oregon football Dan Lanning

ATHENS — Oregon coach Dan Lanning indicated his Ducks are flying high after Tuesday’s practice with the season-opening game against Georgia approaching.

“I thought today was probably our best fall camp practice yet,” Lanning said on Tuesday, per the school’s website.

“Guys really pushed, great strain, looking for second effort and I think everybody was trying to find that one percent so I thought it really showed up.”

Lanning, in his first season as the Oregon head coach, is working quickly to build a culture and recapture the momentum the Ducks’ program once had.

Oregon is one of only nine programs to play for the national championship over the past 11 years and one of only two Pac-12 programs to make the College Football Playoffs since its inception in 2014-15.

Georgia is a heavy favorite to beat Oregon when the teams play at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 3 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

But UGA coach Kirby Smart, unlike Lanning, was not as positive in his most recent media briefing.

“I’m a little disappointed in the energy, enthusiasm and leadership from the defense,” Smart said after Georgia’s Scrimmage One last Saturday.

“There wasn’t a lot of support there. When things go bad, there wasn’t a guy to pick them up and grab the bull by the horns, we didn’t have the right direction.”

Smart was somewhat vague when it came to starting quarterback Stetson Bennett after the scrimmage.

“I would reserve judgment until I really get to watch the tape,” Smart said. “I thought statistically, Stetson (Bennett) had a really good day. You don’t know everything when you’re standing behind them, you don’t get to judge what was going on.”

Lanning, meanwhile, likes the progress he’s seeing from his offensive signal callers.

“I feel like we have guys that can win, they made really good decisions today,” Lanning said.

As far as what Oregon wants to see from its quarterbacks moving forward — former Auburn star Bo Nix being the favorite to start — Lanning didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Continue to have measured growth, taking what’s there, not trying to force something that’s not there,” Lanning said.

“Making great decisions, distribute the ball to our playmakers and know the offenses, our principles and what we can execute.”

Georgia’s reloaded defense will be sure to challenge the Ducks, something Lanning knows all too well as the former UGA defensive coordinator.

For now, Lanning is focused on his players controlling their controllable.

“I think guys are starting to take ownership of what practice looks like is really relative to their performance and energy that they bring,” he said.