Oregon head coach Dan Lanning had one more laugh at the expense of Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy on Monday. Two weeks after the Ducks demolished the Cowboys 69-3 and then followed it up with a 34-14 Big Ten opener win over Northwestern, Lanning responded to Gundy’s earlier remarks about Oregon’s NIL spending.
During an appearance on Wake Up Barstool, Lanning joked about Gundy’s figures.
“His numbers were off Brandon, it was more like $100 million (that) we spent last year. No, it wasn’t, (but) his numbers were off,” he told host Brandon Walker. “But look, in my position, you’re going to use any fuel you can to motivate your team, right? And sometimes you’re looking for it, and sometimes it just reveals itself. And we had an opportunity to do that.”
Gundy had previously claimed Oregon spent “close to $40 (million) last year alone” and warned the Ducks would need “a lot of money” to keep quarterback Dante Moore beyond this season.
He also argued that Oregon should face nonconference opponents with similar resources. Lanning, however, pushed back on the notion that Oregon was simply buying wins.
“We didn’t score in the fourth quarter. You know, it wasn’t a situation where we’re just trying to run up the score. We’re trying to go play good football, winning football, and our guys executed well that day,” he said.
He added that Gundy’s comments served as extra motivation.
“It never requires extra motivation for an opportunity to go out and kick ass, but it never hurts when somebody pours gasoline on the fire,” Lanning said.
He also praised players like Bryce Boettcher, noting, “He came here for a backpack and a t-shirt.”
Oregon now shifts its focus to rival Oregon State before a trip to Penn State.