Former colleagues turned rivals, Sun Devil's Kenny Dillingham and Ducks' Dan Lanning go head-to-head in a Saturday afternoon matchup. Dillingham is urging ASU fans to turn out and make an impact, aiming for a repeat of 2019 when the Sun Devils upset the No. 6 Ducks.

-Taylyn Hadley

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Friendships aside, Ducks' Lanning and Sun Devil's Dillingham want the win going into Saturday

In his inaugural year as the Sun Devils' head coach, Kenny Dillingham is set to confront his former team, the Oregon Ducks, this Saturday.

The former offensive coordinator joined the Ducks squad in December of 2021 and helped lead the Ducks to a 10-3 finish in Bo Nix’s first year with the team.

Prior to becoming Ducks, Dillingham served as Auburn's quarterback coach and offensive coordinator in the 2019 season, coinciding with Nix being named the program's first true freshman starting quarterback..

“We have an unbelievable relationship – it goes back to Auburn when I got the OC job,” Dillingham said. “We just built a great relationship, stayed in contact, got to Oregon; I mean he moved to Oregon because of our relationship essentially.”

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning joined the pair in what was Lanning’s first year with the Ducks as well. He credits Dillingham as a massive reason that the Heisman contender is now leading the Ducks to an impressive season, currently ranked No. 6 in the nation.

“Kenny was a huge part of that,” Lanning said. “Obviously they had a relationship before he got here and that certainly paid dividends for us in getting Bo to be a part of our program.”

While it is hard to not actively root for the player that Dillingham had a major hand in developing, he is all in on ASU football and wants to see another Oregon upset on Saturday.

Nevertheless, throughout the week leading up to the game, Dillingham showered the senior quarterback from Oregon with praise.

“Bo is self-driven (and) is his own harshest critic,” Dillingham said. “He makes the coaches around him better and he creates that with himself. He’s a guy that’s critiquing himself and what he wants to be able to and how he can get better every single day, that’s really what makes Bo special.”

On top of Dillingham’s special bond with Nix, he also goes way back with Coach Lanning.

During Dillingham's tenure as a high school coach at Chaparral in Scottsdale, Lanning served as a graduate assistant for the Sun Devils. The duo later reunited in Oregon, where they teamed up as head coach and offensive coordinator.

But just because the pair are close friends doesn't make the matchup any less challenging.

“It makes it harder,” Dillingham said. “It puts this person in your head, ‘Well I wanna do this – he knows I like that.’ ‘I wanna do this – well he knows I wanna do that.’ So it puts this like, evil person in your head.”

Dillingham likened the head-to-head matchup to a game of chess.

Considering the familiarity between the head coaches, how much is each team willing to alter their strategies? Does that change ultimately help or hurt the outcome?

One thing is certain for Dillingham and the Sun Devils, they are going to have to step up their defense against the second ranked offensive team in the nation. Oregon has scored 61 offensive touchdowns this season, averaging 7.84 yards per play and amassing a total of 5,400 yards.

“They're probably the best Oregon offense since the Chip Kelly era…since the Mariota era, this is the best Oregon has been on offense in a long time,” Dillingham said. “That’s including me there last year. They’re better than we were last year. I don’t know where the flaw lies.”

On the flip side of the field, Lanning is gearing up for the trick plays that ASU has showcased in recent games..

ASU running back Cam Skattebo and tight end Jalin Conyers have collectively taken 10 direct snaps at quarterback, adding an unpredictable element that the Ducks will need to adapt to in the heat of the moment.

“I think it’s clear that Kenny and his staff, they can think outside the box,” Lanning said. “I expect him to give us some of that too. It’s going to be about us being able to in-game adjust, have a great plan for what he goes out there to execute but he’s trying to put his team in the best position he can to win and he had some success doing some unique things.”

Dillingham and Lanning’s friendship has taken a back seat this week as the two squads prepare for the matchup.

“We certainly have been in contact throughout the season,” Lanning said. “This week we’ll probably talk a little bit less.”

There's no doubt that each coach is eager for a victory over the other, aiming for bragging rights that will be remembered for years to come.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

"When you play him it’s gonna be like playing your brother. Like if I was playing my brother (in) basketball right now, I’d want to whoop his ass."   Dan Lanning on facing Kenny Dillingham