Those expecting any residual animosity between Oregon's Dan Lanning and Colorado's Deion Sanders are in for disappointment. Lanning has come under fire recently for a few tactics he employed Saturday, including a fiery pregame speech in which he boasted: "They're fighting for clicks, we're fighting for wins."
Speaking with the media on Monday, a couple days removed from his team's 42-6 rout of the Buffaloes, Lanning cleared the air on the biggest topics of discussion. Most notably, he heaped praises on Sanders and his impact on college football as a whole.
"I'm also grateful and can clearly acknowledge the attention that we got this Saturday, in large part, was due to Deion and what he's doing to college football," Lanning said. "If anybody can't see what he's done for college football and how he's bringing excitement to college football, you're crazy. I said that last week as well. He's done a lot for the game. He's building something over there. I think that's really, really clear. There's no secret there. But it wouldn't matter if I was playing my 10-year old son on the other sideline. I'm going to do everything I can to win."
Lanning's speech wasn't the only thing which invited controversy. Lanning didn't empty the bench until the fourth quarter, well after Oregon had a five-touchdown lead. He went for it on fourth-and-goal twice in the final 30 minutes despite the gap and also tried a 2-point conversion in the first quarter after Oregon scored its second touchdown.
"Ultimately, here's what I'll say: We're playing to win the game," Lanning said. "And you saw a 15-second clip from a window view outside the house of what happens in the locker room. I know our locker room. I'm in the house 100% of the time. I know how our players felt going into that game and I know what it takes to motivate our players. That's my job, to motivate our players. He (Sanders) has a job. I have a job too, to get out there and perform on the field.
"But inside that house, they felt a certain way. They felt a certain way about a group stomping on the 'O'. They felt a certain way about guys talking to them in the pregame. I'm proud of those guys because what they decided to do is talk with their pads."
Oregon climbed to No. 9 in the AP Top 25 after its win against Colorado. The Buffaloes, meanwhile, dropped out after steadily rising to No. 19 thanks to a 3-0 start.
