Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Addresses Fake Punt Trickery vs. Maryland: 'Play To Win'

The No.1 Oregon Ducks kept their undefeated season alive with a 39-18 win over Maryland, advancing to 10-0 for the first time since 2012. Oregon coach coach Dan Lanning highlighted areas for improvement, especially penalties and defensive communication, while addressing a fake punt. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel set an NCAA touchdown record, while Jordan Burch delivered crucial plays.

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning reacts after Oregon's 39-18 win over Maryland, advancing to 10-0 for the first time since 2012. / jake bunn

EUGENE – The Oregon Ducks are well on their way to an undefeated regular season following a 39-18 win over the Maryland Terrapins. The Ducks are now 10-0 on the season for the first time since 2012. 

Oregon's win over the Terrapins was filled with many highs and lows. The Ducks struggled with penalties, committing 12 for 95 yards on the night, many due to miscommunication on defense. Despite the abundance of penalties, Oregon's starting quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, made history by breaking the NCAA touchdown record with a trick play, throwing a three-yard touchdown to offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson. 

Oregon offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson hauls in a touchdown pass as the Oregon Ducks host the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Jordan Burch was an extremely influential player during the matchup. The lineman forced a fumble on Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and rushed for 36 yards on a fake punt. Despite carrying the ball for just one play, Burch finished the game with the second-most rushing yards for Oregon. 

On top of stellar performances from his team, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning earned a one-year contract extension at Oregon with the 10th win of the season.

What Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning Said After No. 1 Oregon’s 39-18 Win Over Maryland 

Opening Statement:

"It was nice to walk away with victory. That being said, I feel like we can play a whole lot better. I think everyone probably saw movements of that, but you can’t go through that game without recognizing, you know, having the all-time NCAA touchdown record for Dillon Gabriel and what he was able to accomplish there. He’ll be the first one to tell you he doesn’t care, but he should, because that’s a really special moment for him. So I’m glad that we got to celebrate that tonight with him. You know, some really advantageous moments on defense, creating takeaways, some you know, back against the wall moments too, where we took some risk and guys you know took advantage of it, like Jordan Burch has run there on the fake punt."

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, left, and coach Dan Lanning embrace after defeating Maryland at Autzen Stadium. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lanning on Jordan Burch

"Yeah, I think he’s fine. Just tweaked his ankle a little bit. But, you know, I watched the film, but, you know, obviously Jordan has some game changing plays in this game."

Lanning on penalties:

"Yeah, you know, it’s poor, poor, poor performance for us. We gotta go back and look at the film and figure out we can eliminate that. We didn’t play clean. So, you know, I don’t know we were distracted and we weren’t focused. You know, I felt like our guys had good energy and enthusiasm, but we put ourselves in some bad spots on defense, giving them opportunities for first downs, and hurt ourselves with some pre-snap penalties on offense. So it’s definitely something for us to tackle and improve on."

Lanning on the six pass deflections:

"We knew the ball was going to be out quick, you know, I was something that we anticipated playing these guys. And felt like that there was going to be more, more, more moments to create, you know, pbus on the defensive line than necessarily sacks. You know, we didn’t feel like they were gonna hold on to the ball along. So that was a big point of emphasis, and those guys executed."

Lanning on the fake punt:

"Play to win. You know, we were playing, took it to a win. And, you know, ultimately, like you mentioned, we kind of stalled out in the third. I didn’t want that to be the case. We felt good about the fake that we had dialed up. You know, felt like there was even some moments, maybe in the first half, to utilize it. And did a great job there, you know, executing during keeping the drive alive and creating some momentum before us there in the third quarter"

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel carries the ball as the Oregon Ducks host the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lanning on if it was of effort or a lack of focus:

"It wasn’t a lack of effort, but maybe a lack of focus, right? And a good reset for our team to be able to do that. And then you also have to give credit, you know, Maryland had a good plan. They’re coming off a bye week, and they have some good answers."

Lanning on Genorris Wilson's touchdown:

"I do think momentum is real in a football game. And again, as a play that we like, you know? I think that’s the cleanest he’s caught that place since we practiced it, you know. So I was really glad to see him go attack the ball the way he did. A good, good execution, good throw. So it was good to see it happen."

Lanning on establishing the pass first:

"We felt like this is a team that we were going to be able create some, you know, explosive passes. Nothing really happened tonight, so we didn’t do a great job there somewhere in Grove, but we’re able to kind of lean back in our run game there in the second half."

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning gathers his team during a timeout as the Oregon Ducks host the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lanning on potentially overlooking the Terps:

"We felt like this is a team that we were going to be able create some, you know, explosive passes. Nothing really happened tonight, so we didn’t do a great job there somewhere in Grove, but we’re able to kind of lean back in our run game there in the second half."

Lanning on how the recievers did without Tez Johnson:

"Yeah, I’ll have to go watch the film and evaluate it. You know, I thought we had some drops early on. I also think Dillon would tell you he could put the ball in better spots, you know, early on. But that’s something we have to be able to execute. And when you don’t do that, that’s going to stall out some drives early, which showed up."

Lanning on defending Maryland's recievers:

"I mean, they’re really good wideouts. We felt like they were some of the best that we’ve gone against this year. So, you know, they’ll come out and play aggressively, you know, put our guys on islands at times. You know, I think the guys executed that. That being said, I think our technique can definitely clean up."

Lanning on causing turnovers:

"We always emphasize it, but this week in particular, we emphasize the more. And I always say turnovers come in bunches, so they came in bunches tonight."

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