Sports

Dan Lanning Caused Oregon’s Loss To Oklahoma State With Boneheaded 4th-Down Play Call Despite Three Timeouts

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Oregon Oklahoma State Dan Lanning 4th Down Timeout Punt Play Call Turnover
ESPN

Oklahoma State pulled one of the biggest upsets in college football history with the win over Oregon on Saturday. Dan Lanning has some explaining to do about the play call on 4th down.

The Ducks had three timeouts!

Even if one single play does not determine the complete outcome of a college football game, this specific 4th down decision is a major cause for concern. Nobody thought to call an audible or talk it over?!

Oklahoma State defeated Oregon.

No. 6-ranked Oregon walked into Boone Pickens Stadium as 23.5-point favorites after a close win over Boise State in Week 1. Oklahoma State entered at 0-1 after an embarrassing home loss to Tulsa in Eric Morris’ debut as head coach.

The Cowboys heard all week about how terrible they are. Nobody gave them a chance against the Ducks. It was going to be ugly.

Oregon beat Oklahoma State by a final score of 69-3 in 2025, which was the first domino to fall in Mike Gundy’s ouster. It was going to be just like last year.

That was not the case. A team that added 91 (!!) new players during the offseason came together when it mattered most. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Caleb Hawkins went for 110.

The home team took a 24-17 lead into the locker room at halftime. Everybody expected the visitors to make adjustments at halftime, just like they did last week, and to pull away during the second half. They didn’t. The Cowboys prevailed.

Fans poured onto the field in Stillwater after an eight-point win. Eskimo Joe’s is going to be rocking.

Morris got his first win at Oklahoma State. Lanning lost only his second regular season game since Dec. 1, 2023 and his first loss to an unranked opponent.

Dan Lanning gave the game away on 4th down.

The Cowboys deserve all of the credit. They had more than 550 yards of offense, twice as many first downs, did not allow a sack, held 13 more minutes of possession and committed only two penalties.

However, the Ducks were just as bad as their opponents were good. They allowed four sacks, committed seven penalties and failed to eclipse 200 passing yards or 100 rushing yards. Quarterback Dante Moore completed less than 50% of his pass attempts. It was an extremely a sloppy loss for a team that was (and probably still is?) considered a legitimate College Football Playoff contender.

And yet, the game was still within reach with approximately seven minutes remaining during the fourth quarter.

Oregon had 4th-and-8 from its own 33-yard-line with three timeouts, down by five with 6:53 remaining. Dan Lanning decided to go for it. The defense had him lined up from the time the offense broke the huddle. Moore threw an incompletion.

First and foremost, it was a surprising decision not to punt. The play-call was even more shocking. Lanning and first-year offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer had their quarterback roll out to the right against a defense that was stacked to that side.

Moore never stood a chance. His offensive lineman even asked for help before the play!

The Ducks had three timeouts. They chose not to call one. Nor did they audible at the line of scrimmage. It was doomed to fail.

Even if Mehringer made the call, that incomplete pass is on Lanning for allowing it to play out in real time. A loss is the result.