Ducks Digest

Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Latest Motivational Tactic Going Viral

The Oregon Ducks video team released the latest episode of "Ducks vs. Them" after Oregon beat the Wisconsin Badgers on the road. Behind-the-scenes footage reveals how Oregon coach Dan Lanning used Wisconsin's "Jump Around" tradition to his own advantage.

Charlie Viehl

Nov 16, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the third quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the third quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
In this story:

The No. 1 Oregon Ducks are one of the best teams in the country, and they happen to have one of the best video teams in the country. After beating the Wisconsin Badgers in Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oregon released the latest episode of "Ducks vs. Them" on Tuesday.

The 13-minute video is titled "When You Hear That Song" because of the Badgers famous tradition of dancing to House of Pain's "Jump Around" between the third and fourth quarters at every home game. Instead of letting Wisconsin's tradition intimidate his team, Oregon coach Dan Lanning used Wisconsin's tradition to his advantage.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the third quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium.
Nov 16, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the third quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

On the Monday before the Ducks faced Wisconsin, Lanning made his message clear to his players in a team meeting.

"In this game, and throughout this week, you're going to hear this song," said Lanning. "It's going to release dopamine in your mind, and it's going to tell you that you're hungry to go eat. Whenever we hear this, I want our temperature to change. . . . When you hear it at practice, I want you to say to yourself, 'S*** is about to get serious.'"

The Ducks coach likened his team's response to the psychological concept of Pavlov's dog. Lanning has made headlines for the use of psychology when motivating his players, and the build up into the Wisconsin game was no different.

The Pavlov's dog experiments are famous for demonstrating the idea of classical conditioning, the idea of connecting a neutral stimulus with something positive. In the Pavlov's dog experiment, scientists rang a bell whenever they gave a dog food. Shortly thereafter, the dog began to salivate and expect food every time the bell made a sound.

For Lanning and the Ducks, the stimulus was "Jump Around," and the response was to win the game.

"Jump Around" came and the Oregon players all participated, dancing on the sideline. The following play to start the fourth quarter was a massive one as the Ducks offense faced a fourth down with nine yards to go. When play resumedOregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel rolled out of the pocket to his left and found tight end Terrance Ferguson for a first down

The Ducks eventually escaped Wisconsin with a 16-13 win, and it appears as though Lanning's motivational tactics paid off once again.

MORE: Oregon Ducks Tez Johnson Injury Update Ahead Of Washington Game

MORE: Oregon Ducks Schedule Release: Washington Huskies Kickoff Time, TV Broadcast

MORE: Big Ten Power Rankings: Oregon Ducks Above Ohio State Buckeyes, Indiana Hoosiers?

MORE: Oregon Ducks, Wisconsin Badgers Officiating 'Consistently Wrong': Bad Penalty Calls

MORE: Wisconsin Badgers Coach Luke Fickell Takes Blame For Oregon Ducks Loss


MORE: Denver Broncos' Bo Nix Career NFL Performance: Case For Offensive Rookie Of Year?

MORE: Oregon Ducks Clinch Big Ten Championship Game Berth With Win Over Wisconsin 

MORE: Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Shares Injury Update on Jamaree Caldwell After Wisconsin Win

MORE: Oregon Ducks Five-Star Commit Trey McNutt Visiting Texas A&M Aggies: Flip Looms?

MORE: Oregon Ducks Coach Dan Lanning Receives Contract Bonus for Win vs. Wisconsin Badgers

MORE: Oregon Ducks Commit Dakorien Moore Recruiting Texas Longhorn Transfer Johntay Cook II

MORE: Los Angeles Chargers Quarterback Justin Herbert Earns New Nickname From Jim Harbaugh

Published |Modified
Charlie Viehl
CHARLIE VIEHL

Charlie Viehl is a 23-year old Boston College graduate and is an Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans beat reporter for On SI. A native of Pasadena, California, he covered sports across Los Angeles while at Loyola High School and edited the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program’s magazine at BC. While pursuing a career in sports journalism, he is also a lifelong musician. He is excited to bring his passion for storytelling and sports to fans of college athletics.

Home/Football