Less than a year ago, Dan Lanning's Oregon Ducks skinned the aura right off of Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes. Last Saturday, with Mike Gundy's Oklahoma State Cowboys inside Autzen Stadium?
Lanning's Ducks turned that into the 'Running of the Bulls.'
Unsurprisingly, Oregon's squad humiliated Gundy's fallen and failing Oklahoma State program in every facet. The game was 41-3 at halftime; the Ducks had more touchdowns -- 10 -- than Oklahoma State had first downs, nine.
The final, 69-3, probably wasn't wholly indicative of the domination.
Lanning, the former understudy of both Nick Saban and Kirby Smart, had foreshadowed an imminent beatdown in an incendiary pre-game speech, the video of which is now percolating on social media.
"Let it rip!," Lanning commands. "The great thing about us is we don't need any extra motivation to come in and wanna whoop your ass. But it sure does help when your opponent pours a little gasoline on you. And they poured a little gasoline."
Like a Baptist revival preacher, Lanning merely was getting starter.
"The great thing about this game is what they think versus what I know. I know about this team's work. I know about this team's sacrifice. I know about this team's connection, right?," asked Lanning, 27-3 in his last 30 games atop the powerhouse Oregon program that last year captured the Big Ten Championship. "That's gonna be a separator in this game. Because if you're going to come in and you're going to be talking shit, it's time to cowboy up.
"But guess what? The bull don't care. And today, we're the (freaking) bull! Let's go whoop their ass!"
Lanning's Ducks more than obliged. It was a scene amidst the Evergreens much like the third weekend of September, 2024, when Coach Prime's glitzy Colorado squad galloped into Eugene, Oregon, with considerable bravado and exited like Buffaloes scampering for cover on the Great Plains.
"They're fighting for clicks," Lanning said that day in video shared by ABC. "We're fighting for wins.
"There's a difference, there's a difference. This game ain't gonna be played in Hollywood. It's going to be played on the grass. Let's go!"
How thorough was last weekend's evisceration of the Cowboys? Consider this: Oklahoma State had more than two times as much punting yardage -- 10 punts for 433 yards -- than it had total offense, 211 yards on 61 snaps.
Oregon had just one offensive snap more than its guests, but the Ducks tuned up the Pokes for 631 yards and 24 first downs, in addition to those 69 points.
The simmering feud began in the week leading into the game, when Gundy lamented that Oklahoma State had spent approximately $7 million on its roster while he said Oregon "I think spent $40 million just last year." Lanning said the Ducks invested in winning while others pinched pennies to stockpile excuses.