“We’re not satisfied. We’re not done.” Simple words uttered by Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning at halftime with his team leading 35-0 over the Colorado Buffaloes sent the college football world into a tailspin as the Ducks commanded the action against the upstart Buffaloes.
In the end, Lanning’s statement was made and the Ducks asserted their dominance in commanding fashion against Colorado, knocking off the Buffs 42-6.
Oregon Ducks Dominate Colorado, 42-6
Speaking at the halftime break of the nationally televised game, Lanning said he and his team were not satisfied despite leading 35-0 over Colorado. Lanning, whose pregame speech sent similar shockwaves through the college football world, wasn’t kidding.
Opening the third quarter, the Ducks opted to go for it on fourth-down calls rather than kick field goals with a five-touchdown lead. Converting one of two, the Oregon starters played until the score was 42-0, and the pressure was kept on the Buffs for the first 45 minutes, even if the game was out of hand within the first 15.
“We’re not done,” Lanning said. “We are not satisfied. I hope all those people that have been watching every week are watching this week.”
The world watched as Lanning and the Ducks took it to the Buffaloes for all four quarters.
Bo Nix Leads Ducks in Impressive Fashion
The first half was truly an impressive show from the Ducks. Led by their veteran quarterback, Nix put on a Heisman-worthy performance in the win.
Nix went to halftime, completing 22-of-24 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns. He added a rushing score at the end of the second quarter that pushed the Ducks read to 35-0.
It was at that time that Nix became the first player in college football history to account for at least 55 touchdowns with two different programs. Nix played well into the second half and finished the day with an impressive display of passing, command of the ball, and leadership for the Ducks.
In the end, Nix completed 28-of-33 attempts for 276 yards, three passing touchdowns and nine yards on five carries with a score on the ground.
Ducks’ Defense Dominant Day
As impressive of an offensive showing as it was for Oregon, the Ducks’ defense came to play against Colorado. Entering the game as the nation’s leader in passing yards per game, Oregon’s defense held Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders to just 159 yards.
Oregon pushed the pocket at will and came away with seven sacks. The defensive line consistently pressured Sanders and forced errant decisions while the back seven did their job in coverage.
The Buffs’ offense wasn’t helped with penalties, but at times, all the offensive linemen could do was hold the Ducks’ defenders coming off the edge or through the middle.
Famous for their transfer portal additions, Colorado was done in by a transfer addition of their own for Oregon. Former South Carolina edge defender Jordan Burch recorded two sacks in the game as he was too strong and too fast for any one of Colorado’s offensive linemen.
Brandon Dorlus, Jamal Hill, Teitum Tuioti, and Casey Rogers all got in on the sack party from the defensive line for Oregon. Rogers himself had a highlight reel day as well, converting a fourth-down conversion from the Oregon 17-yard line.
Showing confidence in his units, Lanning let Rogers take a 4th & 3 from their own 17-yard line on a fake punt run to the left side, converting brilliantly. The Ducks ultimately scored on the drive and the rout was on.
Floating around the line of scrimmage, defensive back Evan Willaims blitzed with surgical precision, recording 1.5 sacks on the day.
Colorado didn’t record their 10th first down until roughly five minutes left in the fourth quarter with the score 42-0. They didn’t get into the red zone until there were three minutes remaining in the game and didn’t score their touchdown until there were under three left.
Lanning’s Pre-Game Speech Steals Show
Not that the Ducks needed any added momentum to show up to this meeting, Colorado players were also seen stomping on the famed “O” on the Oregon field. This likely fired up the Ducks as much as their head coach did.
They certainly were going to show up for this game in a big way, but it was a pre-game speech from Lanning that likely provided a little extra fuel to the fire.
“The Cinderella story is over,” Lanning said during a fiery speech. “They’re fighting for clicks, we’re fighting for wins. There’s a difference.”
Lanning continued his dramatic speech with more cinematic references to the media popularity of their Pac-12 rival.
“This game ain’t gonna be played in Hollywood; it’s gonna be played on the grass,” Lanning said.
The Ducks will head to Stanford next week for a meeting with the Stanford Cardinal. Colorado has yet another tough contest on the horizon, hosting USC and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams next Saturday.