Turns out, Dan Lanning was playing chess on Saturday night.
The Ohio State Buckeyes had just been knocked out of field goal range after an offensive pass interference penalty. Two plays later, they had 10 seconds on a 3rd and 25.
That’s when the Oregon head coach sneakily took a gamble.
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Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl college football game between the Liberty Flames and the Oregon Ducks on January 1, 2024 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Will Howard’s next pass fell incomplete, but the Ducks were called for an illegal substitution. They had a 12th man on the field, to which Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day desperately wanted to be called at the time.
The speculation, though, was that the illegal substitution was a strategic gamble with odds very much in Lanning’s favor: Get penalized a measly five yards in order to not give up the big play and waste nearly half the time remaining in the game.
On the next play, Howard was unable to slide in time for them to call a timeout, giving the Ducks the win.
Lanning all but admitted that the speculation was accurate.
“There was a timeout before that — we spend an inordinate amount of time on situations. There’s some situations that don’t show up very often in college football, but this is one that obviously was something we had worked on. So you can see the result,” Lanning said sneakily on Monday.
Well, the NCAA was apparently quick to realize the loophole, and Yahoo Sports reported that the NCAA is considering a change to the rule.
Head coach Dan Lanning of the Oregon Ducks reacts toward Dillon Gabriel #8 scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter of the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
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“We’ve had good dialogue on this play,” NCAA secretary rules editor Steve Shaw told Yahoo Sports. “We’ve recognized the way it played out.”
In the National Football League, the clock reverts back to the original time on a 12-man penalty — that is not the case in college football.
Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning congratulates players after defeating the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. (Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports)
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The win put the Ducks at No. 2 in the country, their highest ranking since making the national championship game in 2015.
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