Oregon defeated Oklahoma State 69-3 in a dominant performance at Autzen Stadium.
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy’s comments earlier in the week about Oregon’s spending only fueled the fire for the Ducks.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning encouraged his team to ‘break the scoreboard’ in 66-point win.
EUGENE, OR — It was expected No. 5 Oregon would have little trouble against Oklahoma State, evident in their 69-3 drubbing of the Cowboys inside Autzen Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 6.
But if we’re being honest, this game was over way before the Ducks put the game out of reach in the first quarter. In fact, it was well decided five days prior.
When playing a team that is clearly on another level than you, a coach’s job is to bring belief that their team can pull off the unbelievable. When you’re a 27.5-point underdog, you have to inspire your squad to show up in the stadium.
So what did a renowned coach like Mike Gundy do? Try to reason why his team was no match for the Ducks.
The longtime Cowboys coach alleged Oregon spent in one year more than five times the amount of money his team spent in three years, adding that maybe teams spending that much dough on its roster should be playing non-conference games against similarly constructed teams.
That’s as close as you can get without directly admitting you are going to lose. Is that how Gundy meant it? Maybe not, but he sealed his fate, giving Oregon coach Dan Lanning motivation like dangling a chunk of tuna in front of a great white shark.
“I told our team right before the game that it never requires extra motivation for an opportunity to go out and kick ass,” Lanning said. “But it never hurts when somebody pours gasoline on the fire.”
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Lanning in his four seasons in Eugene, you better not test him. Remember that infamous pregame speech against Colorado and what his team did? It was almost as if Gundy dared Lanning to see how badly he could dispose of his team.
Not one to shy away from any shots directed at his squad, there wasn’t anything spicy said ahead of the contest. Lanning gave nothing but love to Gundy in the pregame conversation.
But once that ball was kicked, he sure showed how invested he was in putting a straight beatdown on the Cowboys.
On the second play of the game, running back Noah Whittington sprinted right through a wide open gap for a 59-yard touchdown. On the first play of the second drive after the Ducks defense forced a three-and-out, quarterback Dante Moore rolled to his left and placed the ball perfectly into Dakorien Moore’s hands, who finished off a 65-yard touchdown score for a 13-0 lead just 96 seconds into the game.
The torture didn’t stop there. Lanning and offensive coordinator Will Stein had their foot planted on the gas pedal for the entirety of the first half. Reverses, trick plays, going for it on fourth down. Nothing was off limits as Oregon had seven plays gain at least 25 yards en route to a 41-3 halftime lead.
You’d think Oregon would lay off the pressure in the second half? Think again.
As if Gundy didn’t give Oregon enough bait, he served up another delicious platter by saying he wasn’t sure if his quarterback, Zane Flores, making his first college start, would be affected much by the Autzen Stadium crowd.
The crowd clearly rattled the redshirt freshman; he finished 6-of-18 with 61 yards, 35 of which came on a play where the Ducks’ coverage collapsed. When the game was well wrapped up in the third quarter, he threw back-to-back Pick-6s to add more misery.
Oregon scored all 69 points in the first three quarters before finally pressing the brakes for the fourth quarter. The Ducks finished with 631 yards to Oklahoma State’s 211, and Oregon had more touchdowns (10) than the Cowboys had first downs (nine).
‘Obviously, some things were said, some things were brought up,’ said Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher. ‘Throw a little fuel on the fire. You love that.’
Moore said Gundy’s comments “hit close to home” since they were directed at Lanning and the program, likening it to attacking his dad. As a result, he took it personally and the team used it “to make sure that we push ourselves and score 69 points.”
It helps when your coach is telling you not to let up.
“Coach Lanning said, ‘We keep the foot on the neck, make sure you score as many points and try to break the scoreboard,’” Moore said.
Coming off a horrid 3-9 season and having a team that clearly doesn’t look like it will have a rebound year, it’s worth pondering if this week is the beginning of the end of Gundy’s time in Stillwater. That fiery nature that helped make the Cowboys relevant seems like it’s fading, and he couldn’t bring it to what was by far his program’s biggest game of the season. All he did was aid the Ducks in handing Oklahoma State its worst loss since 1907 when it lost to Oklahoma 67-0.
While Gundy did his team no favors, he did prove his point. Maybe teams that spend like Oregon should play against those that do the same, because the talent discrepancy was easy to see.
But let this blowout be a warning: if you’re going to give Lanning extra motivation – especially in his home stadium where he’s now 21-1 – that raging fire is only going to get bigger.