No. 4 Oregon easily handles lakefront environment at Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. — The smallest venue in major college football, though temporary, made a novel setting for an otherwise forgettable game.

No. 4 Oregon cruised past host Northwestern 34-14 in front of a sellout crowd of 12,023 Saturday afternoon at Martin Stadium.

From the thunderstorm bringing a deluge and blackening out much of Lake Michigan two hours before kickoff, to the soggy turf it left behind for what turned into a sunny but windy day, the temporary home of the Wildcats certainly was unique for the Ducks.

“It was a cool venue, cool scenery,” linebacker Bryce Boettcher said. “It’s a little different than Autzen Stadium when you’re on defense. It’s a lot louder at Autzen, so you definitely have to bring your own juice when you’re on the field. It’s easier to communicate, which is nice, you can actually talk to people.”

Not surprisingly, Oregon did not have any struggles with crowd noise. The unusually small crowd was also heavily populated by Ducks fans, who stayed till the end of what was a far more lopsided game than the final score would indicate.

“The best thing was my family getting to come out here,” quarterback Dante Moore said. “Three-hour drive from Detroit. Playing in the Big Ten it’s an advantage for people that live in the Midwest.”

What little noise Oregon had to combat was from the sound sytem behind the visitor’s sideline, which is narrowly in front of Lake Michigan.

Dan Lanning said it was “the loudest speakers” he’s ever heard.

“That’s false crowd noise,” Lanning said. “It was annoying, so I mean that’s something they should keep.”

In handling the elements and time zone difference, the Ducks became the second of West coast schools to win a 9 a.m. PT game since joining the Big Ten, joining UCLA.

There’s nothing quite like home though and that’s where Oregon returns next week to face Oregon State.

“As a kid these are schools you always wanted to go to and being able to play here against a competitive team and coming out victorious is a great feeling,” Moore said. “Being able to play in another environment, not like Autzen — Autzen is the best in the world.”

— James Crepea covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten.