Everything Dan Lanning said ahead of Oregon's trip to USC

Q: What's the confidence level with Messiah Hampton and what he's played, and that receiving room and responding to JMac's injury.

DL: "He stepped in in a game where he was going to have a role in that game regardless, but his role grew quick. Because right before pregame, you're anticipating JMac being able to go out there, and then Messiah goes out there. But that confidence built, you know, good example. He was able to make and make some plays for us the week before, and it's been built throughout fall camp and some of the things he's done. So it's always been about strength in the numbers for us. That showed up at the tight end position for us in our last game with Jamari down. You're always going to see different pieces to the puzzle, but I think Messiah did a good job in the role that he was in this last game."

Rivalry Game

Q: Speaking to the rivalry, you know the tenor of it over the years, under your tenure, how have you viewed the intensity of it and how it's obviously grown during your time?

DL: "It's as intense as it gets, right? We talk about two teams that are competitive, that want to be really good, that have great talent. It means a ton to the fan base. I think it's only grown, like you said, in my time since I've been here, that it means a lot to our team. The biggest thing is: can you focus on the game and not the occasion? Try to be in the moment and focus on your preparation, your execution. But this is certainly a big game."

Not Just Another Game

Q: How much do you acknowledge that this is a pretty big game, a ranked opponent, and what's at stake for conference startup conference play, and what a second loss could mean for this team, or what a win would mean for this team? Do you embrace that? Do you talk about that, or is it just another game?

DL: "It's certainly not just another game. We don't talk about all the scenarios that play out. We worry about the things that we can control. How can we go out here and perform the best that we want to be able to perform? But do we think this is a big game? Absolutely. Do our players realize that? Absolutely. It's Big Ten play. That's different, right? All that matters. We don't go through all the what-if scenarios. We go through, OK, how do we prepare to be the best version of us for this game?"

Gary Patterson's Defense

Q: You mentioned the different defensive coordinator for them. What is it that he does that's different from past USC teams, and is there anyone that's kind of similar, either that you played this year or in past years at Oregon?

DL: "I won't get into great detail what he does. I don't want to necessarily know what we're working on, but I think obviously Gary's had a long storied history as a defensive coach; he does a phenomenal job. I think part of what makes it different now than what he's played with in the past, he's got a really good front right there at USC that's disruptive, and they do a lot of different line games and things like that. The way he's able to match patterns is always a challenge. You're looking for wrinkles, but it's tough to be able to handle that. And then again, the variety of looks and how he's able to get calls into his guys fast and execute, all that really shows up. I think the biggest thing anybody who watches coach Patterson coach, you see a guy coach with passion and energy. Usually, you've heard me say it before, but players take on that presence of you as a coach. They take on that same personality, and you see his players playing with that personality."

Carl Williams IV is Back

Q: Any update on Carl?