Oregon Ducks wide receiver Malik Benson opened up ahead of the Peach Bowl matchup against the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers, offering a behind-the-scenes look at what makes head coach Dan Lanning different. Benson transferred to Oregon before the season and has quickly become a fan favorite, with much thanks to his gregarious personality and clutch plays.
While Lanning is widely known for his intensity and motivational style on the field, Benson explained that the version players see every day goes far beyond the sideline persona.
Jan 1, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Malik Benson (4) juggles oranges as the “The Duck” celebrates following the 2025 Orange Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Malik Benson Reveals What Makes Dan Lanning Different At Oregon
Benson described Lanning as a true players’ coach, noting that while practice can give the impression of a strictly serious head coach, the reality inside the program is much different. He pointed to moments where Lanning is smiling, cracking jokes, and opening his home to players, even cooking meals and spending time with them away from football.
According to Benson, that approach has eliminated the traditional barrier between coach and player, creating a family-like atmosphere inside the Oregon program.
Q: When you see Coach Lanning, how intense he is and how he motivates, what is something about him that we don’t know that you guys see being around him?
Malik Benson: Man, he’s really a player’s coach. In practice, you would think that he’s going to be just this serious type of guy. But when you see like your head coach smiling and cracking jokes, and outside of football, he’s allowing you to come to his house and he’s cooking food and he’s doing things like that, like there’s really no bridge like of coach to player. We just all feel like a family.
oregon ducks dan lanning peach bowl indiana hoosiers college football playoff national championship curt cignetti malik benson | College Football Playoff
Q: What do you think it allows — about Oregon allows so much guys to transfer in and have success there like you’ve had?
Malik Benson: Honestly, everybody is going to look at the football side of it, but I truly think that the reason why me and my teammates that have transferred are able to come in and have impactful seasons is because guys like Poncho that have been here, they welcome us with open arms, and just the connection, like that’s the one thing you get kind of nervous about when you’re transferring is like am I going to fit in because you don’t know these guys. Especially like me, I transferred from Florida to Eugene, that’s on the other side of the world.
So it’s like am I going to fit in, things like that. But knowing that Coach Stein, Coach Lanning, all the coaches stress connection and things like that, just being able to be around my guys and being around the other transfers that have been in, were able to give me a heads up on what I could expect.
Malik Benson On Stength In Numbers Amid Running Back Situation
The Ducks are facing a depth question at the running back position for the game vs. Indiana.
Oregon running backs Jordon Davison (injury) and Jayden Limar (transfer portal) are listed as “Out” on Oregon’s official availability report. As a result, the Ducks are expected to rely on veteran Noah Whittington and true freshman Dierre Hill Jr. out of the backfield in the College Football Playoff Semifinals against Indiana on Friday.
Nov 22, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Noah Whittington (6) poses for a photo with head coach Dan Lanning before the game against the Southern California Trojans at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Q: You’ve probably already been asked this, just strength in numbers, Coach Stein said you’ve done it all year. What gives you the confidence that you can do that on this stage?
Malik Benson: Man, it just gives me confidence knowing at one point we were down receivers and us receivers stepped up. So I know we got a lot of great dudes just all around the team. And everybody is trying so hard for this moment. And on a stage like this, this is the stage that everybody dreamed of. So I know that whoever goes out there, no matter who it is, they’re going to be ready to play.
Q: How have the running backs responded this week?
Malik Benson: We got a fantastic coach in Coach Stein. He keeps them humble and keeps them ready for their moment, and we got great coaches at Oregon that put us all in great position to be able to go out and do what we do.
It is just everybody knows the game plan. Shoot, if we gotta come out, you know, other guys gotta align at running back, we’re all just ready for that.
Malik Benson Impact
The last time Oregon played Indiana, the Hoosiers handed the Ducks their lone loss of the season. Benson provided one of the highlights of that game with a 44-yard touchdown from quarterback Dante Moore.
Benson is finding his momentum at the perfect time. In Oregon’s 23-0 win over Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl, he finished with 51 yards on five receptions and six targets. He entered the College Football Playoff quarterfinal coming off back-to-back 100-plus yard games.
Jan 1, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Malik Benson (4) makes the catch in front of Texas Tech Red Raiders defensive back Brice Pollock (14) during the first half of the 2025 Orange Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Benson leads the Ducks with a career-best 696 receiving yards and ranks second with a career-high 41 receptions. He is also second on the team with a career-high six receiving touchdowns.
The transfer had stints with Florida State and Alabama after spending several years playing at the JUCO level.
The Ducks kick off against the Hoosiers at the Peach Bowl on Friday, Jan. 9 at 4:30p.m. PT.
