With top-25 showdown on deck, Autzen Stadium’s heart needs to be on full display
All offseason, Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning spoke about wanting his defensive players to wreak havoc. The coaching staff has talked endlessly about “havoc plays” that muddy up a line of scrimmage and make it impossible for the opposing team to operate as planned.
Can a stadium wreak havoc? If the stadium in question is Autzen in Eugene, then the answer is most definitely yes.
Over the past decade and a half, Autzen has garnered a reputation as one of the toughest places to play in the nation. It is relatively small compared to that of The Big House, or The Shoe, or Death Valley, holding fewer than 60,000 fans at full capacity. However, any player or coach who has been to Oregon in a big game will tell you that it is one of the toughest environments that they’ve had to play in.
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The thing is, though, it’s been a while since we had a massive game at Autzen Stadium. Looking back at 2021, I guess you could say that the Oregon State game was the most consequential. Maybe Fresno State? You’d have to go all the way back to October of 2018 to get a top-25 matchup in Eugene, when the No. 17 Ducks beat the No. 7 Washington Huskies in overtime, 30-27.
That’s going to change this weekend with the No. 14 BYU Cougars coming to town. High-stakes, meaningful football is returning to Eugene, and it will be interesting to see how the fans react.
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“I think this place is really special. I think we have really passionate fans and the fans are what makes that thing tick,” Lanning said of Autzen Stadium. “I’m hoping to see it even 10-fold this weekend. With the game that we have coming in, the atmosphere that we can create can be a big piece of our success when we can put some fans in the seats and go create an environment like that. I think it makes it really tough for an opponent.”
Against an opponent like BYU, Oregon is going to need some help from a passionate fanbase that is aggressive and loud. It’s been a few years since Oregon has needed to lean on the support of Autzen stadium to will them to a win. We’ll see if the deafening glory and unrivaled home-field advantage are still alive and well.
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