Oregon Ducks Coach Dan Lanning Praises NFL-Caliber Boise State Running Back

Diving into the statistics and history behind Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and what the Oregon Ducks needs to do to counter him this upcoming weekend.

Saturday, August 31, 2024; Statesboro, Georgia; Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty gains yardage against Georgia Southern during the season opener on Saturday, August 31, 2024 at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. / Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK

At this point, it feels like most Oregon Duck Football fans have agreed to look forward to the next game on Oregon’s schedule and hope that the teams’ performance vs. Idaho was a fluke in their 24- 14 victory. Oregon coach Dan Lanning and company are certainly looking back on their film to iron out the issues facing the Ducks, as their next opponent is a bigger challenge; Boise State. 

Saturday, August 31, 2024; Statesboro, Georgia; Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty scores a touchdown against the Georgia Southern defense during the season opener on Saturday, August 31, 2024 at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. / Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK

The favorites for the Mountain West Conference Championship put on quite the show last week vs. Georgia Southern, showing offensive strength and holding the lead throughout the contest. One athlete for the Broncos in particular is garnering some high praise. Junior Ashton Jeanty made quite the statement when he punched in a 77-yard touchdown run to kick-off Boise State’s early lead and sealed the deal with the Heisman pose no less. Jeanty went on to score six touchdowns and run 267 yards that game to take down Georgia Southern 56-45.

With a performance like that, it’s no surprise Lanning was asked about Jeanty during his game week press conference.

“Yeah, I think he's the best running back I've seen since I've been here. You know, he's certainly an NFL guy,” Lanning said.

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Aug 31, 2024; Statesboro, Georgia, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Sire Gaines (26) drives for yardage Georgia Southern Eagles defensive back Chance Gamble (31) at Paulson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News-USA TODAY Sports / Richard Burkhart-USA TODAY Sports

That’s high praise for an opponent, but this isn’t new for Jeanty. Boise State launched a website as an early way to campaign for Jeanty’s Heisman run. Last year, Jeanty also put up some serious numbers throughout his season with 1,916 total yards and 19 total touchdowns. In fact, Jeanty is the only FBS athlete to have multiple rushing and receiving touchdowns with over 50 yards. He’s also the first athlete since 2016 to put up over 1,000 rushing yards and over 500 receiving yards in a ten game span. Jeanty is a beast.

“He doesn't go down on first contact ever,” Lanning said. “He's one of the best stiff arm guys that we've gone against. You know, he runs really, really physical.”

Lanning also shouted out Boise State’s other running back to enter the Georgia Southern game, freshman Sire Gaines. Though not as dominating as Jeanty, Gaines put up 110 yards with twelve attempts for rushing, 44 yards on passing, and both a receiving and rushing touchdown.

Aug 31, 2024; Statesboro, Georgia, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) drives to the end zone for a touchdown against the Georgia Southern Eagles defense at Paulson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News-USA TODAY Sports / Richard Burkhart-USA TODAY Sports

“And then, you know, the next guy they brought in ran 400 yards too,” Lanning said. “So, really powerful rushing attack.”

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One of the strategies Lanning attributes to Boise State’s dominance with Jeanty and Gaines over Georgia Southern is their ability to set their backs up for success. Lanning highlighted the Broncos’ use of stretch plays and boot play action, where both plays can work together to shift the pocket and line away from the route (or suspected route) of the running back. This allows for explosive runs seen in Boise State’s first match-up.

“You know, their offense does a lot of good things to scheme you up,” Lanning said. “And you know, they have compliments off of each play, right? So a great stretch plays. It's gonna have a great boot play action off of it as well. So they hold you accountable. They make you tackle.”

Oregon’s run defense stood up for the most part last season unless faced with a veteran offensive line. They’ll be facing such talent when it comes to Boise State, due to a tenured trench that allowed an average of 10.6 yards per carry against Georgia Southern. Boise State’s offensive line is a huge part of Jeanty and Gaines’ success, but Lanning said off-season preparations prepared the Ducks for a challenge like this.

Aug 31, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning touches the O logo before the game against the Idaho Vandals at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-USA TODAY Sports / Craig Strobeck-USA TODAY Sports

“Combination of the technique, combination of scheme, but certainly some things that we recognize that we want to have good answers for going into the offseason,” Lanning said.

So with an explosive rushing offense, Boise State brings a dangerous edge of physicality and speed to Autzen Stadium this weekend. After a very pass-heavy performance by Idaho, it’ll be interesting to see Oregon combat a team with an offensive strategy that feels very much the opposite. Either way, expect Jeanty to try to live up to his “NFL guy” distinction Lanning bestowed.

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