Why hostile environments don't scare the Ducks

In year one Oregon showed something crucial about the program's approach to iconic Big Ten environments and intimidating home field traditions.

They embrace them. They turn them around. The Ducks create their own juice. When Dan Lanning prepares his team for a road game, the theme of the week inoculates the team against the noise, the hype and the wall of sound.

The depth and subtlety of this preparation was evident in the "Ducks Versus Them" video series. At Michigan in the Big House the vision was "The Man in the Arena" and "Are you not entertained?"

Lanning challenged his team to visualize success, to become the men in the arena and seize control of it. "There's going to be a moment in the fourth quarter when the fans will be leaving the stands," he said. "That's when you'll know we have won."

When "Jump Around" hit at the start of the fourth quarter in a night game at Wisconsin, the Ducks took it as an invitation to unleash a higher level of energy.

They were trailing 13-6 in that moment. The game had gone Wisconsin's way. The Ducks were facing 4th and 9 at the Badger 41. Dillon Gabriel drilled a strike to Terrance Ferguson, and three plays later Jordan James tied it with an 11-yard touchdown run.

Oregon kept their poise while ramping up their energy. Their will was stronger. They made themselves at home in a ritual that's typically designed to intimidate the visitors.

A team with this mentality relishes the opportunity to go on the road and seize the momentum in a hostile environment. To return to the playoffs in 2026, the Ducks face road challenges at Penn State, Iowa and Washington, plus long road trips to Northwestern and Rutgers.

The Northwestern game is at 9 a.m. in the morning West Coast time in a temporary stadium that seats only 12,000. In all the Ducks travel 16,770 miles in 2025, the third-most in college football, but their routine is so strong that they readily adapt to any environment.

It helps too that Oregon fans travel so well. There's a loud and passionate cluster of them anywhere the team goes. The connection within the team insulates them from the intimidation and unfamiliarity of new surroundings. It isn't a group that loses its focus.

The environment becomes part of the preparation. This week Dan Lanning said, "Preparation's going to create confidence." All year he's taught them that pressure is an opportunity. By gametime, the noise and energy feels familiar and expected.

Teams with this foundation don't panic. They keep their poise and perform well in the clutch. Since some early struggles as a young head coach, Lanning's teams have performed beautifully in close games, and now they have a kicker and a punter that provide another winning edge. Atticus Sappington hit a 60-yard field goal in practice the other day.

Penn State's a good football team with outstanding talent and senior leadership. Oregon will have to play extremely well to beat them in Happy Valley, but the White Out, while an impressive college football tradition, won't shake them. It won't be unfamiliar.

The crescendo. The quickening. "WE ARE PENN STATE." Oregon will know how to respond and feed off that energy.

While a team as talented as the Nittany Lions has earned respect, the environment itself is nothing to fear. The strongest competitors embrace it. So too Kinnick Stadium, or Washington in November. That's why you come to Oregon, to play in games like that.

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