Anytime teams like Georgia and Oregon meet for a non-conference battle in Week 1 the storylines are endless. There’s one storyline in particular fans and analysts are talking about.
Dan Lanning was Georgia’s defensive coordinator during its championship season. However, this offseason the 36-year-old left Athens for Eugene to become Oregon’s new head coach.
Lanning has a good idea of what the Bulldogs bring to the table. He can use that knowledge to Oregon’s advantage when the two premier teams meet in Week 1.
Is that something Smart and the Dawgs should be worried about? The Georgia head coach isn’t even focused on Lanning and the Ducks yet.
“The last thing I’m worried about is Dan Lanning,” Smart said, via Dawgs247. “I mean, we got a million battles to face before that. I’m not even thinking about Oregon. Our concern is our roster. How do we build depth? I mean, we’re not even thinking about that. We’re so far away from that right now. We’re focused on us, our team, our connection and getting the right players in the right spots. If we do that, that’s going to control the outcome of the game, much more than what he knows about us and what I know about him.”
Fire up the headlines. Kirby Smart doesn’t seem very concerned about Dan Lanning.
The reality is teams aren’t going to start focusing on their Week 1 opponents for several weeks. Right now, it’s about getting guys back into football shape and figuring out how to best utilize the roster.
Make no mistake, though. Once Georgia starts preparing for Oregon, Kirby Smart is going to be thinking about Dan Lanning and his tendencies.
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