Oregon Coach Dan Lanning Shares Surprising Compliment for Northwestern Stadium

Dan Lanning Couldn't Help But 'Shout' at Northwestern

"Those have got to be the loudest speakers behind us I've ever heard," Lanning said. "Like, that's false crowd noise, right? And it was annoying. So, I mean, that's something they should keep."

Martin Stadium is currently the smallest venue for an FBS college football team, though the setting is temporary due to Northwestern's current construction on their permanent stadium.

12,023 fans attended Oregon's 9 a.m. PT kickoff against the Wildcats, likely the smallest crowd the Ducks will see this season, which is what makes this "manufactured" crowd noise ironic and affective.

But Where Was the Inflatable Duck?

Another surprising element of Oregon's game against Northwestern at Martin Stadium was the lack of a certain 65-foot inflatable Duck.

Originally debuted at 2024's Big Ten media days, Oregon fans barraged the program online with requests to bring the giant duck likeness to Lake Michigan outside of the Wildcats' temporary stadium. After a week campaign from fans, the balloon did not make the trip.

Lanning's comments about the movement earlier in the week implied the inflatable Duck was not going to be a factor.

“I have no clue. It would be cool to see it out there. Doubtful," Lanning said during a Wednesday media availability.

Back to Autzen Stadium

If Duck fans are hoping to give their eardrums a break this week, that's unlikely to happen. The Ducks return back to their infamously noisy stomping ground of Autzen Stadium to take on their in-state rival, the Oregon State Beavers.

The historic rivalry has been going for over 128 years, and with both teams having locked nonconference schedules for the 2026 season, this will likely be the last matchup for the Ducks and Beavers until 2027, so fans can expect this crowd to get extra rowdy.

Autzen's Reputation of Volume

"It was rocking. Probably the loudest I've ever been in," Ohio State's wide receiver Jeremiah Smith said of Autzen Stadium during last years' regular season 32-31 victory for the Ducks over the Buckeyes. "The fans were definitely getting hyped. Couldn't hear anything. Probably the best stadium I played in last year."

“That was the loudest stadium I've ever played in,” former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard said of Autzen. “I played at Texas, Oklahoma….No question, Oregon, 65 thousand that was…I don’t know if they were pumping in crowd noise.”