Oregon Ducks 'Distracted'? Dan Lanning Comments on Penalties in Win vs. Maryland

The Oregon Ducks had some penalty problems in their 39-18 win over the Maryland Terrapins. The Ducks were flagged by the officials 12 times for 95 yards.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning yells on the sideline 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 coach Dan Lanning was critical of his team's penalty issues following Saturday's 39-18 win over the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium.

Despite essentially putting the game out of reach with time to spare in the third quarter, early miscues -- some being controversial to say the least -- allowed the Terrapins to hang around a bit long than they probably should have.

"Poor performance for us, we got to go back and look at the film to eliminate that," Lanning said. "We didn’t play clean, so I don’t know if we were distracted, not focused … I feel like our guys had good energy and enthusiasm, but we put ourselves in some bad spots on defense. Giving them opportunities for first downs, hurt ourselves with some pre-snap penalties on offense so it’s definitely something for us to attack and clean up.”

Nov 9, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning, center, watches the defense during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Ducks committed 12 penalties for 95 yards, both season-high marks. The first flag came on the opening drive when Daylen Austin was called for roughing the kicker on 4th and 8 after hitting Maryland punter Bryce McFerson. This extended the Terrapins' drive and led to points, as Maryland took an early 3-0 lead.

After a three-and-out on their first drive, the Ducks answered with a 14-play, 92-yard touchdown drive, but Oregon was still unable to avoid the penalties. Two false starts were called on the Ducks before Jordan James ended the drive on a three-yard rushing score.

In the second quarter, Maryland was able to put together its best drive thanks to some questionable flags against the Ducks, both of which came on crucial downs against Oregon defensive back Tysheem Johnson. He was called for a pair of pass interference penalties that extended the drive on third and fourth down. Both flags were certainly questionable, and led to Maryland finding the end zone to make it a 14-10 game with 3:17 left in the first half.

“I’ll have to watch the film. Some of them were close,” Lanning said.

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

Despite the mild controversy, the Ducks made the point mute by handling business on offense right before halftime and for most of the second half. Still, the team expects to pay the price in practice.

"We do up-downs every day at practice just for penalties, so I know Coach Lanning will definitely hit us with those," said Oregon defensive back Kobe Savage.

The Ducks will look to stay perfect -- record-wise that is -- when they visit the Wisconsin Badgers next Saturday in another Big Ten battle.

MORE: Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Addresses Jordan Burch Injury After Beating Maryland

MORE: Questionable Officiating Oregon Ducks vs. Maryland Terrapins: Unsportsmanlike Conduct

MORE: Oregon Ducks' Dillon Gabriel's Cool Reaction to Breaking NCAA Career Touchdown Record

MORE: Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Addresses Jordan James Injury After Beating Maryland

MORE: Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Earns One-Year Contract Extension Worth $9.4 Million

MORE: Oregon Ducks Five-Star Commit Dakorien Moore Visiting LSU Tigers: Flip Threat?

MORE: What Pat McAfee Said About Oregon Ducks Coach Dan Lanning’s Viral Motivation Tactic

MORE: Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee Detail Why Oregon Ducks, Dan Lanning Are Elite

MORE: Oregon Ducks Recruiting: Nation's No. 2 Overall Recruit Visiting Eugene For Maryland

MORE: Texas Longhorns' Johntay Cook To Transfer: Oregon Ducks, Georgia, Ole Miss Interested