No. 7 Indiana heads to No. 3 Oregon this week in a game that has large implications nationally and in the Big Ten title race. It’ll be the first meeting between the programs in over two decades, and the first since Oregon joined the conference in 2024.

Here’s everything Oregon coach Dan Lanning had to say about the Hoosiers ahead of the heavyweight matchup.

Overall Thoughts on Indiana

“You watch these guys on tape, they do a lot of things well. I think the first thing that just stands out to you is when you look at special teams and how dominant they've been in special teams and blocking kicks, just what they do and then how they play to their players strengths.

“Their quarterback's playing as good as anybody. Obviously, they're extremely well coached on both sides of the ball. They create a lot of havoc on defense, and ultimately that's where we're counting on our fans to be part of what makes this environment great.”

On College GameDay Going to Eugene and Autzen Stadium Environment

“Our fans have always been unbelievable, but we want everybody in the Big Ten to get to experience that. Indiana's coming, they're obviously a really talented team, but our fans got a chance to make an impact and we want to see it and feel it on Saturday.”

On Curt Cignetti

“Obviously everywhere he's been, he's had a lot of success. His team's really well coached. I think the other piece that really sticks out about their staff, you look at their staff, a lot of those guys have been together for a long time, like a lot of continuity. And that speaks to guys that want to coach with him. He's won everywhere he's been, right? That's really apparent. But he's obviously a phenomenal coach and has done a really good job.”

On Indiana’s Offense

“The first thing that sticks out is this is a team that has a clear identity. They know what they're good at and they do it really, really, really well. They run the ball well and they obviously have RPO tags off a lot of their runs that they make sure (if) they're running it, they're running it into an advantageous look. When they're throwing it, they're throwing it into a good look. They do a really good job of that, so that's the thing that stands out.

“They're rushing as well as anybody in the country and then throwing it as well as anybody in the country. And they have a lot of weapons that they can use.”

On Indiana Quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Indiana’s Passing Game

“Their timing is really impressive. They know where guys are going to be at, they do a really good job of shaping their routes. He's got great delivery, he's able to throw the ball extremely well. But he's throwing it and he knows where his wideout's going to be and he knows what coverage he's throwing into. So that's an indicator of a really well-coached player that knows his system extremely well.”

On Indiana Wide Receivers Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper

“They're strong at the point of attack. They go and catch the ball. If they're not catching the ball, they're creating pass interference calls because of the way they attack the ball. They've got good speed and they can run all the routes in the route tree.”

On Indiana’s Defensive Line

“I mean it's a multitude of looks. They're aggressive by nature, right? They do a good job of eliminating explosive plays, but they run a lot of simulated pressures and fire zone pressures. They create havoc up front. Paths change quite a bit with the d-line, a lot of different stunts that they use. And the guys win at the point of attack when they do blitz.”

On Indiana’s Secondary

“They break on the ball really, really well. They do a good job of playing in zones and understand where the quarterback's going to take the ball. So, this is one where we have to do a great job of protecting the ball, but our quarterback's done that so far. Dante's got to continue to do that this week.”

On Indiana Cornerback D’Angelo Ponds

“He’s a great player, and it doesn't just show up on defense, it shows up on special teams as well. (He) primarily plays the boundary, but he's a guy that can cover whoever he's lined up against. .. So he's a guy that shows up all over the field for them.”

On Oregon Quarterback Dante Moore vs. Fernando Mendoza

“Well, (Moore)’ll never be on the field the same time as Mendoza, and Mendoza will never be on the field the same time as him. So all he has to do is go out there and play his game, and the rest will take care of itself. He's competing to be the best version of himself. He's not competing against (Mendoza).”