
Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning joins Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, and Rob Stone. Florida State Upset, Early Heisman Candidates, and Week 1 Predictions
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Rob Stone
Mark, what was the term? He's a boy maker. Coach is a boy maker.
Urban Meyer
Boy maker.
Mark Ingram
Three boys. I don't know. Did you rub it? Did you slap?
Urban Meyer
I don't know.
Rob Stone
What? Hold on.
Mark Ingram
Hey. Hey. I should have talked to you first because I got four girls, one boy. At least I got my one.
Urban Meyer
Tape your ankles. Tape your ankles, Mark.
Mark Ingram
Tape the ankles.
Urban Meyer
Ooh.
Rob Stone
Night it. Oh, yeah. The music means we are back for another week. Welcome to the second ever edition of the triple option. Mark Ingram is dancing to the music in South Florida. It is presented as always by our great friends at Wendy's. Try Wendy's new saucy nugs today. Keep dancing, Mark. Before we get underway, we want to remind you to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Follow us on Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast, as well as across social media at 3x option. Show new episodes dropping every Wednesday. And we welcome in our head coach, Urban Meyer, our Heisman winner, Mark Ingram. I'm Rob Stone. So glad you guys are back here with us. I care deeply about what you guys did between the last episode and this one. But because as Adam Sandler says in the Wedding Singer, I've got the microphone and you listen to everything I have to say. I get to tell you guys about my couple days in the great state coach of.
Urban Meyer
Oh, Ohio, baby.
Rob Stone
You're supposed to say IO What, You've been out of there that long, you don't even follow up with an IO. My goodness. Yeah, I got to go to Columbus, Ohio last week to celebrate the great aunt Jane's birthday. And since I was in Columbus, coach, I mean, if you're in Columbus, what do you do, right? You. You dial in favors and you go check out the second ranked Buckeyes. And coach, you helped me out with that. And Jerry Emig, the great sports information director at Ohio State, the host, if you will. I was able to bring my pops along. And so me and my dad and all. Long time Buckeye fan, there he is. Grew up on Lane in Tremont. Got to go check out the facility there. Woody Hayes. Look at.
Mark Ingram
Oh, gee, Stoner.
Rob Stone
And by the way, Woody's got spikes on too, right? He's got old school cleats on. Grand Bob, as we call him in our house. No cleats right there. Grand Bob's got to pick up the pace a little bit. There you are, Coach. Coach, you were all over the center and also in the locker room, which was really cool. We got to go look at coach right there.
Urban Meyer
Mark Younger version right there.
Rob Stone
That Hair not moving. That focus. The Buckeye, the weight room. So impressive in there as well. Everything in scarlet and gray. And I know that's at all these major campuses in these football programs right now. This is inside the Horseshoe. And yeah, you see these signs? You know who came up with those signs? Yeah, our guy. Our guy. Urban Meyer. And what was really cool, I was there, coach on Friday and they had practice, kind of, kind of a walk through, you know, at their normal training facility. But then the whole team, including my dad and I boarded buses and we took the bus to the Horseshoe and walked into the locker room and they got to go through for the, you know, the, the transfer players, the freshmen, what game day was like. So you're going to go from here to here. When you enter the locker room. This is how we do it. This is how you sit. When we leave the locker room. It's. This team is going, this team is going. And they went through the whole thing, including they did the. What's the hand thing? Remind me, Coach.
Urban Meyer
The quick house.
Rob Stone
The quick cows. So they practice. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Mark. They practice the. It was cool because I could. I saw Coach Day in the background and he was, he was doing the quick cows with them. It's that. That Friday coach was really kind of unique because at least to me, and I don't know what it would signify to you, to me it was like, hey, guys, camp is over. Next step is we are getting ready for kickoff.
Urban Meyer
Yeah. Your focus has got to be on the task at hand, and that is blocking big people, taking care of the ball, you know, protecting the quarterback. And we would always try to. All anxiety has got to be taken out as far as where do I go, what do I do, what do I wear, who am I sitting next to? So I was an extremist about that because I've had many players over the years tell me that. And just the psychology piece of it, you're. You can only handle so much and your job is to go perform on that field. And so as often as we can, we did it a couple of times we had called him. Dress rehearsals and where you get taped, where you go from tape, where you go, what time, you know, what time you get called out to go on the field and all that. So yeah, I'm glad you got to see that. But you know, 4 to 6 A to B, that's a big saying. And, and I do want to hit this real quick, Mark. I'm a firm believer in what you say you're going to do you're going to do. That's how powerful your self talk is. And as a coach I think you can somewhat control their self talk. One of its confidence. You know, if you're one of those coaches screaming at them, no mistakes or watch the draw, watch the pass, watch, you know we would never, if I'd hear that, I'd say stop that. It's all 4 to 6, A to B. 4 to 6 is the length of a play, 4 to 6 seconds and a to B. There's always starting point A and A finish point B. And I wanted our players just constantly thinking about effort and effort overcomes mistakes. And so that was that. Four to six, A to B.
Mark Ingram
Coach, how does that make you feel? That signs that you created, quotes that you created and you put up in that facility are still up, hanging, still standing strong to this day. To this day. They still there because of you. How does that make you feel?
Urban Meyer
Well, I'm glad that Ryan kept all that and you know, from my understanding and you know I talk to coach Day all the time and you know he's part of that infrastructure. He's part of the culture at Ohio State. And I didn't, I hadn't been in that locker room in a minute. It was kind of cool to see that though.
Mark Ingram
Really know what they call that Coach Respect. R E S P E C K.
Rob Stone
On this week's edition of the triple option we are joined by by Oregon head coach Dan Lanning who is a longtime subscriber to the triple option that.
Urban Meyer
We learned long time.
Rob Stone
Urban's. Yeah, Urban's odd way of praising football teams. You're going to hear about that. Coach prime absolutely sounds off and we're going to talk about week zero stunner, which is where we begin with any given Saturday. Yeah, we're going to recap kind of the, the big moments in Saturday's activity and on Saturday in Dublin, Ireland, Florida state number 10 in the nation, taking on Georgia Tech. And we started off the season with an absolute stunner. Coach Georgia Tech getting a walk off field goal to upset the seminoles in Ireland 24, 21. And I could feel your head kind of shaking at that moment.
Urban Meyer
Yeah, devastating loss for Florida State. You know, here's a team that went undefeated last year. They wanted to come out and you know they got bumped from the playoffs and you know I heard about that all off season and they lost some good players. They have an excellent coach and you know I, I picked Florida State in that one but man, Georgia Tech really did a hell of a job. And Mark, there's checkmate moments in a game and we used to always preach that to our players and our staff. And you play, you play, you play. And then there's that one moment and it's analogy of when you do play chess, when you tip that cane over and it's over, we win the game. And the checkmate moment of this game was you think about it. Go back with 55 seconds left. Yes sir. There was a loss of 10 yards that knocked them all the way back to the 38 yard line. They're out of field goal range. Yep. And, and think about this Mark, because I want your opinions. Every practice at the end during training camp, you practice situational game situations. Because it the majority of big time games comes down to the last two minutes of a game. The line of mark for a field goal to me was always a 25 yard line between the 25 and 30. And if you can get on offense, you can get to that spot to hit a field goal. We would practice it over and over again. You have to get to the 25 in between the 25 and 30, 25 if you're an average kicker. 30 for a good kicker. 48 yard field goal. And sure enough Florida State, all they gotta do is make a frickin tackle. Then Georgia Tech loses 10 yards on a, on a screwed up play. They run an excellent play call, they deliver a screen pass and Florida State does not get them down and they get it down to a 44 yard field goal. So those moments, I'm sure that's driving the team crazy because that was a devastating loss.
Mark Ingram
I mean you talk about situational moments and situational awareness and being able to take advantage in those tough situations. Georgia, Georgia Tech ultimately almost ruined themselves. You know, it was kind of a mesh. The receiver was coming, they snapped the ball, quarterback got up on them, quick 10 yard loss. But now what do you got to do? You still, it's third and long, you got to get back in the field goal range. Like you said coach, they made a great play, executed it to a T, gave their kicker a chance, a shot at making a long field goal to win the game. And he delivered. So I agree with you, coach. I'm sitting there looking at the game, I'm like oh, they just blew it, you know, they just blew it. Now they're going into overtime momentum with Florida State, you never know how that could shake out in overtime. But they executed situational football, got their kicker a chance, he delivered. And Georgia Tech with the huge upset In Ireland.
Urban Meyer
Yeah. You could see that player for Georgia Tech knew exactly where he had to get his third down and 18. And the checkmate moment is get to that 25 between the 25 and 30 yard line. And he did. And they hit that 44 yard field goal.
Mark Ingram
So by any means necessary, get it.
Urban Meyer
For Coach Key at Georgia Tech. A former player and not a heck of a job there. And Georgia Tech might be bouncing back now. It's been a minute. Paul Johnson had him going. They've been dead and buried for a while. It's a great school. My daughter went there. That's a great place. And, you know, that'd be great to see Georgia Tech make a move.
Rob Stone
Now, you talk about Brent Key, the former offensive line coach there, and he had a couple really interesting quotes after the game. Coach. One of them, quote, we're not a gimmicky brand of football. Right? It's hard nose. Because for years, Georgia Tech, if you look at it obviously on the offensive side, coach, it. It was kind of a gimmick, right?
Urban Meyer
And he's a line coach. He wants to run the ball down your throat. I know Mark Ingram likes to hear.
Mark Ingram
We love to run the ball down your throat.
Urban Meyer
He can tell during his interview after the game that he talked like a line coach. He act like a line coach and he act like a.
Rob Stone
Players go, how do line coaches act?
Urban Meyer
How do I run the damn ball, man? Yeah, that's the best line coaches you worry about. The line coaches start saying, hey, let's throw the ball. Like, wait a minute, what'd you just say? Yeah, the staff were run the headsets. I would look at the coach say, no, no, no. Your job is to pound the football. So.
Mark Ingram
Yes, it is.
Urban Meyer
There's no reason that Georgia Tech can't win. Beautiful campus right there. They got the right coach. Now you watch what great recruiting area. Obviously it's a great recruiting area, but they also have those. I mean, Georgia Tech's a real one academically. They have some limitations on who you're allowed to take. So watch for Georgia Tech. It's looks like they got the right.
Rob Stone
Coach in place and good and good for Georgia Tech.
Mark Ingram
Right?
Rob Stone
But. But obviously, Mark, the lead story is Florida State, number 10, the reigning ACC champs, falling. They looked kind of like Florida State in the early days of Mike Norvell. The skill guys which Florida State should always have didn't really seem to appear. And then dju, in his first start for Florida State, looked like the guy that Clemson was, I guess, content to see leave South Carolina and go somewhere else.
Mark Ingram
I mean, when you talk about losing likes of Trey Benson, Jordan Travis, Keon Coleman, Johnny Wilson, like, that's not just an easy fix, that's not an easy replacement. And then you, D.J. you, I mean, he's, he's just been a guy.
Rob Stone
A guy. He's just been a guy.
Mark Ingram
He's been a guy, you know, and so everyone was super excited about seeing him at the nose. And I respect him. He's a hard worker. He's been. But I mean, you gotta be able to deliver. And they didn't, they didn't. Like you said, those skill positions, they needed to make plays, needed to show up. Florida State has some work to do, man, especially losing the opening game to Georgia Tech. They have those playoff aspirations. Schedule isn't like all that. So they got a couple. I think they got Miami on there, so that'll have. Hopefully they, maybe they want Miami to run a table and be high ranked so they got a shot to, you know, get a, a high quality victory towards the end of the season. But Florida State's in trouble. They got to go to work. But I believe in Mike Norvell. I was up there, I visited Mike Norville, I had an interview with Jordan Travis, I, I sat down, talked to Trey Manson last year and I know he has the right culture, I know he has the right mindset, I know he has the right attitude. So with Mike Norvell leading that program, I know they're going to turn the, I know they're going to turn the page and focus on what's moving forward. But D.J. you got to be able to lead this team, make play, make plays, make right decisions. And there's going to have to have some playmakers, some receivers, some running back, some tight ends step up and, and, and be the playmaker that this offense needs.
Urban Meyer
I don't think they can make the playoff mark if they lose again. I think that's how tough that loss was. Now obviously, if they run the table, but I don't, I don't know. That did not look like a team.
Mark Ingram
They have to run the.
Urban Meyer
I know dju, but I also worry about that defense, man. Yeah, a defense gave up big chunks of yardage when they couldn't give them up.
Mark Ingram
Coach. They have to run the table and they have to hope for Miami to be highly ranked around the time they play so they can get that high quality victory as well. Because the schedule isn't like stacked with just high quality wins, you know, so we'll see.
Urban Meyer
One last stat on Brent Key the coach at Georgia Tech as interim or head coach, he's been a five times double digit dog underdog. They're five and zero at those games. Five.
Rob Stone
Won all five of those outright. And coach, look at you. That's our saucy nug of the week. Try some at the nearest Wendy's. Coach Meyer serving up saucy nugs. Coming up next, we are joined by Oregon head coach Dan Lannington. You know, the head coach that coach Meyer affectionately recalls. A pain in the ass.
Urban Meyer
Yeah.
Rob Stone
When it comes to making the best hamburgers around, the basics matter. And Wendy's, well, they've really got those burger basics on lock. And boy does it show.
Mark Ingram
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Urban Meyer
No matter which hamburger you order from the Wendy's menu, you already know that. Thanks to those Wendy's burgers basics, it's going to be exactly what you were craving.
Mark Ingram
I mean, as long as what you crave is a hot and juicy hamburger. A hamburger made fresh just for you, not waiting for you. After all, the perfect burger doesn't spend his time waiting around.
Rob Stone
So when you want a hot and juicy hamburger made fresh just for you, it's gotta be Wendy's. Fresh is kind of their thing, you know. Fresh beef is available in the contiguous U.S. alaska and Canada, not available in Hawaii.
Dan Lanning
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Mark Ingram
At one year with monthly dosing.
Rob Stone
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Urban Meyer
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Rob Stone
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Urban Meyer
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Rob Stone
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Dan Lanning
Ask your doctor about eglis and visit epgliss.lily.com or call 1-800-lilyrx or 1-800-545-5979.
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Urban Meyer
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Urban Meyer
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Rob Stone
All right. This week we are joined by the head coach of the third ranked Oregon Ducks. He's also a longtime fan of the triple option. Head coach Dan Lanning of Oregon listened to our first show, offered us a critique offline. We'll get more on that in a second. But coach, I know you heard it because you listened and watched last week's show, but our coach, Urban Meyer has a very interesting way of doling out praise. Take a listen.
Urban Meyer
I called Dan Lanyon and his staff. I did this last year. I think they're the best pain in the ass staff in the country. And that's something that I remember when I was a younger coach. We would always do whatever the defense didn't want to see. So I'd sit in the defensive rooms and I'd all ask them what drives you nuts and whatever did I put it in on offense, on offense, I'd ask them defensively whether it be Bear, whether it be odd 4i, whether it be some kind of blitz, if it was a pain in the ass. I went over the D coordinator, I said, put it in. When I watch Oregon play, that's them. They're a pain in the ass all over the field. Special teams, offense, defense. And that's a credit to their staff. I love watching them play and I'm a big fan of Oregon.
Rob Stone
Feel the love. Feel the love.
Dan Lanning
Yeah. You know, I think my mom might be upset about it, but as a coach, that's what you want to, that's what you want to hear, right? You want, you, you don't want to make it easy on your opponent. And you know, Coach Meyer and I've talked about it several times like you're not trying to do the things that they're able to line up and execute against every day. You want to do the things that are really simple for your team but complicated for your opponent. So that's certainly what we try to do here.
Urban Meyer
And I think when I was out there with you guys in the spring, you have such a good group of staff, a good group of coaches that first of all, they get along. And the one thing that's always intrigued me is that the most underutilized resource is each other. And when your offensive coaches don't talk to your defense coaches and vice versa, I never understood that. And so when I actually built a facility at Florida, I made sure the two staff rooms were right next to each other. And I was really impressed with your staff out there. Coach.
Dan Lanning
Yeah, you know, that's something, you know, going back to when I was with, you know, Coach Saban and Coach Smart, we always watched practice film with each other in the room. A lot of teams, they'll go in, the offense will go watch the offense, the defense will go watch the defense. But I want both sides of the ball hearing the issues with each coverage or the issues with, with each side and how can we make it harder? So, you know, we're in there talking about releases and we're like, hey, if this guy will stall release for a second, it's really going to screw up our rules. That's something that you're, those little things like that I think are really critical to hear from, from each other.
Urban Meyer
You know, before I turn this over to Mark, as I was in the spring also, it was very unique way of going about your business where you kept, I kept saying, where's your offensive line? And you're mixing, matching. Can you kind of explain to the theory behind that in spring practice where you, you know, you just kept trying different lineups and there really wasn't a first, second, third string. It was just moving people around. And the first time I seen that, I, I, I got an understanding once I you explained it to me.
Dan Lanning
Yeah, you know, a couple of pieces to that. First in, in spring ball. All I'm trying to figure out and even early in fall, I'm trying to figure out who's above the line and who's below the line, who can play winning football. And there hasn't been a year where I've been coaching where your lineup, the way it starts is the way it finishes. So it's not about finding just 11 guys that can play, it's about finding as many guys as possible that can play. And then the last thing I want Is guys worried about where. Where am I in the pecking order?
Rob Stone
All that?
Dan Lanning
Like, I just want guys to go play great football. But we change the matchups every single day to make sure, okay, I'm gonna get this defensive lineman versus this offensive lineman. All right? We. I chart it, you know, throughout spring. How many reps did this guy get it? Left tackle, left guard, right? You know, so I can also say, okay, who's our backup? Backup left tackle? Are we getting them enough reps to guard? If our center goes down, who's the next guy snapping it? So I think the easy thing is to say, okay, here's your 11. Go practice with these 11 and make it work. But for me, as much as possible, you want to move those pieces around, see how many guys can play winning football. Are you giving the. The quarterbacks a fair chance if they're always throwing to the best wideouts? Do you get. Do you get an opportunity to change which guy you're throwing to, who you're going against? So definitely believe in iron sharpens iron. We have, you know, periods where we got to be the best versus the best, but I'm. I'm more interested in changing those lineups up until you get or, you know, a little later in fall camp to see can guys work in multiple spots and how many players you have above the line to play winning football.
Mark Ingram
Yeah, Coach, you talked about iron sharpens iron, and you have a lot of. Not just talent, just a lot of top talent coming in Oregon, I'm hearing rumors about guys flying in on private jets and all type of good stuff like that. What is it like having the backing of the juggernaut that Phil Knight and the Nike brand is?
Dan Lanning
Yeah, I think if you want to be, you know, one of the best teams in college football, you better have resources to be there. And Phil is. Yeah, and I think a lot of great teams do. Right? The great teams have support.
Mark Ingram
Right.
Dan Lanning
But Phil has always been an unbelievable. Phil and Penny have always been unbelievable supporters of Oregon. I think everybody always thinks about Oregon athletics. You should see what they've done to the school. You should see what they've done for cancer research. You should see what they've done just in the. In their communities. But, yeah, you have to have support to be an elite team right now. And I think that sometimes people get carried away and start talking about all the things they think happen when that's not really the reality. You know, we're a competitive football team, and to be a competitive football team, you better have resources right now, just.
Mark Ingram
A quick follow up. Coach, how involved are you with the jersey selections in the 30 different options y'all have?
Dan Lanning
I just have. I really have veto power, Mark. That's it. Okay.
Mark Ingram
If you see it and you don't like it, you just overturn it.
Dan Lanning
That's it. That's it. Like, if I see something that's too extreme, I'm like, guys, we ain't doing that. But most of the time, by the time we get to Saturday, I don't really know what we're wearing. You know, our players are that. You got to give your players something that they can be in charge of. Our equipment guy here, Kenny Farr, is unbelievable. And obviously, our relationship with Nike is really special, but they make these jerseys a couple years in advance. My wife probably has more to do with it than I do.
Rob Stone
Coach, when that cell phone. When you look at that cell phone, it says Phil Knight, or. Or what is Phil Knight in your cell phone as Lord Knight.
Mark Ingram
Big Phil.
Dan Lanning
Yeah, he's in there as Phil Knight. It actually. I don't know why. You know how it saves, like, the picture or whatever somebody has saved as their profile. It actually has a basketball saved on it, you know, for him, which I.
Rob Stone
Don'T understand why basketball, Dana Altman, hacked your phone. That's what it is. Jumped in there. When you. When you see that Phil Knight is. Is calling you or texting you, what is your immediate reaction?
Dan Lanning
Excitement. I mean, I. I still pinch myself every day I wake up that I get to walk into this facility, get to be the head coach at Oregon. I remember the very first time I ever talked to Phil. I get off the phone. My family and I, when we go on vacations, we do audiobooks sometimes, and we listen to the Book Shootout together. And my oldest son, Kaden goes, is that the Phil Knight from Shoe Dog? I was like, yeah, that's him. So I still get excited when. When I get to talk to Phil on the phone. It's. It's fun to be able to, you know, pick his brain.
Urban Meyer
Yeah, Bo Nix last year. Bo Nix last year he had Dylan Gabriel this year, obviously, two transfer quarterbacks, great players. Are you worried a little bit about getting in that routine where you're always going to get transfers as opposed to taking that high school player? And interesting, you know, that in the last 10 years, Joe Burrow is the only transfer to ever win at all. So I'm just curious, is that. Is that a plan, or is that just the way it worked out?
Dan Lanning
You know, I think college football's changed. You Go look at the Heisman Trophy ceremony last year. You see Michael Penix transfer, right. You see our guy from LSU transfer. You see Bo, Nick's transfer. Trying to remember, I guess Marvin was the other guy up there.
Rob Stone
Right.
Dan Lanning
But he was there the whole time. Our goal is certainly to recruit high school and develop talent, but number one goal is to go win football games. And we, you know, Dante Moore is a great example of a guy that was committed to us all the way until signing day, ended up going somewhere else and then came to us. So I think you want to be able to sign high school talent and develop high school talent and grow from there. But your job first is to make sure that you have a competitive roster to go compete, you know, on Saturdays.
Rob Stone
Brave new world that you're in, Coach transitioning from the PAC 12 Rest in Peace to the Big Ten. How has that changed your philosophy towards recruiting, towards scheduling, towards just managing your program as a whole?
Dan Lanning
Yeah, a couple of small changes. Nothing, you know, nothing huge. I still think winning football is winning football. Regardless of what conference you're in and when you want to play. You know where we want to play at the end of the year, it's, it's going to take big teams up front. You have to win in the trenches, you have to have great skill outside and you have to play as a team. You have to be playing disciplined football. That certainly exists in the Big Ten. That's something I'm excited about. The traditions there. I do think it opens up our footprint from recruiting. There's some places that, you know, we weren't playing before that we're playing games now. That's going to create some opportunities in time for us to be able to go attack. So I'm certainly excited about that, you know, but outside of that, I don't think it changes a whole lot. You know, as far as when you, you in the future, you know, we plan five years in advance who our non conference games are. You're probably looking for something a little closer to home because you're going to be traveling more in season.
Rob Stone
There's no way you don't have a big circle around October 12th when the Ohio State comes out to Eugene. How much coach and I would talk through the years and every day Ohio State did something to prepare for that team up north. How much are you preparing right now, whether it's through fall camp and as you head into week one for that date with Ohio State?
Dan Lanning
Yeah, you know, I don't know that we, we are just, just on them. In fact, I know. In fact, I know we aren't. You know, what we are is we definitely studied in this summer. We definitely took some time to be able to look at them as a team and what their talent is and what we think we will need when we get to that week to be able to play those guys. But unique thing now in college football is there's a chance you could play that team multiple times, too. So it's going to be interesting. I've always been process oriented. I've always been, you know, let's focus on the team that we have right now and who we have to play right now. That, that being said, that's certainly going to be a big game in odds. I know our fans are excited about and our players are excited about.
Rob Stone
Biggest game in Oregon football history in your books or at least in most recent.
Dan Lanning
That's going to be a big one, man. Certainly biggest game. Sorry, my earpod fell out here. Certainly my biggest game. You know, I think probably since. Since I've been here as the head coach and certainly a huge one, you know, here.
Mark Ingram
Yeah, that's gonna be a monster. But coach, now that you're in the Big Ten, I know you've went from the Pac 12. Rest in peace. What Rob said, you went from playing schools that were all around you. Now you have an average Travel schedule of 2300 miles.
Rob Stone
2300 miles?
Mark Ingram
2300 miles.
Dan Lanning
Wow.
Mark Ingram
How are you managing that logistically? And also the expectations of family members that wanted to see their, you know, children play closer to home?
Dan Lanning
Well, if you walk into our locker room, Mark, you're not going to see a lot of guys from Oregon. So everybody was always traveling to come play here. And to be honest, I mean, we traveled to Texas Tech last year. We had some long, you know, long trips. I don't think the game's that different for us east, for us east coast trips. You know, I'm shocked to hear it being 2300 miles. I honestly didn't know that. You know, the reality is we go to Wisconsin, we go to Purdue, we go to Michigan. Those are our long road trips. For the most part. We're still going to be playing kind of relatively close schedule. We go to la. We went to LA before. Right. You know, at times we're gonna be traveling the Pacific Northwest. So does a lot change? No, the one thing I do did do is visit with some NFL staffs about when you're traveling multiple time zones. Okay, do we want to travel a day earlier? Do we want to make that look a Little different, but I don't think it's going to be, you know, huge. It's different in football now, other sports, I think it's a big deal. Right? But, you know, for us, I don't think it's going to be drastically different.
Rob Stone
You talk to those NFL teams. Are you going to fly a day earlier and anything else that you took from those conversations that you'll adjust for your program?
Dan Lanning
Yeah, we'll fly earlier. You know, Purdue was a game that. That we were going to be going a day earlier. Now we're playing on a Friday night. Don't think you necessarily have to go earlier, but some of those other ones will end up traveling earlier.
Urban Meyer
Best pre game speech in 2023. You're getting ready to play Colorado. I know me and you talked about that and it all shocked me when I see those darn cameras in the locker room. But let's go ahead and run that and hear your comments on that. Rooted in substance, not flash.
Mark Ingram
Rooted in substance.
Urban Meyer
Today we talk with our pads. You talk of your helmet, right? Every moment.
Dan Lanning
The Cinderella story is over, man.
Mark Ingram
Right? They're fighting for clicks. We're fighting for wins.
Urban Meyer
There's a difference, right?
Mark Ingram
There's a difference, right? This game ain't gonna be played in Hollywood.
Urban Meyer
It's gonna be played on the grass, right? It's gonna be played on the grass.
Dan Lanning
Let's go. Go.
Urban Meyer
Ah.
Mark Ingram
Let's go.
Rob Stone
So good.
Mark Ingram
Let's go, Coach. Ah.
Rob Stone
How much of that was premeditated? How much of it was in the moment?
Dan Lanning
I mean, I always feel like before I talk to our team, I want to know what I'm going to be able to say. But the. The message for us, like, I. I've got messaging for every week, kind of already mapped out, general thought. And then I think you adjust it for when you get into that week, what that team's going to look like, you know, so the things we're talking about in that locker room, a lot of it got trimmed out and it became about something that really wasn't, you know, the real message was, who are we? Right?
Rob Stone
Who.
Dan Lanning
Who is our team? We were talking about how connected we are. We talked about the Redwoods and how the strength of the Redwoods are in their roots, right? And the roots really don't grow deep. They grow together. So that's really what that was about, is us being a team that day and avoiding being, you know, individuals when we knew that there was going to be some distractions, some other pieces to that puzzle. It was a great lesson. For me as a young head coach, when somebody asks, hey, can we come to your locker room? We're going to make sure we don't share stuff that you don't want being shared. And you run out to the practice or run out to the game field to go coach and don't watch it first. You know, sometimes that's not necessarily result. So I don't know if you'll ever see cameras in our locker room again. But it ended up not being a horrible thing.
Urban Meyer
I guess that was a great thing.
Mark Ingram
When they went out there and answered the bell. So that's all you ask for from your team? Yeah.
Rob Stone
Yeah, Coach, I. I did a. A little crowdsourcing here. So I got a question from an Oregon alum and an Oregon resident, good friend of mine, Chris Turley. Once he heard I was talking to you, he fired me off a laundry list of questions he wants answer. All right, so I cleaned them up. I cleaned them up. This is a good one, though. This is kind of for Oregon Nation as a whole. He says there's always talk about Austin Stadium being expanded in seating size, especially now that it's sitting there in the Big Ten. Do you think your stadium needs to be bigger?
Dan Lanning
Well, I mean, this year, our season tickets are sold out. You know, our opening game against Idaho sold out. Several of our games already sold out. I think that's going to be a trend here, you know, as long as we continue to do our job. So if that's the case, we certainly have to find some ways to be able to get more people in the stands, and we have an unbelievable environment. And I think that the great thing about Oregon you talk about, one of the reasons you come here is because it's about innovation, and they're always on the cutting edge. So if there's an opportunity to grow here, I think that we'll. We'll be taking advantage of that.
Rob Stone
I see that smile. I. I see what your answer is saying right there. Hey, you're a mark. What was the term? He's a boy maker. Coach is a boy maker.
Urban Meyer
Boy maker.
Mark Ingram
Three boys. I don't know. Did you rub it? Did you slap?
Rob Stone
I don't know what. Hold on.
Mark Ingram
Hey. Hey. I should have talked to you first because I got four girls, one boy. At least I got my one.
Urban Meyer
Tape your ankles. Tape your ankles, Mark. Tape.
Mark Ingram
Tape the ankles, boy.
Rob Stone
I don't know what any of that means, and I'm going to transition off of it. So, coach, you got three boys. Your oldest is Titan, by the way. That is a Name?
Dan Lanning
Youngest.
Rob Stone
You're. Titan is 14.
Dan Lanning
Cadence 1412. My 11 year old is Titan. He's my young boss.
Rob Stone
So Titans 11. By the way, strong name selection. I heard a rumor that Titan was practicing with you guys last week. Is that right?
Dan Lanning
Yeah, he got out there on the field with us a little bit. You know, I've always wanted my boys to do exactly what they're interested in doing and what's, what's fun is all of them are all three different. But I was certainly pretty pumped. Whenever Titan, it's like, dad, I want to play football. You know, I, I got excited about it and the other day, you know, school hasn't started yet for these guys, so he asked me if he could come to practice and I was like, hell yeah, let's go. So, yeah, you know, I told him he needs to be involved. What he can do, he can do. But when it came to the drill work, he needs to do the drill work behind and around the team. I look over the very first period of practice, he's in the middle of a drill, running the drill. I said, no, no, no, you. You practice after practice, you know, during practice, these guys practice. But he just enjoys being around the guys and he's getting infatuated with the game. So it's fun to watch.
Mark Ingram
Shout out to Titan. I'm a first time uncle. My sister, my baby sister had a son and named him Titan. So shout out to the Titans of the world. Man, they legendary.
Dan Lanning
Love it.
Rob Stone
Hey, Coach, you listen, Coach, one more, one more quick question. So you listened to episode number one and you listened to the interview we did with Coach Saban. What did you extract or what did you learn from that conversation?
Dan Lanning
I just, I just enjoy hearing, you know, Coach Saban, Coach Meyer. Anytime there's a coach that I've got a lot of respect for, for me it's, it's an opportunity for me to learn a little bit. And the way he went about his process every single day was something that I got to watch, you know, as a year, as a ga with him. But just listen to his, you know, his thought process for me is always exciting to pick up, whether it's how he recruited, you know, even hearing him talk about Mark's recruitment on that last episode and how involved he gets, you know, as him as an assistant coach, you know, whether it's doing the grade checks or meeting the girlfriends, you know, that stuck out to me about how detailed that he would be and then getting that to go full circle where he gets to coach a former player's son. That's, that's pretty awesome.
Rob Stone
Awesome.
Mark Ingram
Hey, coach, I, I, I, I admire your offensive philosophy. I would have loved to play in your offense. It's wide open, it's explosive, it's exciting. You know, we, we know you lost b Knicks. Bucky Irvin, who I was a big fan of, Troy Franklin. Is there any players that we don't know of who's gonna make a big splash, who we should be aware of?
Dan Lanning
Oh, I always say you gotta, you gotta sit and watch, man.
Mark Ingram
I need some of that insider info, coach. I know I need some of that.
Dan Lanning
I apologize, Mark, but I tell you this, like every, every week I get this same question. Every press conference is like, you guys watch the game like I watch the game. You know, you gotta make plays in practice to make plays in the game. I've seen some plays in practice, but I never know how. You know, the great thing is there is no script to this, right? So you gotta go see how the guys perform. We have talent, we have some guys that can create issues for the opponent, certainly, but it's got to all come to fruition on game day. So when there is a little different, when somebody's out there pressing you, it's a little bit different when you call a play into a blitz and you don't realize how it's going to play out. So I'm excited to see it, you know, come full circle and then it's our job as coaches to figure out what our players do best so they can, you know, utilize those skills.
Mark Ingram
Well, I'm excited to see it too, coach. I'm high. I'm high on the Ducks right now. I'm high on the Ducks, you feel me?
Dan Lanning
Appreciate it.
Mark Ingram
Yes, sir.
Rob Stone
Coach Lanning, thanks so much for joining us on episode two. We can't wait for your post show critiques to come in on Wednesday evening.
Dan Lanning
I'll get it to you, no doubt.
Rob Stone
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Mark Ingram
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Rob Stone
Defining Moments is brought to you by nhtsa. Drinking and driving will change your whole world. Whether you get pulled over or get into a crash, things will never be the same. Getting a sober ride will change your world for the better. Drive sober or get pulled over. Paid for by NHTSA So Mark, let's start with you before we start talking about the early season Heisman favorites. How did winning your Heisman Trophy define your career?
Mark Ingram
Winning my Heisman Trophy defined my career. Just because it was like a cherry on top. Like, you know, he's had an immaculate season. I really feel like it's a team award. Like I feel like if I wasn't on a tremendous team that had a lot of victories, coaches put me in position. There were just so many hands that got into me being successful and me having the opportunity to go to the Heisman presentation and represent my school. I'm just thankful for everyone who had their hands in it because all I did was just do my job and.
Rob Stone
You'Re forever defined, though, as a Heisman Trophy. Oh, look at the smile right away. It tells you you're forever defined as a Heisman Trophy winner. When people Bring that up and say it to you and it's hanging right over your shoulder. I mean, what, what is the internal reaction that you get?
Mark Ingram
I'm thankful, man. I'm humbled, I'm honored. And to be the first one at the storied University of Alabama, I mean, it's a, it's an amazing feeling. It's something that etched in stone forever, you know, you can't take it from the boy, you know, I mean, boy, it's gonna be the first, not the second, the first, you know.
Rob Stone
Go on.
Mark Ingram
No, but it was just a blessing, man. I'm grateful. I'm thankful. Had a lot of hands, a lot of people who poured into me, helped me accomplish that. But I was just doing my job, coach. I was just toting that pig skin. Hand it to me and let me tote it. That's all I was doing.
Urban Meyer
And it's a team award as well. That's what I have always looked at that. We were lucky to have guys in the, invited to the Heisman quite often. And we had one Heisman winner with Tim. Ironically, I had two Heisman guys that didn't play for it, that played for us and then transferred Cam Newton and Joe Burrow. So I coached three Heisman guys, only one played for us. But I, I, I do think this too, Mark and, and Rob, is that it's also the coach's responsibility when you recruit these fine players like a Mark Ingram or Zeke elliott. We had J.T. barrett, you know, we had these guys that every year would have an opportunity to become a Heisman candidate. And in the back of your mind, even the front of your mind, it's your obligation to make sure you get them touches, you keep them healthy, because that's the great promotion for your school and recruiting. Plus, that's a coach's job. When you, when that mom and dad hand you that player, say, take care of my kid, you make sure you take care of that kid, that it also means you get him every award that's possible and, and you do right by him.
Rob Stone
You know, it's interesting, Coach, we talk about Heisman numbers and Heisman moments, you know, through a course of a game. How much of, of those attributes or those stats are you or somebody actually tracking when you know you have a legitimate Heisman candidate on your roster?
Urban Meyer
Yeah, I wouldn't say anything to anybody other than my, my guy that was next to me, Quinn, or, or, or Brian Voltian. And it would only be in the games where you're outmatched the opponent where you're, you know, when you win by three or four scores and the game's starting to go a certain way. I would. And I think we talked about that. I think J.T. barrett one time we're playing ironically, Bowling Green, a place I used to coach. But we threw the ball in the second quarter every snap. And the reason we did that is I wanted to get JT Some stats before I pulled him out of the game. And so we, I think we had six touchdowns in the first half. And then you pulled him out so he at least could leave a. You know, leave that day with some stats to get him in the Heisman running.
Rob Stone
I'm sure Bowling Green appreciated that 7710 defeat that you handed him. Your former school, the school that gave you the start. I. Ziggy Zumba, a little shout out to Bowling Green. By the way, I hope Big Noon kickoff can somehow find their way to the campus of Bowling Green.
Urban Meyer
Oh, that'd be great.
Rob Stone
Gosh, I would love a triple.
Urban Meyer
They have a good team this year, by the way.
Rob Stone
Let's go. Let's see if they, the Falcons can do it. Talking about Heisman facts. We're going to. And you mentioned Cam Newton, coach, going back to the year he won The Heisman in 2010, 12 of the last 14 winners. Mark, cover your ears. Have been quarterbacks. Those poor running backs, those poor wide receivers. Of those QBs, five from the SEC, three from the Big 12, two each from the PAC 12 and the ACC. Mark, I. I'm going to give you a trick.
Mark Ingram
Rob, one second. I want to give you something, but guess who the. Guess who the three non quarterbacks.
Rob Stone
No, no.
Mark Ingram
This is where they went to school. It's not quarterbacks. Guess where they win.
Rob Stone
Of course. Alabama.
Mark Ingram
Huh? Roll damn Tide. We don't give a piss about nothing but the Tide, baby.
Rob Stone
So you're including yourself in those three, right? Because Derrick Henry and 15.
Mark Ingram
We can exclude me.
Rob Stone
We can. We can't exclude you. You're. You're a high. You're our Heisman Trophy winner, my friend. So let's talk Heisman real quick. We know Heismans are not one in August or September. It's more of a November type trophy. But as we go into really week number one here, Mark, who are some of the Heisman favorites that. That are on your radar right now?
Mark Ingram
I mean, as you said, this quarterback award, you have to be very special, have a very special season, even be, you know, considered for it if you're not a quarterback. So even the quarterback, you have to Have a special season as a quarterback. So let's just go from the top of the list down. Number one, Carson Beck returning third year as a starter, leader of that team. And he is a player, he is a ball player. Then you go to number two, Oregon, Dylan Gabriel. If he has a great season and Oregon is doing what they're supposed to do, he'll be in the running for it. Then you go to number three, Ohio State. Will Howard. If they have a good season and Will Howard is getting numbers, obviously they're going to run the football to elite running backs. But if Ohio State is having a season that everyone thinks they should, he will be in contention. Then you go to Texas. Quinn Ewers. Then you go to five Alabama, Jalen Milroe. These are all guys with a legit shot at winning this Heisman Trophy. Then now I got some dark horses like you. You could throw somebody. Like maybe Travis Hunter has a huge year playing defense, intercepting the ball. Maybe he has some big plays on offense. You got to be able to do them both. Damian Martinez in Miami, running back, you know what I mean? He has had like 2, 000 scrimmage yards over the last two seasons. All Pac 12. He's down there at Miami. If Miami has a big season and he's running hard, running big, having big plays, big numbers, maybe he's a, a non quarterback potential candidate. But you know these teams that are. Everyone's expecting for them to do well, look for those quarterbacks and somebody from those positions to be able to rise to the occasion and be in the contestant for the Heisman. But that's, that's week one. That's, that's my thoughts right?
Rob Stone
That's week one. Maybe one other quarterback because you know, you didn't mention enough quarterbacks. Mark Jackson. Dart.
Mark Ingram
Jackson Dart. Ole Miss.
Rob Stone
Yeah, Former USC guy. Ole Miss. Look, the lane train is going to put up passing numbers, right? We know that Dart. We had 3,300 passing yards, 23 touchdowns. Also rushed it for eight scores last season. The question for him is how good is the Ole Miss team going to be again? Preseason top 10. If they can get themselves in the, you know, 10, 11 win category and get themselves in upset somewhere over one of the big dogs in the sec. I think we're going to be talking about Jackson Dark coach. Did we miss anybody? Actually, you know what funny coach, I remember we talked about Will Howard and Heisman. I think it was last week or maybe it was off camera at some other point you kind of scratched your head about that you weren't fully believing that one. I, I'm, I'm more on Mark's point. Like if Ohio State is number one and you're the quarterback and you put up pretty good numbers, you're definitely going to be in consideration.
Urban Meyer
Yeah, but you need more than pretty good though, Mark. And that's the only concern is they're, they have the two first rounders at tailback. They have an incredible group of receivers. I'm just not sure. I think he's a great player and I think he's going to, you know, he's going to run one of the top offenses of the country. But when you get to November, you have to have the stats. You know, I've been down that road before and you know that's, at times you would actually feel guilty because you didn't give the guy enough carries. It was Zeke Elliott or you had, you know, jt, you just didn't give him enough touchdowns. Because at the end of the day, yes, you have to be part of a great team, but you have to have the stats. And that's my concern about Will Howard. I just don't see him, you know, having that 40 touchdown passing season or a, you know, I, I think he'll be a very good runner for Ohio State, but not enough statistically to put him in the Heisman.
Rob Stone
And the schedule so soft early on too. You think that's going to have a negative impact on.
Urban Meyer
I do.
Rob Stone
I worry about Ohio State candidates.
Urban Meyer
I worry about that. I mean, you look closely at that schedule. They're five weeks until they play a game. Now the game they play in five weeks is a real one, but they have three games where they're 50 point favorites, a bye week and then Michigan State, like we said to shell of themselves and you know, you're playing 35, 40 plays a game and you have all those other talent on that field. How do you walk away from those games without, you know, and you're going to pull them in the third, fourth quarter, how do you do that? You know, and I, I just, I'm worried about that.
Mark Ingram
If he asked Rudy Pools the first five weeks, he's going to put up numbers and then you go to Oregon. You, you, if you go to Oregon and you put a great performance together and win on the road and Eugene, that right there is going to put you in consideration. I don't care what his numbers are looking like. It's about what you doing with your team, putting them in position to win. That Natty, that's going to, that's what's going to be to Will Howard's advantage. And you say he could run the ball, so he gonna have some rushing yards, maybe some Russian tuddies. We gonna see. We gonna see. It's week one. It's all speculation, but even last year.
Urban Meyer
Will Howard was 24 touchdowns and, and 359 rush yards. I just don't know if that's. Obviously, I think you have some better numbers this year. And, and don't get me wrong, no.
Mark Ingram
He has a better supporting cash now. He was at where, Kansas.
Rob Stone
Kansas State. Yeah. And he's leaner and he's faster and, and he certainly don't be hating on your own people, Coach.
Mark Ingram
It ain't a good look.
Urban Meyer
Oh, not hating. Won't have the stats.
Rob Stone
He's just, he's just a truth provider. All right, it is time for that. Each week we're going to bring you a clip that caught our ear holes. And this week it comes from, yes, our good friend Deion Sanders. So, yeah, so here's the background, right? Colorado, the university, the football program, informed the Denver Post that Coach prime, other members of the football team would no longer take questions from one of their columnists, Sean Keeler, after what was perceived as personal attacks on D.N. dion through the course of those columns. Now, after that ban, Mark Kisla, a writer for the Denver Post and Keeler's co worker, obviously asked Coach prime if he feels persecuted by outside noise.
Urban Meyer
I don't know about persecuting.
Mark Ingram
This is a way of life for me. You, you guys act like this is.
Urban Meyer
The first time I've been shot at.
Mark Ingram
Lied on, cheated, talked about, mistreated.
Urban Meyer
That's what gospel song is. This is not the first time for this. But as I mature, instead of shooting back or lashing out or just dismissing.
Dan Lanning
You, I want to know why.
Urban Meyer
Like, let's help each other. Let's figure out the why. Because if you understand the why in people, that, that helps you tremendously. Because that's all I come from. I just come to fire. I want to know, know why, what provokes that.
Rob Stone
What was your reaction when you heard that?
Urban Meyer
Coach, I've known D in a long time and, and he says things that most people want to say. I've never seen a guy ban, you know, guys from asking questions or all that. There's been times all of us wanted to, but I think there's two sided responsibility there. One is the coach probably can't. You know, he'll catch a lot of heat for not allowing People to ask questions. But then I, I do believe journalists have a. And I use that term sometimes, you know, journalist that, you know, when they're personal attacks or just constant, you know, antagonist. Because there, there are, There are guys out there. That's how they make a living. You know, they don't really report, but they're, you know, it's almost shock jock where they antagonize constantly. So I get it, you know, and I can see exactly where he's coming from, but I know he threw himself out there. He's going to get. I'm sure there's a lot of media now we're going to just start swarming him.
Rob Stone
Ironically, some guys trying to get clicks from Coach Prime. Right. And, and that's. That's part of it. I, I agree. I think on the surface it doesn't look good for Dion, but there are.
Urban Meyer
Certain, you know, and Mark knows it too, and there's certain profile of, of. Once again, I use that term journalist, that they're not covering your team. You know, they're not covering the, the player, the coach, the university, the team. They're simply. That's how they, you know, the. They get hired to go just be an antagonist for people and, and, and they're out there but, you know, trying.
Mark Ingram
To get a quote and only put like seven words of the quote to fish their story that fits their narrative, that fits their article. But hey, man, negative energy, negative people. Do away with them. Do away with them.
Rob Stone
Yeah, well, I think that's what coach is saying, right? I'm doing away. I'm doing away with you. You know, maybe the two of them should come together behind closed doors and, and talk it out. Unfortunate that it has to come to that.
Urban Meyer
You know, he did say something, though, that instead of firing back, I thought that was really. Actually, I want to know. I just want to know why. What's. What's your problem? Why. Why would you, you know, call whether it be the coach or players names. You know, to me, like I said, there's. There's. There's accountability on both sides of this deal that, yes, the head coach and the team have to be available for the media. And I think that's probably right. But then also why I. I like that. I don't know if the guy answered the question and I didn't read the guy, what Kinsler you said his name was or something. Was he attacking? And what did he say?
Rob Stone
Sean Keeler?
Mark Ingram
What did he say?
Rob Stone
It was. It was things that were perceived, as we mentioned, as personal attacks. So remember, the other element to this is, you know, Coach has got kids. His. His own kids, his own DNA, his blood on that team. And you can go after your team and a team as a family, but when you're going after your family, Right. If he's taking shots at your kid, that's awful. I think. I think the hair raises up a little bit more on the back of the neck. And you get.
Urban Meyer
I did read that. He did. He was calling him and names, if I remember right, some nicknames.
Rob Stone
Yeah, yeah.
Urban Meyer
Planet Prime, False Prophet, Deposition Dion. I'm seeing it.
Mark Ingram
Bruce Lee of bs. The Dion, Kool Aid and Circus.
Urban Meyer
I mean, I get it.
Mark Ingram
Dude's a hater. Basically. Dudes.
Rob Stone
He's got some good nicknames, though. I'll give him credit there.
Mark Ingram
False Prophet is crazy.
Rob Stone
And hey, what's that old saying, you know, any news is good news, right? You're out there and people are talking about Colorado. We're certainly not talking about Colorado as much as we were at this point last season. But let me tell you, if Coach prime and the Buffs get off to a hot start, you. I'm going to tell you right now. Big noon kickoff. Start packing your bags for today.
Urban Meyer
I want to love to go back.
Mark Ingram
You know, where we going?
Urban Meyer
Eco pasta Js, baby.
Rob Stone
Pasta Js getting a shout out this week, though. We're going to be in Morgantown, West Virginia. We're going to talk about that game. Coming up Next with Pick Six brought to you by BetMGM. Place your money line prop parlay and same gay same game parlay bets at BetMGM. Download the app today. Please gamble responsibly so BetMGM. Every week through the course of this conversation, we're gonna have the deuce Deuce dog of the week. Mark, I need to remind you apparently that you have to pick the underdog you think will outright win. I love this sound. So good. All right, so reminder to everybody who's out there listening and watching, these lines are current as Tuesday. Obviously they can change. And we're always going off the BET MGM line. So, Mark, we're going to start with you. That quote unquote, neutral site game, although I guess it kind of is for these two programs a little bit. Number one, Georgia. Number 14, Clemson. The handle, which is the total money that has come in as of Tuesday. Right now, it is split right down the middle. How do you see Georgia? Clemson.
Mark Ingram
I like Georgia.
Rob Stone
Oh, I'm sorry. Georgia. 14 point favorite.
Mark Ingram
And it's split down the middle.
Rob Stone
People are taking the points split down the middle. Yup.
Mark Ingram
I'm laying the points. I'm taking Georgia to cover Carson Beck, Kirby smart, D line, O line. I'm looking to see what's gonna happen with the running back situation here. Yeah, ETN might be suspended, you know what I mean? So I'm looking to see what happens with the running back situation here, but I think Carson Beck in Georgia is just on another level right now, so they're gonna need some receivers to step it up. We gonna see how the secondary. They lost some people in the secondary. We're gonna see how they do. But I know Kirby Smart. He was my defensive coordinator when I was in Alabama. I know he gonna have that defense ready to roll and I know he gonna run that ball and I know Carson Beck gon ball. So I'm gonna take Georgia, okay, with the points.
Rob Stone
So I got him covering. Not your deuce deuce dog of the week. So you.
Mark Ingram
They not the dog of the week. Even though they the dog.
Rob Stone
Not the dog of the week. All right, maybe. Maybe number two will be your dog of the week. It is. It's no dog of a game, I'll tell you that. It is a sneaky good regional rivalry game. And the three of us will be packing our bags heading to Morgantown, West Virginia. I'll see you all there on Thursday. First big noon, kickoff on fox of the year, number eight, Penn State, an eight and a half point favorite coach at West Virginia in this line. It has moved two points from the opening spread. So originally Penn state favored by 10 and a half. Now down to 8 and a half and 65% of the total money going towards West Virginia and the points coach.
Urban Meyer
Wild place, Mark. I can't wait to get down there. I was there one other time and. And Rich Rod was the coach there years ago, a good friend of mine. And then obviously Don Nealon. This is years and years ago. We're going, but the fans are. And I talked to Neil Brown, a coach at West Virginia. He said those boys and girls are not going to be sleeping. I mean, this is going to be rocking and rolling. Huge game. I. I've been all over this for about two weeks now. West Virginia has got one of the best unsung players in the country. Garrett Green, the quarterback is a beast. He's a runner thrower. He's perfect for that offense. He's a big part of the run game and option football and q reads. The coach actually told me that he kind of came out of nowhere last year and really finished strong and they had a great year last year. But he'll be the guy that 80 to 90% of the time, he'll have to make a decision in the run game. That means it's not just traditional run. So he can run pass option. They'll call a draw play and he's allowed to throw the ball. He does the traditional reads where he's reading the defensive end and he can pull it. So he's a hell of a player. Here's the thing. Penn State has got two new coordinators. Tom Allen on defense, you're not going to change much on defense. And Jerry DiNardo went to visit Penn State for training camps, had their defenses elite. The difference is on offense. Colt Necky from University of Kansas is the OC Now. He's a very creative guy. Matter of fact, the two games that I saw, three games that I saw about 10 to 15 snaps per game, different people line up at quarterback. Mark, he does a lot of Wildcat. One game, I counted four different players lining up at quarterback. Obviously got your quarterback, then you got three or three other players in a Wildcat type style of offense. So very creative. I like West Virginia to cover. I think West Virginia might win the game if. If Garrett Green has goes off and has one of his days. But Penn State defense is tough. Number one rush defense a year ago. And West Virginia was number one rush offense in Power 5 a year ago. So strength on strength environment's going to have to count for something. I think West Virginia covers that spread.
Mark Ingram
And Stoner and coach, you know what that is? That's my. My dog of the week deuce with the squirrel hat. That's my.
Urban Meyer
I'll tell you the crowd, man, that is going to be wild. This might be one of the best we've had for Big Noon.
Mark Ingram
Yeah, that crowd taking us.
Rob Stone
All right, so the deuce. Deuce. Dog of the week. West Virginia is going to win outright over Penn State. Coach, that crowd. What do you think? A field goal difference?
Urban Meyer
Oh, no, no.
Rob Stone
It makes more than that.
Urban Meyer
Yeah, more than that. I. I think whenever you bring in a new coordinator and on defense, they're not going to change much, but they're bringing that Kansas offense. That takes a minute. That means they change. I bet they change terminology because a guy like that doesn't leave the job that he had unless James Franklin gave him complete control. And when you change everything, it takes a minute to. For everybody to get on the same page. And the. And the question mark, Drew Eller, is he the guy that can get Penn State to the promised land.
Rob Stone
Yeah. That's such a conservative offense. Right. Very limited, if you will, shots down the field, you know, or passes in the 20 yard range. Look for more of that from the Penn State.
Mark Ingram
They gotta have it, Rob. They gotta have to. They gotta have a receiver come, come out there and be a number one. You got two stud running backs. Everyone's like their production is down. Yes, their production is down because everyone knows if we stop them, they can't do anything else.
Urban Meyer
That's what happened last year.
Mark Ingram
Exactly.
Urban Meyer
Especially in the big games. It was, it was. We were there for a couple of them. The Michigan games, the Buckeyes and the Wolverines. And it was, it was tough to watch.
Rob Stone
All right, again, pick six brought to you by bet. Mgm. So two games down, four to go. Miami a two and a half point favorite on the road in Gainesville. The canes ranked number 19. Florida unranked. Coach, hold on real quick, coach. 68% of all the bets placed for Miami.
Urban Meyer
Wow. The U. I'll tell you right now of the jump. This is a must win for both programs. Mario Crystal Ball has really struggled. He's. He's lost 10 of his last 13 games versus Power 5. No, that's Florida. I'm sorry. Bill Schnappier has lost 10 at last. Think about that at Florida. Lost 10 of the last 13 games against Power 5. Mario Crystal Ball. Miami is 12 and 13 the last two seasons. The Florida Gators have the number one most difficult schedule in the country. It's brutal. I see them being under dogs in possibly eight games this year. So this is a must win. Miami's got a transfer quarterback, Cam Ward for Washington State. I went back and watched him. He excellent player, was one of the top transfer guys available in the portal last year. They have two great receivers and they got Reuben Bain, the top defense, transfer, defensive end. So I like Miami to probably win it. I think Florida will cover. I think it's going to come down to final possession and it's going to be a hell of a game.
Rob Stone
You like Florida to cover? It's a two and a half point spread.
Urban Meyer
I think it's going to be one point. I think it's going to. Wow. I think it's going to come down to a field goal win.
Mark Ingram
Am I.
Urban Meyer
This is a must win game.
Mark Ingram
Who, Whatever, whatever team loses their fan base is going to be in shambles.
Urban Meyer
Oh, I know. A mess.
Mark Ingram
Whatever team loses, their fan base is going to be. Not anymore.
Rob Stone
State of Florida, right? The Tallahassee is already a mess now you're going to call out Miami and Gainesville. All right, Mark, let's go to you. Deuce. Deuce. Number seven, Notre Dame, on the road at number 20, Texas A&M. The Aggies favored by three A&M in College Station. Huh? Notre Dame banged up injuries, another new quarterback.
Mark Ingram
Notre Dame banged up injuries, a new quarterback. Three sophomore linemen, two freshman linemen going down there to College Station against a D line. Who is really like that. I'm taking A and M. I'm taking them Aggies gig them.
Urban Meyer
Did you feel in our colleague Brady Quinn, a little hesitation when he starts on the Texas? Usually he's swinging really hard when he talks about the Irish.
Rob Stone
I think he impacted Mark's pick, by the way.
Mark Ingram
Yeah, a young. Hey, you gotta start listening. You gotta start listening to the people, man. You gotta be receptive of information. I'm receptive of information. We on the call. I'm hearing bq. Notre Dame God, Little G, the Notre Dame God, He.
Rob Stone
He.
Mark Ingram
He ain't confident. I'm like, oh, well, why should I be then?
Rob Stone
Yep, yep. You got to listen to the people.
Mark Ingram
You got to listen to the.
Rob Stone
Speaking of listening to the people, I listened to the people. I got the next game, number 13, LSU, four and a half point favorite, taking on number 23, USC. This game in Las Vegas, the Vegas Kickoff Classic, 56% of the total bets are going to the favorite, which is lsu. So a couple interesting wrinkles to this one. Both head coaches, Brian Kelly, and obviously, you know, what Coach Riley has done at usc. Both of them in their third year, both of them breaking in new quarterbacks. Garrett Nussmeier, redshirt junior Watch out for him. He could be a breakout candidate for lsu. And then Miller Moss takes the snaps. Caleb Williams, gone. And, you know, if what we saw from him in the bowl game where Moss played, you're saying to yourself, well, we might be getting ourselves another Heisman in Southern California, but it's just one game. So I listen to the people as well. Who did I go to, guys? Who did I go to for a little USC intel?
Urban Meyer
Matt Leiner.
Rob Stone
You bet I did. You bet I did. I said Matt, in no specific order. Give me. Give me a USC concerns list.
Mark Ingram
All right?
Rob Stone
And I think a lot of these we can figure out pretty easily. Yeah, I didn't need Matt for that one. But number one, he goes. He goes. Defense. Some new coaches there. They were one of the worst defenses in the country a year ago. Defense is an overall concern. More specifically, up front, they've added size They've added some depth, but can they play week in and week out against that new grueling Big Ten schedule, which is part number two, of course, the LSU game, a bit of an early measuring stick. Home. Penn State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, on the road at Michigan, at Washington. So they could easily lose, according to Matt. Five games. Again, this is Matt Leiner, USC Heisman legend.
Urban Meyer
Wow.
Rob Stone
Number three, Miller, Moss, Morvin, unknown. Again, we talk about that bowl game. He was fantastic. Following a Heisman winner, challenging. This is interesting, though. Even though I do think Lincoln Riley will enjoy coaching him more easier in a lot of ways. What does that mean, Coach?
Urban Meyer
I. I think whenever you have a player with the Persona of Caleb and the expectations at times can be hard to coach. I don't know the inner workings of that relationship between Lincoln Riley and them. We all admired Caleb as a player and I mean, my gosh, as far as the skill set, maybe the best in the last decade at that position. But it can wear on you a little bit when you, you know, I imagine the coach just felt so much pressure to put him in situations to win. And here we are, one of the greatest players, a Heisman winner, one of the greatest players, talent wise, maybe in the past 10 years, and he leaves USC without a ring on his finger. That's, that's terrible. I mean, that's, that's. You just feel awful about that. So maybe it's just a fresh start out in Southern Calen. Matt Leinert would know than. He's probably got his thumb all over that one.
Rob Stone
And, you know, it's always interesting to me in any sport, if you have, if you've got a dog. Dog, right. If you got a deuce, deuce like Mark Ingram or somebody on your team, the whole team just kind of leans on that human right, just like, all right, it's up to you. It's up to you. When that big personality, when that big player leaves, I think sometimes he takes that vacuum with him and it creates this, this opening pasture for more players to contribute and feel like, hey, I need to play a bigger part in this game. So a lot of times it feels like addition by subtraction, even when you're losing a mega talent like a Caleb Williams. All right, let's go back to Matt Leiner. He's worried about the loss at wide receiver, of course, Zachariah Branch. I mean, a tremendous special team threat. He is the guy. But who else is going to be there to throw it to the awful, awful offensive line coach, the old line, they Gotta get. They gotta get bigger. They obviously grew in size. He recruited pretty well, but certainly a concern. And then his sixth one, he gave me, Matt Liner gave me a bonus concern about usc, Lincoln Riley and the expectations here in year three, if they struggle, he doesn't think they're going to be calling for his job yet. But those expectations. What, what is it about year three coach, where the expectations automatically become, I think, elevated by, by the press and, and by the fan base as well?
Mark Ingram
We need to see results now.
Rob Stone
Yeah, right.
Mark Ingram
We need to see results now. We gave you time. We need to see results now.
Rob Stone
You got momentum.
Urban Meyer
Momentum. Keep in mind, these are college players and college coaching staffs. And the, the point, the most important thing in college is getting recruiting great players. Once programs start to lose momentum, it's hard to get it back. And you see it all the time where all of a sudden you, whether it be a Florida, whether it could be a Miami and Game 1, if they lose momentum, you're going to see recruiting really start to struggle. I think USC is at that point right now where. Yes, it's. He's. When. When Lincoln Riley went over to usc, that was the story of the year. A great coach that took Oklahoma to the playoffs has not got Southern Cal another blue blood. I mean, that Southern Cal should be a top five place every year. As good a recruiting talent within a 50 mile radius of that campus as anywhere in the country. A great history. But if you lose momentum, it's hard to get that ship back on track. So that's why year three is also critical.
Rob Stone
Yeah. And again, Brian Kelly in year three, LSU the favorite. And I think LSU is going to cover their favorite as of Tuesday by four and a half points. So I got LSU Stoner winning and covering. Yes, sir.
Mark Ingram
There's going to be no defense in that game. Both those defenses were busy.
Rob Stone
I didn't talk about the over under. I just said LSU is going to cover. They're going to win. By the way, we gave Matt some love. We love Matt Leiner, right? We love him. Guess what? He's got a new podcast, Throwbacks. It launches next week and you can find it wherever you find your podcast, wherever you find the triple option. Just go ahead and start downloading Throwbacks, Matt Leiner and our boy Jerry. Yeah, Jerry's going to be doing.
Urban Meyer
I really enjoyed beating Jerry.
Rob Stone
Good dude, man.
Mark Ingram
AKA Proctor on Power, AKA whatever the other show is too.
Rob Stone
Yeah.
Mark Ingram
With the other show that Jerry does. Yeah. Turtle.
Rob Stone
Well, yeah, well, that was his role.
Mark Ingram
Entourage.
Rob Stone
Entourage.
Urban Meyer
Yeah.
Rob Stone
Let's go all right, last pick here for the Pick Six brought to you by BetMGM. And we're going to talk about Florida State. We talked about at the start of the show. The Seminoles returned to Tallahassee on Monday and they returned in the ACC seller again that three point loss to Georgia Tech in Dublin. I'm curious where the trust level is with dju. Another kind of off game. I think there's going to be some rumblings about the rest of the quarterback depth chart again. Florida state though a 17 point favorite at home to Boston College. Our good friend Bill O'Brien back in the college game. So he's the new head coach at BC. An extra week to prep again. The Eagles went 76 last year. Patrick Payton off the edge. He could be a difference maker for Boston College. They strengthened their defense through their portal, their quarterback Tommy Castellano's elite feet. The arm can be a bit of a roller coaster. And again, Florida state favored by 17, 83% of all the bets are going for Boston College, including 90, 97% of the total money. And guess what? In this one, I'm not a leader, I'm a follower. I think Florida State's going to win, but Boston College guys is going to cover in Tallahassee. Silence.
Mark Ingram
Silence.
Rob Stone
That means, that means I nailed it. I got it right.
Urban Meyer
Well, Bill O'Brien took over for Jeff Halfley and Jeff Halfley was like Chip Kelly. He left a head coaching position at a really good school to become an assistant. And you just wonder why, you wonder, you know, when that all happened, what's going on at Boston College. Because my friend Steve Adasio is a coach there, went to, I don't want to say six bowl games in seven years and, and BC should be at bowl team every year. So I just wonder what, what, what is in the cupboard there, what kind of players. I just don't know much about Boston College, but people just watch that Florida State game and I imagine that's why the betting has changed.
Rob Stone
A lot of concern in Tallahassee right now, but by Florida State, but by the way, right, solve it. You know you're going to get your loss out of the way week one and the schedule that they have in front of them.
Urban Meyer
I will say this though, if Mike Norvell gets a chance to get up on B.C. because he's got to get momentum back in the program, he's going to put the pedal to the metal if he can get up on him. I don't, once again, I don't know much about Boston I don't think anyone does.
Rob Stone
Yeah, there's a lot of unknowns about the team in Chestnut hill. And again BC at Florida State, the no. 17 point favorite, but I think Boston College is going to cover. So that's it, guys. Two shows down. We've got dose dose. We've got a big trip to West Virginia next week though. You know what the game we're going to be talking about Texas on the road at Michigan. Big noon kickoff is going to be there as well. And our thanks to coach Lanning, who Urban, by the way, we, we found out is more than open to sharing some insightful criticism.
Urban Meyer
Oh yeah, he's sharing right with us.
Rob Stone
Some critiques about our show. He threw our way already.
Mark Ingram
We willing to listen. We will.
Rob Stone
I love it. Coach Lanning, what a great, what a great week.
Mark Ingram
Because when you learn you're going to.
Rob Stone
Earn Nick Saban week one, Dan Lanning week two. Wait till you hear who we have on week three on the triple option. So we want to remind you. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts as well as across social media at 3x option. Show new episodes every Wednesday. Want to thank our sponsors, Wendy's, nhtsa, bet, MGM and of course, zip Recruiter. Two down. Plenty more to go and we will see you Saturday on FOX from Morgantown, West Virginia. We cannot wait to see and hear you on Saturday.
Mark Ingram
Where the road's taking us.
Rob Stone
Country roads, baby. Country roads are where they're taking us.
Mark Ingram
Download, like, subscribe, follow all of that. You heard me.
Rob Stone
Pound the like button.
Podcast Summary: The Triple Option – Episode: Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning, Florida State Upset, Early Heisman Candidates, and Week 1 Predictions
Release Date: August 28, 2024
Introduction
In this engaging episode of The Triple Option, hosts Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, and Rob Stone delve into a multitude of pressing topics shaping the current football landscape. From dissecting Florida State's unexpected loss to Georgia Tech to an insightful conversation with Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning, the episode offers fans a comprehensive look into the sport's evolving dynamics. Additionally, the hosts explore early Heisman Trophy contenders and provide their predictions for Week 1 matchups.
Florida State's Upset by Georgia Tech
The episode kicks off with a deep dive into Florida State's surprising defeat at the hands of Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland.
Game Analysis:
Key Insights:
Impact on Playoff Aspirations:
Interview with Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning
A standout segment features an in-depth interview with Dan Lanning, the head coach of the Oregon Ducks.
Coaching Philosophy:
Conference Realignment and Its Effects:
Recruiting and Resources:
Managing Team Dynamics:
Leadership and Personal Touch:
Early Heisman Trophy Candidates
The conversation shifts to evaluating potential early Heisman contenders for the season.
Top Contenders Discussed:
Criteria for Heisman Candidacy:
Concerns and Speculations:
Week 1 Predictions
The hosts provide detailed analyses and predictions for several key Week 1 games, incorporating team performance, player dynamics, and strategic insights.
Georgia vs. Clemson
Penn State vs. West Virginia
Miami vs. Florida
Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M
LSU vs. USC
Florida State vs. Boston College
Notable Quotes with Timestamps
Conclusion
This episode of The Triple Option offers a rich tapestry of football analysis, combining strategic insights from a seasoned coach like Dan Lanning with the seasoned perspectives of Urban Meyer and Mark Ingram. From dissecting unexpected game outcomes to anticipating Heisman contenders and forecasting Week 1 results, the hosts provide fans with a thorough and engaging overview of the upcoming season's key narratives.
For those who haven’t tuned in, this episode ensures you’re well-equipped with the latest discussions and expert opinions shaping college football this season.