When in doubt, let the defensive lineman run the ball?
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is not here to let Deion Sanders walk into Autzen Stadium and act like the only head coach with tricks up his sleeve.
In one of the biggest matchups of the early college football season, No. 10 Oregon proved early on it wasn’t going to let the No. 19 Buffaloes steal all the headlines.
And Lanning did this with gutsy play-calling and one of the most elusive 300-pound defensive tackles you’ll ever see.
On fourth-and-four, just outside of the Ducks’ end zone, Lanning called for a fake punt with the snap going to senior defensive lineman Casey Rogers, who burst up the field for 18 yards and a whole lot of giddy smiles spreading across Autzen Stadium.
CASEY ROGERS!
18 yards on the fake for the first down!
ABC#GoDucks x @caseyrogers99 pic.twitter.com/uuVpiJOhaK
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) September 23, 2023
Give a ton of credit to Oregon punter Ross James on this play, too. He really sold the fake “bad snap” with some excellent acting.
But more than anything college fans were just so dang excited for Rogers’ run.
