What Should The Georgia Bulldogs Expect From Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks?
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ATHENS - The 2022 Georgia Bulldogs team is different than the championship squad, but that was no secret to coach Kirby Smart.
“The offense is way ahead of the defense - which was expected,” Smart said after Georgia’s first fall scrimmage.
Seven starters from the Dawgs’ defense were drafted to the NFL in April. Those players are gone - as is the defensive coordinator from the 2021 team. Dan Lanning was hired as Oregon’s head coach last December.
Ironically enough, Dan Lanning’s first game as head coach of the Ducks comes against the same team he helped lead to a National Championship in January.
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Oregon football is a wild card on the Dawgs' 2022 schedule - and right at the start. The Bulldogs won’t have much film of the Ducks to go over. Oregon’s head coach, starting quarterback and top running back are all different this season. With a new coaching staff and notable transfers headed to Eugene, Oregon is hard to predict.
Stetson Bennett admitted to the media on Monday that the film-watching process has been a little more complicated for this game.
“They’ve got a few transfer guys,” Bennett said. “It’s weird watching four different teams to prepare for one game.”
This Oregon roster contains a lot of new faces, but this is a program that has won big games. Last season, the No. 12 Ducks went on the road to shock No. 3 Ohio State in the second week of the season.
Lanning’s first season in Eugene poses several questions - Here is what we know:
With some strong transfers from Power Five programs, including Bo Nix, Oregon immediately addressed attrition at key spots with experienced players.
However, Nix is 0-3 against Georgia. In those three contests, Nix threw one touchdown and two interceptions. He is a player that Smart and the Dawgs have had a lot of success against.
Nix is a phenomenal athlete but as a quarterback, he has not done enough to beat Georgia.
Oregon’s defense has a lot of new faces as well.
“There are some positions that there are specific needs, but I think that one thing that our roster has right now, it also has some position versatility,” Lanning said in July. “You talk about a guy like DJ Johnson that played tight end and outside linebacker this year. You talk about Jackson Powers-Johnson that played on the d-line and the offensive line. I just think you can go down the board. There are several guys on our roster that have done multiple things.”
Returning for his junior year defensive back, Jamal Hill has an opportunity to step up and make a name for himself. Besides, Hill, the Ducks return Dontae Manning and Trikweze Bridges, but both lack experience.
“Jamal is one of those guys that you don’t just have to say it, you do it. It’s really actions, not words,” says Lanning.
Additionally, Oregon has had outstanding recruiting classes brought in by former head coach Mario Cristobal over the past few years.
Lanning and his Ducks will have a major challenge on their hands playing in Atlanta against the No. 3 Bulldogs - and he knows it. But, the first-year coach said he’s ready for the challenge of the 2022 season and beyond.
“We're going to continue to focus on the guys that are on this team right now, building our success moving forward with those players and then again, looking for opportunities to enhance it because there are some places that we can grow and places we can get better along the road,” Lanning added.