Washington
What Oregon football’s Dan Lanning said about Ducks’ matchup vs. Washington
Video: Oregon football’s Dan Lanning talks rivalry game vs. Washington
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning discusses the Ducks’ final regular season home game against the Washington Huskies.
The No. 1 Oregon football team will look to cap a perfect regular season at home this week against rival Washington at Autzen Stadium Saturday night.
The game is set to kick off at 4:30 p.m.
Here are some highlights from Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s weekly press conference Monday night.
Oregon football’s Dan Lanning talks Washington QBs Will Rogers and Demond Williams Jr.
Washington has played two quarterbacks — fifth-year senior Will Rogers and true freshman Demond Williams Jr. — all season, but will keep who it plans to start against the Ducks secret until game time Saturday.
No matter who starts for the Huskies, the Ducks are going to prepare for both.
“This is a team that’s played multiple quarterbacks throughout the season so we’ve seen a little bit of both guys and they’ve had times where they’ve had both guys out on the field at the same time,” Lanning said. “I don’t know that it presents a huge challenge, either way we were going to prepare for both because they’ve utilized both throughout the year.”
Mississippi State transfer Rogers has started every game this season for the Huskies but has struggled in recent weeks. The senior has completed over 70% of his passes but with just 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The freshman Williams took over for Rogers in the second half of Washington’s recent 31-19 win over UCLA and impressed. He has 369 passing yards, 217 rushing yards and four total touchdowns.
“He’s a guy that can operate, he has great athleticism but he can make great throws as well,” Lanning said of Williams. “I don’t see a huge change in their system. They’re both guys that can operate the system. I think he just becomes a threat from a run game standpoint with what he can do with his legs. They do a good job of matching their scheme to those guys’ traits and skillset.”
Dan Lanning speaks on rivalry with Washington and what it means to him
Lanning, who has yet to beat the Huskies in his two seasons at the helm in Eugene and most recently lost to Washington in the Pac-12 Championship last season, downplayed what kind of motivation recent history would give the Ducks.
Lanning said that rivalries is what makes college football special, but also said that Saturday’s game was another opportunity to get better.
“Ultimately, it is another game, it’s the next game,” Lanning said. “You don’t get out there playing with emotion, it’s about execution over emotion. These games are going to have emotion, that’s the way these games are played, but that’s not what’s going to lead to success on the field.”
When asked whether he thinks his players would be more motivated due to Washington’s recent three-game win streak against the Ducks, Lanning once again said that “motivation is overrated.”
“It’s always about performance,” Lanning said. “It’s always about what we’re able to do on the field. Motivation is overrated. Our guys have to want to go out there and execute at a really high level. Since the beginning of the season we’ve talked about playing our best football at the end of November. We’re there. This is our opportunity to go play our best football against a good team.”
Lanning and Oregon’s players last season aren’t the only ones with potentially extra desire to beat this specific team. Oregon cornerback Jabbar Muhammad, a former Husky, will face his former team for the first time on Saturday as a rival.
“I’m sure it means a ton,” Lanning said of Muhammad. “In fact, I know it means a ton. He knows that it’s more about going out there and executing than anything else.”
Dan Lanning on UW coach Jedd Fisch: ‘They adapt to the personnel that they have’
Though the Ducks and Huskies have had tight battles in each of the last three meetings, UW’s team in 2024 is strikingly different from the team that suited up in purple in 2022 and 2023.
Washington returned just 40 players from its national title runner-up team a year ago, along with most of its coaching staff, which is led by former Arizona coach Jedd Fisch.
Lanning was complimentary of Fisch, who he had played against before while he was at Arizona, and the job he’s done in Seattle this season.
“What they’ve always done a good job of is adapting to the personnel that they have and taking advantage of it,” Lanning said. “You see things that cause stress on both sides of the ball. It’s obviously a different defense now that they’re running at Washington but they still cause stress. They make it tough for you to game plan because they have answers in their scheme and again they make an impact out there on the field.”
Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @AlecDietz.
A 5-year-old boy died after being pulled from the Anacostia River in Southeast D.C. Thursday evening.
About 6:20 p.m., first responders found the boy unconscious at Anacostia Park after family members and another person retrieved him from the river, a Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson said.
D.C. Fire and EMS took life-saving measures, and the boy was flown to a hospital by a U.S. Park Police helicopter, but he was pronounced dead, police said.
Witnesses told News4 a man they believe was the child’s father then rushed to the hospital.
It appears to be an accidental drowning, police said.
The scene was within sight of picnic pavilions filled with people grilling food and enjoying the warm spring evening.
Police interviewed witnesses and people who tried to help.
Swimming in the Anacostia is prohibited.
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Star outside back inks three-year deal with 2029 option
Washington, D.C. (04/16/2026) – The Washington Spirit and star defender Kate Wiesner have agreed to a new contract, the club announced today. Wiesner’s new deal is a three-year contract with a 2029 club option and will replace her current contract that was set to expire at the end of this year.
“I am beyond excited to continue my time with the Spirit,” said Wiesner. “I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue to wear this jersey with pride as we continue to forge a legacy together. DC, you are my home, and I’m honored to represent the heart of this city, on and off the field.”
Currently in her third professional season, Wiesner has proven herself as a dynamic outside back in a talented Spirit defending third. With 40 total appearances for Washington since making her debut in 2024, the defender has totaled over 2,000 minutes of action and tallied two goals, both in away wins. Wiesner has continued to provide a spark in both the attacking and defending thirds so far in 2026, helping the Spirit earn back-to-back clean sheets as well as a convincing multi-goal win on the road last week.
“Kate is exactly the type of player and person we want in our organization and we’re thrilled to keep her in DC for at least the next three seasons,” said General Manager Nathan Minion. “We’ve been able to see Kate develop into a key piece of our back line since drafting her in 2024 and have extreme confidence in her being an integral part of our long-term plan to sustainably compete for championships each year.”
At the international level, Wiesner has been called in by the U.S. Women’s National Team in each of her three years with the Spirit. First earning a call-up as a training player during her rookie year, Wiesner was named to the senior team’s roster for the first time late last season. The defender has appeared in three matches for the USWNT so far. Wiesner was also a regular of various youth national teams throughout her pre-professional playing career as well.
Originally from Monrovia, California, Wiesner attended Penn State University before being taken by the Spirit with the seventh overall pick in the club’s historic draft class in 2024. In her career with the Nittany Lions, the defender appeared in over 70 matches, tallying 24 goal contributions across over 4,500 minutes of playing time. Wiesner was named to the Big Ten’s All-Tournament Team and Third Team following her senior campaign.
The Spirit will next take the pitch at Audi Field on Friday, April 24 when the side hosts the defending Shield winner Kansas City Current. Kicking off at 8 p.m. EDT, the match will see the top two teams from last season face off. Tickets are available at WashingtonSpirit.com/tickets.
About The Washington Spirit
The Washington Spirit is the premier professional women’s soccer team based in Washington, D.C. and plays at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. The Spirit was founded on November 21, 2012 and is an inaugural member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) the fastest growing sports league in the US. The club is home to some of the best players in the world who have won championships for both club and country. For more information about the Spirit, visit WashingtonSpirit.com and follow the club on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects who the Green Bay Packers could select in the 2026 NFL draft.
As it stands right now the Green Bay Packers have a pair of seventh-round picks during the 2026 NFL Draft. A potential target with one of those picks could be Anterio Thompson. The Washington defensive tackle had a 30 visit with the Packers and checks in at No. 11 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.
A Wisconsin native, Thompson didn’t start playing football until his senior year of high school. He started his collegiate career at the JUCO level at Iowa Western Community College. He then transferred to Iowa for the 2023 season and logged 41 snaps on special teams and blocked two punts.
Following his lone season with the Hawkeyes, he transferred to Western Michigan for the 2024 season and recorded 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack and blocked another punt.
Thompson spent his final season at the University of Washington. During his lone season with the Huskies, Thompson recorded 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
“Anterio was a huge piece for Washington against the run,” Roman Tomashoff, the editor for UWHuskiesWire, said. “His strength and athleticism in the middle of the defense helped the Huskies take a massive step forward in run defense, as they improved to No. 12 in the nation, allowing just 100.08 yards per game.”
Thompson is hard to dig out for one player. It usually takes multiple offensive linemen to move him off his spot. He uses a lower center of gravity to maintain proper leverage at the point of attack. He utilizes his first-step quickness to slither into gaps and disrupt run lanes. His motor is always running, and he has the lateral quickness and burst to chase down ball carriers.
“Thompson anchors very well,” Tomashoff said. “He plays with great upper body strength to help him shed blocks and redirect ball carriers, even if he wasn’t the one making the tackle.”
Thompson is still developing a pass rush plan, which isn’t surprising for a player as green as he is. Where he wins as a pass rusher is with his explosive first step (1.74 10-yard split) and ability to convert speed to power. Over the past two seasons, he recorded 33 pressures.
“His pass rushing ability came on throughout the season, as his natural athleticism and improved technique shined through,” Tomashoff said. “He even discussed attempting to pursue an extra year of eligibility to continue refining his technique, so his pass rushing is still a little ways off, but he knows exactly where he needs to improve to take his next step.”
Fit with the Packers
The Packers signed veteran defensive tackle Javon Hargrave in free agency. Even with the addition of Hargrave, the Packers still need to add one or two defensive tackles in the upcoming draft.
Thompson’s production won’t wow anybody, and he’ll also turn 24 in October. Those two things could keep him from getting drafted.
However, he has active traits, and the flashes on tape are there. Flip on the Michigan game from this past season and you see a player capable of carving out a role in a rotation.
The Wisconsin native has a unique blend of quickness and power to at least peak teams’ interest late on Day 3. He has the strength to hold the point of attack and be a factor against the run. As a pass rusher, he has the tools to develop into a factor and it will be up to a team to help him develop a pass rush plan.
“He has all the physical tools to at the very least be a valuable special teams player, if not a rotational piece along the interior,” Tomashoff said. “He’s also spent a lot of time talking about the mental journey that he’s taken to become more coachable throughout his college career, and the strides he’s made in that department can’t be overlooked.”
With a pair of seventh-round picks at his disposal, Gutekunst could roll the dice on Thompson’s athleticism as he looks to find another Day 3 gem.
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