Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Reacts To Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith's Autzen Stadium Claim

After winning the Big Ten Championship in their first year in the conference, word is starting to spread about "that team out West" with the shiny Nike uniforms, elite talent and the rocking stadium.

At Big Ten Media Days, I asked Ohio State sophomore receiver phenom Jeremiah Smith about his impression of Autzen Stadium.

"It was rocking. Probably the loudest I've ever been in," Smith said. "The fans were definitely getting hyped. Couldn't hear anything. Probably the best stadium I played in last year."

Smith's claim has gone viral. In exclusive interviews with Oregon Ducks on SI reporter Bri Amaranthus, Oregon coach Dan Lanning, tight end Kenyon Sadiq and linebacker Bryce Boettcher respond to Smith's comments.

"100 percent underrated," Sadiq said. "I think everyone kind of found out what (Autzen Stadium) was like when we played Ohio State. That was unbelievable, and everyone got to experience it. Autzen is for sure special, and it's very underrated."

Does it give Lanning a sense of pride?

"Yeah, I think (Smith) experienced what a lot of us Duck fans know, that our fans make a huge impact, that our stadium and our venue is really impressive and special. And not everybody in college football gets to experience that. So it's part of what makes our place so awesome," Lanning said.

Considering Smith and the Buckeyes beat Penn State in Happy Valley, and then played matchups vs. Texas, Tennessee and Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff to become National Champions... His take on Autzen Stadium is compared to some of the most elite college football programs in the country.

"Certainly underrated," Boettcher said. "You look at the stadium and you walk in it, it's obviously incredible, but there's not a lot of seats compared to some of these big stadiums... But as Jeremiah Smith said in that (Ohio State) game and amongst a lot of other games, that stadium is rocking. I think it's just a testament to the culture that we built in Eugene and Oregon and just what Oregon football is about. Our fans are awesome."

The record crowd of 60,129 fans at Autzen Stadium were deafening during Oregon's 32-31 win over Ohio State on Oct. 12, 2024. The instant classic game will be talked about by Ducks fans around the campfire for years to come.

It was the first top-five showdown in stadium history, and the win over No. 2 Ohio State matched the highest-ranked win in program history.

Ohio State safety Caleb Downs echoed Smith's sentiment about Autzen Stadium, pointing out the noise level per person.

"I think going into it, they told us it was probably 50,000 or 60,000 (capacity.) And somebody was like, 'Oh that's not crazy.' But they were rocking there," Downs said. "They came out with the motorcycle on the field, and I was like, 'Ooh (leans back and smiles).' But, I mean, I love that type of energy. So, I mean, it was a positive for me, and I like those type of atmospheres. So, it was great."

Oregon and Ohio State do not play each other during the 2025 Big Ten regular season, but they could meet in the postseason. Undoubtedly, a postseason game between Oregon and Ohio State would be another must-see, boisterous environment for the Big Ten foes.

After the Ducks beat the Buckeyes in the regular season, the Buckeyes ended the Ducks season in the College Football Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. The Ducks brought a perfect 13-0 record into the 'Granddaddy Of Them All' but the Buckeyes beat Oregon 41-21, and continued on to win the National Championship.

The two teams have a mutual respect for one another... and now, Autzen Stadium is getting that respect too.