EUGENE — The Hatfield Dowlin-Complex was a sauna by the time Dan Lanning made his way up to the press room.
Saturday at Autzen was hot and humid, while the stench of smoke hung over a Week 2 Oregon win that saw the Ducks hit a 25-yard field goal as time expired for the victory. Reporters walked up to the third floor with soaked shirts. Lanning looked like he lost a few pounds himself as he took the podium with a red face and a smile.
“We like to sweat around here,” Lanning said, “apparently.”
Thing is, Saturday could have been in the dead of winter and caused just as much perspiration.
The important thing first: Oregon won 37-34. The Ducks are 2-0. Nothing, technically, has gone wrong yet, which is what led Lanning to a relatively upbeat postgame analysis considering, well, what you all watched. Because while Lanning focused on Oregon’s ability to overcome adversity against a Broncos team that’s formidable yet far from excellent, there’s no getting around why Oregon had to play catch-up in the first place.