oregon Ducks Coach Dan Lanning uses to convey the message of every moment and detail being of the utmost importance. In a team meeting, Lanning showed a graphic that detailed the race from start to finish that saw Lyles claw his way back from a near-disastrous start, then being in seventh place at 50 meters, to at the end being the man to snatch Olympic gold by the slimmest of margins. 

For context, Lyles is a three-time world champion and two-time Olympic bronze medalist in the 200-meter dash. In recent years he’s made a concerted effort to become the best in the world at the 100-meter dash. This very simply just doesn’t happen often in track. In football terms, it’s like a big framed outside receiver becoming the shifty slot receiver that catches bubble screens and takes the end-arounds on jet sweeps. It’s a rare occurrence. 

Aug 4, 2024; Paris Saint-Denis, France; Noah Lyles (USA) hugs Fred Kerley (USA) after the menís 100m final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade de France. Mandatory Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports / Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports

It may not sound like much of a difference to the non-track aficionado, but the two events couldn’t be more different. The 200 allows for you to have different race plans and perfectly time the curve runs as it kicks into the home stretch. It’s also an event where you can not have the greatest start and still power through to victory late. The 100 is a more tactical race that mostly requires a great start, perfect drive phase, & maximum top-end speed.

Lyles’ start in the final couldn’t have been much worse, having the worst reaction time on the field. However, being a 200-meter savant, he had the power in his legs to will himself back into the race and ultimately finish on top. The game of football is played with the same mentality. You hear coaches talk about football being a game of inches. You listen to coaches say it’s not about how you start, but how you finish. 

Well, the Ducks couldn’t have a better example to apply to their daily grind and their season mantra as a whole. Watch episode three of “That Team Out West” below. 

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