Saturday is likely going to be pretty strange for Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning. There will be a lot of pride and self-assurance as he stands on the sideline as a head coach for the first time, knowing that he’s worked incredibly hard in his career to get to this point.
It will also be pretty strange to look across the field and see Georgia coach Kirby Smart, and a bunch of other assistants who, less than 9 months ago, Lanning worked closely with to win a national championship with the Bulldogs.
“I think a lot of people would sit here and say it’s not about that, you know,” Lanning said of the strangeness of the matchup last week. “There’s definitely some feelings of you know, excitement for me to go play a team that I care about and was a big part of for a long time, but that’s not the focus.”
Though the game is in a “neutral site” — Atlanta, Georgia — Lanning is now back in his former state looking to take on his former team. There will be a lot of familiar faces that he sees throughout the weekend. On Friday, Lanning sat down for a quick interview with Zach Klein of WSBTV, and he had a message for the Bulldog fans who are still rooting for him, but just not on Saturday.
“Forever grateful to the Bulldog crew and what they did for me and my family, and I certainly don’t take it for granted,” Lanning said. “With that being said, Go Ducks.”
Lanning then threw up the ‘O’ with a smile.
New Oregon HC & former UGA DC Dan Lanning.. on his message to Bulldog Nation… pic.twitter.com/whS9u7nH2K
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) September 2, 2022
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