We don’t do well as the hunted (yet) - PRESSURE

[bdkipe]

Now that we’ve seen our play through two games & can look back at 4 years of Lanning-led teams, one clear area for his next step in growth is leading from the front. How are you as the “hunted” instead of the “hunter”?

Hell, “Ducks vs. Them” by the name alone implies a “hungry hunter” mentality.

In the more catastrophic losses that fuel the Anti-Lanning crowd, Oregon went in as the media darling. The team that was getting the national media love. The team that the other team had to sit around and hear about all week:

- 2022 Civil War (up by 17 in 2nd half)
- 2023 P12 Championship (trendy media pick to beat UW)
- 2024 Rose Bowl (favorite to beat tOSU)
- 2025 IU semifinal (again, trendy media pick)
- 2026 Okie State

We’ve had unexplained stretches of subpar play in wins where we were either a favorite or getting ready to pull away for a victory.

- 2022 @ WSU
- 2023 @ Texas Tech
- 2023 vs WSU
- 2024 vs Idaho
- 2024 vs Boise State
- 2024 @ Wisconsin
- 2025 @ Penn State after we had them dead in the 3rd
- 2025 vs Wisconsin
- 2025 in 2nd half vs JMU playoff
- 2026 vs Boise State

Compare that to games where we had clear talent and roster advantages going in, yet Dan still found a way to flip it to an underdog mentality:

- 2023 vs Colorado - Buff’s pregame shenanigans
- 2023 @ Utah - Utah is supposedly much more physical
- 2024 @ Michigan - Duck gladiators vs 100,000+ fans
- 2025 vs Okie State - Gundy comments
- 2025 vs USC - Trojans bragging about the past
- 2025 TTU playoff - TTU defense gets all the respect

With the benefit of 2 games this season and hindsight we can start to maybe put the pieces together that the pressure of the expected championship run is really affecting this team’s performance in ways we didn’t think were possible before the season.

- Oregon is touting that they chose to spend this off season focusing on mental growth. Mental toughness, pressure is a privilege, player-led leadership, etc. We didn’t hear a lot about honing tangible on-field skills, other than Amauri and Bear’s impressive squats. Everything was focused between the ears. The staff clearly expected that fortitude was going to be needed and improved for the season that was upcoming. They weren’t just doing it for funsies. They saw it as an area that had to be improved in 2026. They knew pressure was coming and they tried to prepare accordingly.

- Dan looks like he’s gained 20-30 lbs and doesn’t look as loose and confident as he has the last few years. He’s an intense guy, but he has also had that human “real” side of him that we haven’t really seen yet this year. Stress?

- From TV viewing alone, Dan’s been on the officials more in 2 game this year than I can remember seeing him TOTAL in his previous 4 seasons combined. One thing that has always impressed me about him is that he stays off officials. Not this year. Again…stress?

- A’lique Terry looks like he’s lost the weight Dan gained. I sound like a broken record. Stress?

- The returning players we have are PROVEN performers, other than the Oline. They are not performing anywhere near what they’ve shown they are capable of in the past. Why aren’t they playing loose? Fast? Free?

- Logic would say the players that elected to come back did so for the right reasons. Coming back was a risk to them because A: their projected draft positions would have them making more in the NFL than in NIL or B: They are risking their NFL draft stock and career earning potential by playing with no motor and no effort (things NFL Personnel Staff still look down upon) or C: risk of injury. This pretty much eliminates the idea that they came back just to be entitled and lazy because they are risking so much more long term in their futures by doing so. Why aren’t they seemingly showing up and showing out?

The signs are there. A step slow, unsure of assignments, lack of focus, out of character mistakes. Those are often symptoms of being in your own head.

These aren’t meant to be excuses, these are meant to be possible explanations and areas for the team to try to address by any means necessary so we can still reach the goals we have for the season.