Urban Meyer's Advice To Dan Lanning To Navigate Penn State's White Out

HAPPY VALLEY - The No. 6 Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning travel to face the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday, Sept. 27. Legendary coach Urban Meyer has some advice for Lanning, specifically about offensive communication when the crowd is roaring the loudest in the White Out night game.

Meyer says of all the hostile environments he has faced while coaching - including during his time at Ohio State and Florida - the White Out at Beaver Stadium is the toughest place to play. That speaks volumes considering Meyer has coached in the Swamp, at LSU at night and Ohio State-Michigan in the Horseshoe.

Meyer has coached in four White Out games, going 3-1.

"This will be the most difficult environment (Lanning) has ever coached in," said Meyer on The Big Ten Network.

Oregon Ducks schedule football urban meyer penn state nittany lions white out beaver stadium dan lanning big ten loud noise — Former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer salutes the fans chanting his name during the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2025. Ohio State won 41-21. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Meyer's Advice To Lanning

Can the Ducks stay undefeated and upset the Nittany Lions? Oregon is a 3.5-point underdog on Fanduel but Meyer considers Beaver Stadium to be a 7-point advantage.

"The way you approach it with your players is critical. You don't want to de-emphasize it. You don't want to over-emphasize it," Meyer said.

"The reality is the hot spots of the game are what you have to worry about," Meyer continued. "The crowd is into a frenzy. It's not the whole game, but there's spots where you better be right on."

Those spots when the crowd makes communication nearly impossible? Third down, punts and field goals. The team has to be in sync during those inflection moments of the game so the Penn State crowd doesn't become the 12th man.

Also adding fuel to the fire - Penn State looks to avenge a loss to Oregon in the 2024 Big Ten Championship game. Penn State coach James Franklin's record against top-10 teams is a widely discussed with a 3-17... a narrative that Franklin would like move past with a win over the flashy Ducks.

Sep 6, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks on the field prior to the game against the Florida International Panthers at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, a win for the Ducks would improve Oregon to 11-0 all-time in Big Ten play and undoubtedly catapult them into National Championship contender conversations.

Should Oregon Limit Motions?

Notably, Meyer pointed out that the Ducks motion-heavy offense might need to be limited. Oregon' s offense, led by quarterback Dante Moore, has found much success this season with trick plays but should the Ducks instead focus on a clean snap and timing amid the hostile environment?

"Oregon's a unique offense. Remember, they ran five deceptive plays in the first 27 against Oklahoma State. They also motion a lot. So we (when I coached) eliminated the motions where you had to have timing, and that's a jet sweep. I would see limited deceptives and limited motions by the universal order," Meyer said.

Oregon Ducks Dante Moore | Oregon Ducks on SI Jake Bunn

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The good news for Ducks fans is Lanning's track record on the road proves he knows what it takes to travel. Under Lanning, the Ducks have won eight straight road games and are 14-2 away from home.

The Ducks' Autzen Stadium in Eugene has become a great home field advantage for the Ducks, with 60,000 frenzied fans. In comparison, Penn State's Beaver Stadium is more than 100,000 fans. It's a factor that and experience that Lanning is looking forward to.

"I've never been there, so this will be my first opportunity to play there. I've heard it's an unbelievable environment. I know they've got a great fan base as well. Coach Franklin's done an unbelievable job there. Obviously they have a really talented team, so it's going to be a fun challenge for us for sure," Lanning told Oregon Ducks on SI reporter Bri Amaranthus.

Kickoff is set for Sept. 27, at 4:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on NBC.

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