On Saturday night after the No. 6 Oregon Ducks’ 36-27 win over the USC Trojans, Dan Lanning sat down for his post-game press conference and said something that he hadn’t said before this season.
It made my ears perk up in the moment. In the days since, I’ve combed through his hours of interviews since the start of training camp and confirmed what I thought to be true the instant he uttered that word as the clock struck midnight on Saturday.
“I think that’s a Heisman-worthy performance from Bo,” Lanning said of his QB who just threw for 412 yards and 4 touchdowns in a decisive win.
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While the Oregon head coach has endlessly propped up his quarterback all season long, time after time calling him the best QB in the nation and deploring anyone who thought otherwise, this was the first time he mentioned the Heisman Trophy. It no longer was “I think anybody who’s watching Bo right now knows he’s playing at a really high level,” but rather a sentiment that could be translated to, “Our quarterback deserves to be holding that bronze statue in a month’s time.”
While that may not seem like a meaningful occurrence, it caught my ear because it goes against what Lanning has done during his time in Eugene. He’s not one to focus on the future or concern himself and the team with accolades off the field. Routinely, you’ll hear him state that “the next game is the most important game” rather than look more than a week down the road to discuss rematches, playoffs, or anything of the ilk. Those types of conversations are fun for fans and media members to talk about, but they are often viewed as distractions for teams who have business to take care of.
On Saturday night, Lanning wasn’t afraid to talk about those accolades, though, and look into the future for a brief second. I followed up on Monday night and asked about how he strikes that balance, still keeping a keen focus on the right here, right now, while also knowing that there are some historic things at play when it comes to what his team’s leader is doing on the field.
“Well, Bo’s earned that attention, and Bo would be the first one sitting up here to tell you that he’s earned that attention because of the things that his teammates have done,” Lanning said. “Those things come to teams that are having a lot of success. I think you always go back and look at teams that have you know, Heisman winners, and they’ve done well throughout the season. They’ve been competing for an opportunity for championships within the year.”
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At the moment, Nix is the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy after his 4-TD performance over USC, having just recently passed Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. in the race. Projecting ahead, you can assume that, barring a cataclysmic downfall in the final two weeks of the season, Nix has already guaranteed his seat in New York for the early December ceremony. Should the Ducks close out the regular season with a par of wins, and then grab a victory in the Pac-12 Championship game on December 1st, there is a really strong chance he ends up becoming the second Oregon Duck in school history to hoist that bronze statue.
If you want further proof that Nix is playing at the Heisman caliber, then it becomes clear when comparing his stats to those of Marcus Mariota during his 2014 Heisman season. Through 10 games, Nix has 3,135 yards, 34 TD and 2 INT, while Mariota racked up 2,780 yards, 37 TD, and 2 INT through the first 10 games of that 2014 season.
To Lanning, that’s all well and good. It’s more than deserved if you ask him. But it doesn’t do a damn thing to change “the main thing,” as he would say.
“If you made Bo pick what he could have, I promise you the first thing he wants is a championship,” Lanning said. “We know that the rest will kind of take care of itself.”
The Heisman will be handed out long before any national championships are decided, but if Oregon’s QB can make it so the Ducks are able to compete for one with a spot in the College Football Playoff, then Lanning is right — the rest will sort itself out.
If the Ducks wake up on the morning of December 2 with a 2023 Pac-12 Championship Trophy in their possession, and an almost guaranteed spot in the playoff, then the writing is on the wall. It might not just be time to make room in the Hatfield-Dowling Complex trophy case for another conference title trophy.
Maybe they ought to start drawing up plans for a spot next to Marcus.
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