“Tough to hear in that place”: Dan Lanning praises Oregon football fans for Autzen Stadium environment
By Ethan Lee
The Oregon Ducks don’t exactly have the biggest stadium in their new conference, but folks in the Big Ten are about to learn just how loud Oregon football’s Autzen Stadium can be. In a recent interview with Colin Cowherd, Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning shed light on his thoughts about the intense atmosphere Oregon fans create during games at Autzen Stadium.
Cowherd, who spoke fondly of Autzen Stadium and the Pacific Northwest, made it clear that he’s been impressed with Autzen Stadium and the unique atmosphere there. He’s certainly seen a few college football venues around the country and made it clear that Autzen is impressive.
"You know, I tell people, I've been lucky enough to be to a lot of these college stadiums," Cowherd stated. "People don't understand what Autzen Stadium is like. You guys in the South don't have any idea how loud [it is]."
Admittedly, Autzen Stadium (though the largest sports venue in Oregon), has a relatively modest seating capacity amongst college football stadiums. But, as Cowherd brought up, the venue is still intimidating and can surprise folks.
"Were you even a little bit surprised, your first home game at Eugene?” Cowherd asked. “Because it's not 110,000. Did you look around and think 'this is a vibe. This thing is magic!'"
Dan Lanning makes it clear that Autzen Stadium lives up to the hype thanks to Oregon football fans
Lanning, who has coached in bigger venues and seen impressive college stadiums elsewhere (specifically in the South), made it clear that Autzen lived up to the hype.
"Well, you know, you hear it for a whole offseason about how special this place is. And you're kind of sitting there saying, 'You know, I've been in some great environments, come on.' It lived up to every expectation,” Lanning stated.
And a huge reason for that? According to Lanning, it’s the intense atmosphere that Oregon football fans help create. Sure, there’s the unique design of the stadium that places fans nearer to the field than some other venues might do. And there’s the architecture that is just brilliant. But, well, Lanning credits the folks who love the Ducks.
"How passionate our fans are, how involved they get, it's tough to hear in that place when they get rocking. It makes it special, for sure," Lanning explained.
And while some of that might be a little bit of PR from a head coach who is trying to continue to build a juggernaut, there’s more than a little validity to what he’s saying. And folks in the Big Ten are about to find out.
Some Big Ten fans are already familiar with the venue. 21 years ago, the Michigan Wolverines got to experience what Eugene’s home crowd is like and the Wolverines were handed a noteworthy defeat. And as was published in the Michigan Daily: “It’s deafening.”
Autzen Stadium doesn’t have the sheer volume to host like the Big House does, but that doesn’t really seem to matter in terms of how intimidating this venue can be.