Preparing for the Rematch

As Oregon coach Dan Lanning prepares for a rematch against Indiana, he has chosen not to delve into specific details about how his team has evolved since their initial encounter earlier in the season. The two teams will face off again on Friday night in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

Lanning emphasized during a conference call with Indiana coach Curt Cignetti that both teams have undergone significant changes since their first meeting. “I won’t go into every detail, but both these teams, neither one of us are the same team that you saw earlier in the season when we played each other,” Lanning said. “I think we’ve grown in a lot of different ways, found different strengths. As your team changes, you change, you adapt to your strengths of your team. And you see the same thing with Indiana.”

A Look Back at the First Matchup

In their initial matchup on October 11, Indiana, ranked No. 7 at the time, defeated then-No. 3 Oregon 30-20 in Eugene. Fernando Mendoza threw for 215 yards and a crucial fourth-quarter touchdown, which helped build his Heisman Trophy-winning resume. Roman Hemby added two scoring runs for the Hoosiers.

Cignetti acknowledged that both teams would review the first game’s tape to identify what went well and what didn’t. “Second time around, we’re both going to watch the tape of the first game, see what we did well, see what we didn’t do well, and maybe some wrinkles. Both teams will have some wrinkles, obviously,” Cignetti said. “Both teams have sort of morphed since that game because it was a while back. And you put the best plan together you can, but at the end of the day, it’s which team executes the best plan.”

The Road to the Semifinals

Indiana had an undefeated season and secured the Big Ten championship by defeating Ohio State 13-10, earning the No. 1 seed in the CFP. After a first-round bye, the Hoosiers (14-0) dominated Alabama 38-3 in the quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl.

Fifth-seeded Oregon (13-1) advanced to the semifinals after blanking No. 4 Texas Tech 23-0 in its quarterfinal at the Orange Bowl. They previously beat James Madison in a first-round game in Eugene.

With both teams coming off strong defensive performances, Lanning and Cignetti were asked to evaluate how their opponents had evolved on that side of the ball.

Defensive Evolution and Team Changes

Cignetti mentioned that his study session had been interrupted due to the college football calendar. “I’ll be honest with you, I’m seeing some different things, some different techniques, but also with the college football calendar the way it is, we have 13 (transfer) portal guys on campus right now. So from 10:00 to 2:00, my Oregon prep got cut a little bit short,” Cignetti said. “I’m going to pick up on that later this evening, but philosophically, core base, they look very similar to what they did. There are some new things shown up, but the bottom line is, they got guys inside, good job stopping the run and they don’t give up many yards rushing, they put heat on the passer outside with their pressure package and they do a good job covering and swarming the ball.”

Lanning humorously responded, “Keep focusing on those portal guys, coach. We want you to have a great roster next year.”

The Next Step

The winner of Friday night’s game will head to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, for the national title game on January 19, facing the winner of Thursday night’s Fiesta Bowl between Mississippi and Miami.