Oregon's Dan Lanning Calls Out 'Lack of Leadership' After Upset Loss to Oklahoma State

Oregon head football coach Dan Lanning blamed a "lack of leadership" for the Ducks' surprising 39-31 loss to Oklahoma State this past Saturday.

Lanning pointed to the leadership issue while speaking to reporters Monday, adding, "And that starts with me."

He also gave his assessment of the Ducks' performance after watching the film, saying, "We got our ass kicked in a lot of areas. ... It really looks very similar to what it felt like on the field. We did not perform at any level that was winning football. ... Sometimes you've got to learn hard lessons through hard performances, and this is—you know, this is by far the worst performance that we've had since I've been here."

Coming off a 13-2 season that saw them reach the College Football Playoff semifinals, hopes were high for the Ducks entering the 2026 campaign.

Oregon returned some big-time talent to the roster, particularly quarterback Dante Moore, who passed up the chance to be a top pick in the 2026 NFL draft in order to play another season for Lanning.

Ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time, Oregon struggled with Boise State in Week 1, needing a fourth-quarter touchdown to prevail 34-27 at home.

In Week 2, the Ducks went on the road to Stillwater, Oklahoma, and they were largely outclassed by a Cowboys team that was shocked by Tulsa the previous week.

Drew Mestemaker outplayed Moore at quarterback, throwing for 317 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, while also rushing for 109 yards and a score, compared to 191 yards, two touchdowns and no picks for Moore through the air.

It isn't often that a Lanning-coached team is outperformed offensively, but that was the case this past Saturday, as OK State out-gained Oregon 554-281 and had 25 first downs to the Ducks' 12.

With the loss to Oklahoma State, Oregon dropped all the way down to 21st in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll.

There is still plenty of time to right the ship and return to the CFP, though, and it starts on Friday for the Ducks when they host FCS Portland State.