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Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning and Pat McAfee rip off shirts on College Game Day: Here's why | Watch
The Oregon Ducks’ head coach and ESPN’s Pat McAfee sent fans into a frenzy on College GameDay after going shirtless to energize the early-morning crowd.
The College GameDay crowd in Eugene, Oregon, turned up before sunrise for the No. 3 Oregon Ducks’ Week 7 showdown against the No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers. But it was head coach Dan Lanning and show host Pat McAfee who stole the show with an unforgettable display of team spirit, Athlon Sports reported.
At around 6.30 AM local time, the GameDay panel was joined by former Alabama coach Nick Saban, who told Lanning that his Ducks needed to “get fired up” that early in the morning. McAfee, never one to back down from a challenge, responded by ripping off his shirt in front of the roaring crowd.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Lanning too joined in, tearing off his own shirt and yelling ‘Sco Ducks!’ alongside McAfee as fans erupted in cheers.
Fans go wild over Lanning’s unlikely move
The sight of a head coach going shirtless before a major game could be unusual, but the Oregon fans could not get enough of it. Fans quickly took to social media to celebrate the moment and said it was one of the most entertaining GameDay appearances of the season.
One X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, “Classic college ball energy. Talk your talk, back it up on the field.” Another user noted, “Saban said ‘motivate them’.. they heard ‘drop 50’.” A third user wrote, “It takes a dude like Pat to fire up Saban.”
A fourth user said, “That is our Coach! He is ducked up on Quack!”
“Dan Lanning taking “challenge accepted” way too literally,” added another one.
Dan Lanning’s fiery personality reflects in his team
Lanning's self-assurance seems to have been transferred to his team. His exuberant and passionate approach has put Oregon among the top echelon of college football programs this year, Saturday Down South reported.
Also Read: No. 14 Missouri's unbeaten start faces biggest test yet against eighth-ranked Alabama
Following a thrilling double-overtime win against No. 3 Penn State, the Ducks find themselves at 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten conference. That win gives Lanning the resume hit with a top-ten victory this year, he will look to add to that total as he will get a crack at the Hoosiers' high-powered offense.
And speaking of surprises, Indiana has been another one of those teams this season as they are also 5-0 with a strong win against No. 17 Illinois. An Oregon-Indiana matchup is sure to be one of the most entertaining matchups of the weekend.
Kickoff details and predictions
The Ducks and Hoosiers meet at 3:30 PM ET (12:30 p.m. local) on CBS. According to ESPN BET, Oregon enters the game as 7.5-point favorites, with a 67.7% chance of winning based on ESPN’s matchup predictor.
Also Read: Oklahoma coach Brent Venables leads Sooners to No. 6 ranking after team finished 6-7 last year
FAQs
Q1. What happened on College GameDay with Dan Lanning and Pat McAfee?
During College GameDay in Eugene, McAfee ripped off his shirt to hype up the Oregon crowd, and head coach Dan Lanning joined him moments later.
Q2. Why did they do it?
Former Alabama coach Nick Saban jokingly told Lanning that his team needed more energy early in the morning, prompting the playful stunt.
Q3. How did fans react?
Fans went wild, flooding social media with praise and humor, calling it one of the best GameDay moments ever.
