"They’re fighting for clicks. We’re fighting for wins" - When Dan Lanning gave powerful speech to Oregon players before facing Deion Sanders' Colorado

Dan Lanning took over as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks in December 2021. During his debut campaign, he led the team to a 10-3 record and a Holiday Bowl victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels. Just a year later, Lanning was successful in leading the team to the Pac-12 championship game during the 2023 season.

Lanning lost to the Washington Huskies in the conference title game, but he did have several memorable moments that season. One of those was his viral pre-game speech before taking on Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes.

The Oregon Ducks faced the Buffs in September 2023. Coach Prime was on a hot three-game winning streak in his first season as the head coach of the team. However, Lanning motivated his team with a fiery speech in the locker room that Oregon fans fondly reminisce.

"Rooted in substance, not flash," Lanning said. "Rooted in substance. Today, we talk with our pads... The Cinderella story is over man, right? They're fighting for clicks, we're fighting for wins. There's a difference, right? This game ain't going to be played in Hollywood. It's going to be played on the grass."

Lanning's motivational pre-game speech worked for the Oregon Ducks. They went on to end Coach Prime's three-game winning streak in a humiliating fashion, securing the victory with a final score of 42-6.

Following the loss, Coach Prime acknowledged that he heard about Lanning's comments in the post-game press conference.

"Yeah, I got messengers," Sanders said. "God bless him, though, man. He's a great coach. He did a good job. God bless him. Take their shots. They won. I didn't shoot. They won.... I don't say stuff just to say it, for a click, contrary, to what somebody say. I keep receipts."

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J.D. PicKell in support of Dan Lanning after dominating Big Ten debut

Following two seasons in the Pac-12, the Oregon Ducks became a member of the Big Ten after the conference realignment. In his debut campaign in the Big Ten, Lanning put up a dominating showcase with his team.

They went on to become the undefeated conference champions and qualify for the 12-team playoffs, where they unfortunately lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal.

Last month, On3's J.D. PicKell shared his thoughts about Dan Lanning and his acclimation to the punchline culture.

"To pin the Oregon postseason shortcomings on a head coach who wasn't even there for Oregon, or make him deal with that is foolish," Pickell said. "But I do think that Dan Lanning overall, he's not new to the punchline culture game. Remember, a year ago, what people were saying about Dan Lanning? Not a great in game coach..." (TS- 1:45)

Oregon fans will be expecting Lanning to lead the team to the playoffs once again this upcoming season. They begin their 2025 campaign with a game against Montana State on August 30.