Desman Stephens' despicable hit on Dante Moore captured most of the headlines from Oregon's win over USC on Saturday night, but Ducks head coach Dan Lanning made some of his own in the aftermath. His scathing comments regarding USC's lack of home football attendance could resonate with supporters of both teams for a long time to come.
Lanning told reporters in the aftermath of his team's 41-27 win over USC that the only way he thinks they can fill the Coliseum for a football game is to host Oregon. Specifically, Lanning said he'd watched three previous Trojan home games this year and the only time it was sold out was for Saturday night's contest with Oregon in town.
It's fair to wonder whether Lanning would have felt the need to make such inflammatory comments without seeing his star quarterback taken to the hospital after such an ugly hit. Emotions ran high on both sidelines after Moore's injury. The continued presence of Stephens on the Southern Cal sideline did not do anything to reduce emotions on either side of the rivalry.
Moore's injury will likely cease to be an issue when he returns at some point this year. The shots Lanning took at USC's lack of home support might survive for years to come. It's absolutely something Oregon's coaching staff will leverage any time they go up against the Trojans in a recruiting battle.
Is Dan Lanning right about USC football support?
Critics of Lanning might suggest he should not have taken his criticism of USC's fan support public, but it's impossible to argue with the validity of his statements. The Trojans have struggled to garner consistent fan support in one of the country's most competitive entertainment environments. The program has enjoyed sellouts in some high-profile matchups, but that almost always depends on visiting fan teams to fill up a healthy portion of the stands.
The inability to generate a dominant home-field adantage may ultimate limit the ceiling of Lincoln Riley's program. Recruits are excited at the prospect of playing for such a glamorous brand name, but they can't help but notice the subdued crowd the Trojans play in front of during most of their games.
Lanning correctly understands what an advantage Oregon has over USC in this regard. The Ducks consistently sell out all of their games with crowds that are dominated with their own passionate supporters. Eugene may not have the same allure as Los Angeles to potential recruits, but Oregon combats that potential weakness with a massive advantage in terms of their football gameday experience.
Expect Lanning to continue to highlight his program's advantage over USC whenever possible. He might be more subtle in those efforts moving forward, but he won't be afraid to make more headlines that paint his program in a positive light against one of their biggest rivals. He understands how important the media narrative can be when it comes to keeping Oregon on top.
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