Thanks to some special teams heroics, No. 9 Oregon slid past No. 20 Iowa, 18-16, on Saturday — a finish that left Ducks head coach Dan Lanning anything but calm.
Lanning admitted as much after watching kicker Atticus Sappington drill a 39-yard field goal in the rain with seven seconds left to seal the win. Truth be told, the redshirt senior’s composure in the clutch may have exceeded that of his head coach.
“If you want the truth, I was pretty nervous,” Lanning told reporters. “I’m nervous for him because it shouldn’t come down to that moment for Atticus. That guy’s going to feel an unbelievable amount of pressure, however that goes. But, I’m really proud that he’s able to handle a moment like that.”
By now, it’s no secret that it takes a special kind of focus for kickers to lock in and deliver under pressure. Recreating those moments in practice is one thing, but as Lanning put it, “there ain’t nothing like 70,000 fans.”
“Seven seconds left, having to kick that kick. Can’t recreate that in practice, and Atticus handled that like a champ,” added Lanning.
The nail-biting kick capped a game in which Oregon jumped out to a 2–0 lead on a wild safety, then trailed 16–15 after an Iowa touchdown with 1:51 left in regulation. A 24-yard Dante Moore completion boosted the ensuing 10-play, 54-yard series which Sappington closed with the game winner on the road.
After narrowly improving to 8–1 overall and 5–1 in Big Ten play, Lanning’s Ducks have held their own in their second year in the conference. Still, it’s clear the experience is taking some getting used to.
“Well, guys, I guess that’s what they call Big Ten football,” Lanning said to open his postgame press conference. “What an unbelievable game.”
Oregon now turns its attention to its next Big Ten showdown — a road game at Minnesota (6–3, 4–2). Kickoff is set for Friday, Nov. 14, at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.
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