Dan Lanning, Oregon Ducks Have Surprising Take on Northwestern’s Tiny Stadium

For the first time as members of the Big Ten, the No. 4 Oregon Ducks will travel to Illinois to play the Northwestern Wildcats.

The site where the two conference foes will face off will be a bit different from where the Ducks typically play at, however. The Wildcats are currently playing at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium while Ryan Field is under construction.

The temporary stadium has a capacity of 12,000 to 15,000 seats, a stark difference from Autzen Stadium’s 54,000 capacity.

Lakeside Football

oregon ducks dan lanning autzen stadium big ten transfer portal recruiting nil northwestern wildcats iapani laloulu — Oct 28, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning congratulates players after defeating the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images | Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images

Despite the smaller crowd, football at Martin Stadium will provide a beautiful view, with the stadium located along Lake Michigan.

Oregon offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu has played his fair share of football next to the water, coming from Honolulu, Hawaii. He expressed his excitement to play at the lakefront venue.

“Obviously Hawaii and Chicago is different. Hawaii, you got like, those beautiful palm trees. You see the beautiful sunny right above you, just feeling that beautiful breeze,” Laloulu said. “I don't know how it is out in Chicago. It’s actually gonna be one of my first times down there, but it's nice.”

“I played in a couple of schools that has, like, oceans right next to it,” Laloulu continued. “It's beautiful just being able to feel that breeze coming from the ocean and the water and stuff like that. So probably might give me a sense of home and a little bit just being right next to water, knowing that, oh, it's like home, but not really home.”

Coach Dan Lanning, meanwhile, doesn’t seem to be too concerned by the smaller stadium.

“I think the field's still gonna be the same size,” Lanning said. “Also, that's what you focus on, right? It's definitely a different environment, but I've coached in some of those.”

Northwestern’s goal is reportedly to start play at the new $860 million Ryan Field next season.

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Bringing The Juice

The Ducks are used to playing in front of roaring Autzen Stadium crowds or Big Ten stadiums like Michigan Stadium or the Rose Bowl.

The temporary Wildcats venue will be quite different from anything several players on Lanning’s roster have experienced before. The Oregon coach is looking to make the most of the experience.

“I've coached high school football, I've coached FCS football, I played NAIA football,” Lanning said. “So, I've been in some of those environments. And if you love football, you want to play your best regardless of what the crowd looks like or what the setting is. So, it'll be a fun experience for our players. They don't get to do that very often.”

The Ducks dominated their first two opponents at Autzen Stadium with the home crowd behind them. Now that they hit the road for the first time of the 2025 season, a lot of the energy will need to be generated on the field, as opposed to from the stands.

“That's one of our mottos for offense line, this whole week just bring our own juice,” Laloulu said. “We just kind of just go celebrate each other. Whether you have success or really have some hardships throughout the game, you sort of celebrate and lift up your brothers at any time. Just be there for them and just continue to lift them up and encourage them.”