Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning On Jordan Burch Injury After Ohio State Win: 'I Hurt For Him'

After a physical battle that left the Oregon Ducks leading by one point into halftime, the Oregon Ducks rose to the challenge and beat Ohio State, 32-31. Oregon coach Dan Lanning reflected on his teams’ performance in his post game interview and star Jordan Burch's injury.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning celebrates amid a crowd of fans on the field as the No. 3 Oregon Ducks knock off the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes 32-31 Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

EUGENE - For the first time ever in Autzen Stadium history, two top-three ranked teams faced off in the No. 3 Oregon Ducks and the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes. In a burst of college football magic, the Ducks’ defense was able to shut down the Buckeyes on their last drive and finished with a score of 32-31. 

“Anybody got a heart rate monitor?" Oregon coach Dan Lanning said as he stepped from the locker room into Oregon's press conference room. "What an unbelievable atmosphere tonight. Our fans, man, they made such a difference, we’re so proud of them."

One player who did not take the field was one of Oregon's best defensive players, EDGE Jordan Burch. Burch's status was officially listed as "questionable" after suffering a knee injury in practice on Thursday. Burch leads the Ducks with five sacks and secen tackles for loss this season.

As screams rained out of the Ducks' locker room, Oregon coach Dan Lanning sat down with reporters in his post game interview to reflect on certain aspects of one of the biggest wins in Oregon Football history.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning celebrates amid a crowd of fans on the field as the No. 3 Oregon Ducks knock off the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes 32-31 Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Jordan Burch’s Injury:

“Jordan is certainly a loss. You don’t replace a Jordan. He's been unbelievable this season. But you know, in football, it's about the next man up. And I know Jordan’s probably sitting at home just as proud of these guys being able to do the next man up mentality.," Lanning said.

"We thought there might be a chance that we would be able to see him out there. We weren't able to see him out there, but we always want to protect our players first. you talk about the year that young man is having. I hurt for him, because I know how much he wanted to be a part of this moment. But talk about next man up, right. And some guys showed up tonight.” Lanning said.

On Dillon Gabriel's Touchdown Run

"Unbelievable decision there by Dillon," Lanning said. "You hope that you give an opportunity for your players to see everything we see within the week, but it's just not reality. So I don't know how many times Dillon actually got to see that exact look, you know, tight crash, from the edge, but unbelievable job on the ball there in that moment."

"And then again, if you look at that play, you're going to see guys with bodies on bodies down the field, you know, blocking their tail. So we can create a big play," Lanning said.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel scores a touchdown against Ohio State in the fourth quarter at Autzen Stadium Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On the Last Oregon Drive of the Game:

"Yeah, we were trying to score a touchdown the whole time. But we knew it was an advantage to keep the clock running so they have to utilize their time. It didn't look like they would have too many opportunities left there at the end. We felt like they could really come out with a lot of options - they had all three time outs there at the end. So we were trying to score. You know, we're trying to score on the last play there- the third down play on the goal line. They were able to get a great stop," Lanning said.

On the Back and Forth of Momentum During the Game:

"Talk about a heavy weight fight. A heavy weight fight was this game. It was a back and forth. When you play a really good team, you have to be all battling tight decisions that could go one way or the other... We played aggressive tonight. We played to win the game, went out there and executed in critical moments. So again, I can't say enough great things about that team that we just played, that's an elite football team that we just played," Lanning said. "They don't have weaknesses, but our guys did just enough tonight to go to edge it out."

Whether this Win is Dampened by a 12-Team Playoff:

"Like I said, again, we knew that regardless of the result of this game, every single one of our goals were in front of us, right? But certainly having to win affects your ability to accomplish your goals later on in the season. We always have the mindset of, what can we do? Everything that we can do to prepare to win a game. I thought our guys were rare. They prepared all unbelievably," Lanning said.

"I think they worked really hard in the week. This isn't one of those weeks where you got to motivate guys to work. And this isn't one of those teams that I have motivated to work. They embrace it. There's been moments this season where I'm telling the guys, hey, we're going to be in "Spiders" this week. They're like, no coach, we're going to be in pads. When you have moments like that. That's when you realize you got teams gonna be really successful," Lanning said.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Oregon Ducks running back Jordan James celebrate a touchdown by Gabriel as the No. 3 Oregon Ducks host the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lanning's Thoughts Moving Forward in the Season:

"This game is such an emotional game. It's such an impactful game. And in moments like this, when you want to be filled with complete joy, relief is always one of the biggest feelings," Lanning said.

"You feel right because of how hard your guys work, how bad you know they wanted it, but it's never about the team that wants it the most. It's never about the team that just has great emotion. It's about the team that executes. So you know, I am I'm filled with great excitement. I'm really proud of our guys, but I'm also figuring out what we can go attack and improve, because the team we are today, October 12 is not gonna be the same team we are in December," Lanning said.

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