Oregon football and head coach Dan Lanning looked unprepared and overwhelmed by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks and Lanning took a 41-21 beatdown in Pasadena Wednesday, handing them their only loss of the season.

Turns out the head coach himself shared a stunning and painful admission about Oregon's readiness against the Buckeyes, per Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire on USA Today.

“We ran into a great team tonight, and we just didn't play our best,” Lanning shared postgame. “I just don't think we had a good enough plan as coaches tonight.”

Lanning added to his honesty after the loss.

“They clicked tonight, we didn't. I didn't get our team prepared,” Lanning said following the College Football Playoff embarrassment.

Oregon and Dan Lanning looked overmatched immediately vs. Ohio State

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field during warmups as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Lanning once coached Oregon to a statement 32-31 win in Eugene over this same Buckeyes team. That midseason Ducks win proved Oregon was beyond ready for the Big 10.

This rematch witnessed a far different Ducks team — one that got overwhelmed out of the gate.

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Ohio State showed no hesitancy to score immediately. The Buckeyes scored first in only three plays. Jeremiah Smith took a short pass and turned it into a 45-yard scamper to set the tone for the rout.

The Buckeyes scored in three of their first four offensive possessions. Only one of those scenarios ended in a field goal. Ohio State quarterback Will Howard torched a stout Oregon secondary with two more 40+ yard touchdowns — a 42-yarder to Emeka Egbuka, then a 43-yarder to Smith.

TreVeyon Henderson buried the Ducks even further with under 8:50 left in the second. He took a Howard handoff and dashed his way to a 66-yard touchdown run to make it 31-0.

Oregon never showed any offensive firepower consistently compared to its opponent. The Ducks sent the punt team unit out nine times on the day. Ohio State only punted five times — three coming with the game already out of reach.

Lanning walked into the prestigious Rose Bowl with a decorated defensive resume. He watched his unit surrender an uncanny 500 total yards to Ohio State.

The Ducks and Lanning rolled into Pasadena as the nation's only unbeaten team left. Oregon fans visualized Lanning as the head coach capable of finally handing the program a long-awaited national title on the gridiron. Ohio State ended up playing with anger, as Howard mentioned postgame.

Lanning and the Ducks, meanwhile, played like a team that looked lost and unprepared for the moment. The nation's last undefeated team now must watch the rest of the CFP after the 20-point debacle.