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Dan Lanning joins College GameDay for breakdown of Ohio State’s defense

Bryce Lazenby

By Bryce Lazenby

Published:

Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks are gearing up for one of the season’s most anticipated games as the Ohio State Buckeyes come to Eugene.

The No. 2 Buckeyes and No. 3 Ducks are looking to stay undefeated and pick up a signature win. This game will have College Football Playoff implications as well.

Because of the huge matchup, ESPN’s “College GameDay” came to town. Kirk Herbstreit is an Ohio State grad, so this game means something extra. Herbstreit welcomed Lanning to the GameDay set where the two broke down Ohio State’s defense.

Lanning was first shown film from Ohio State’s game at Michigan last season.

“They’re disguising man-to-man coverage and then kicking to a Cover 2,” Lanning explained. “Which is going to change the picture for the quarterback and make it really challenging.”

The game in question resulted in an Ohio State loss, but the defense did a fine job. Former Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy was held to just 148 passing yards, showing how tough the Buckeyes can be to throw on.

Lanning mentioned that the Buckeyes’ disguises are tough on QBs and can make it hard for offenses to find a rhythm.

The GameDay crew also shouted out Ohio State’s impressive offense, including star freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith. Lanning didn’t divulge anything about his defensive philosophy for this game, but he did joke about his plan for Smith.

“We’re going to triple-team him,” said Lanning of Smith.

Ohio State enters this matchup No. 1 in the country in total defense while allowing just 202.4 yards per game. We’ll see if Dillon Gabriel and the Oregon offense have a solid game plan in store.

These new B1G rivals will kick off from Autzen Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 pm PT).

Bryce Lazenby

Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Tradition. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.