"It’s something we’re preparing for": Oregon HC Dan Lanning looks to take advantage of Michigan's struggle against the run in Week 10

Dan Lanning and his No. 1 Oregon team are set for another stern test this weekend. The Ducks make their way to Ann Arbor to play reigning national champion Michigan. While the Wolverines have been struggling this season, they remain a force to reckon with in the Big Ten.

With Oregon aiming to protect its undefeated record at The Big House, Dan Lanning is looking to adopt a strategy Michigan has been struggling with. The Wolverines have struggled against the run in their last three games, encountering the same issue against Michigan State last weekend.

“It’s something we’re preparing for,” Lanning said. “The ability to be able to run the ball on a team like this. I think that’s important. When you play in games like this, they’ve always been a really physical run game team, they’ve always done a good job of running well.”

“And I think our offense and our team is most efficient when we have a good run game going. So that’ll be an important piece for us. An important piece for us to try to figure out."

Michigan dropped out of the AP Poll for the first time in three years following the Week 8 loss to Illinois. The Week 9 victory over in-state rival Michigan State wasn't enough to elevate them back into the ranking ahead of Week 10.

Nonetheless, Dan Lanning believes the Wolverines pose a significant challenge ahead of their clash this weekend. Sherrone Moore's team has been able to squeeze out wins in some tight games this season and will be hoping to do that against the Ducks on Saturday.

“We’re getting the opportunity to play the reigning national champions,” Lanning said. “In this conference, it’s hard every single week, and we know we’ll get their best. So it’s exciting to have a chance. We’ve gotten to play in some games that are fun for us so far this year, and challenging — and this will certainly be a challenge.”

Dan Lanning on the prospect of playing in the Big House

The Big House is not only the biggest stadium in college football but the biggest in the entire country. Taking his team there this weekend, Dan Lanning is relishing the experience:

“Heard it’s big. Heard it’s big. I know it’s one of the — that’s one of the things I think that’s exciting about being in this conference, is getting the opportunity to play at some historic places. And this is certainly a historic place.”

The atmosphere in Ann Arbor on Saturday is not expected to be favorable to the Ducks. However, they have to remain resilient on the field to keep their undefeated record intact and get closer to securing a place in the Big Ten championship game in their first season in the league.