What Pat McAfee said about Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning’s viral motivational tactic

EUGENE “Aren’t you entertained?” were the words repeated by many Oregon ducks football players during oregon’s 38-17 victory over the Michigan Glutton Saturday November 2.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning has made headlines throughout the 2024 football season for many reasons. Perhaps the most obvious reason is that he is the head coach of the No. 1 team in the country. He has also drawn attention for strategic schemes, such as his deliberate penalty during Oregon’s victory over then No. 2 Buckeyes from Ohio Statewhere he deliberately took a penalty to run crucial seconds off the clock – a decision that prompted the NCAA to make an official change to the rulebook.

Lanning is once again taking the internet by storm, but this time it’s because of the way he motivates his team and before a timeout he simply called to have his players watch the Michigan fans pour out of the room. Big house in silence as it became clear that Oregon would win the game.

Each week, Oregon’s creative video team releases a cinematic recap of the game titled “Ducks vs. Them.” These videos provide insight not only into the match, capturing the words and voices of coaches, players and fans, but also into the preparation in the week leading up to the match.

Before facing the reigning Michigan Wolverines in the largest stadium in all of college football, Dan Lanning had his team read Theodore Roosevelt’s famous words from “The Man in the Arena”:

“It’s not the critic that counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit goes to the man actually standing in the arena, whose face is marred by dust, sweat and blood; who strives bravely; who makes mistakes, who falls short again and again, because there is no effort without errors and shortcomings; but who actually strives to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasm, great dedication; who spends himself on charity; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place will never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat .”

– Theodore Roosevelt

The video also revealed that Lanning had his team watch the movie ‘Gladiator’ and used it as a way to fuel drive and enthusiasm. motivate his team was ruthless even when playing in front of more than 100,000 screaming fans.

“I’m going to tell you that at some point during this game, you’re going to have to look up at the stands, and you’re going to see that they’re empty. We made the decision before we even step on the field – it’s fingers crossed.” lying down all day, no mercy,” Lanning said before the game.

When Lanning says, “It’s thumbs down all day,” he is referring to the gesture the character Commodus makes in the film. Gladiatorsymbolizes a call to death and not mercy.

Pat McAfee and JD PicKell’s response to Lanning’s motivational speech has been overwhelmingly positive.

In the video ‘Ducks vs. Them” also featured Lanning playing a clip of one of the greatest basketball minds of all time, Coach Mike Krzyzewski, better known as Coach K, talking about one of the best feelings while playing on the road.

“When you’re on the road, one of the best feelings is to silence the crowd. Damn right, we’re the bullseye, and besides, your fans leave after three minutes. Every now and then, remember those timeouts where you just say, ‘Time out, what do you want, coach?’ I said, ‘I just want you to look in the stands; these motherfuckers are going away,’ and there’s a big smile because those are some of the moments you’ll enjoy the most.”

– Coach K

And that’s exactly what Lanning did when he called his final timeout at Michigan. Players looked around the Big House to see silent Michigan fans leaving in disappointment as the Ducks walked away with their ninth win of the season.

The fragment of this timeoutcombined with Dan Lanning telling his team earlier this week that this exact moment would happen is taking the internet by storm, and this isn’t the first time the Oregon video team’s work has gone viral.

Oregon’s victory over Colorado. This came at a time when Colorado had just begun its first season under the tenure of head coach and one of the most influential figures in football, Deion Sanders. The released video captures Colorado players stepping on the Oregon logo and trash-talking Oregon players prior to the game:

“I will crush all of you and your coach.”

“Why are you so few?”

“We’ll put you all through a**.”

– Colorado Buffs players

Oregon went on to dominate the Buffs, or as Lanning would say, “end the Cinderella story.” Oregon won the game 42-6 and received even more support from its ever-growing fan base.