Dan Lanning walked out of one loud venue two weeks ago. He knows how boisterous the next crowd he'll face can get: Oregon football fans. This time Indiana is coming to Autzen Stadium in a pivotal top 10 showdown.
The hype is building for Ducks-Hoosiers, with NFL teams likely to observe both quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore. IU also brings the nation's fifth-ranked defense, handing the Hoosiers a key X-factor in the matchup.
The reigning Big Ten champion head coach knows a lot is on the line inside the Ducks' venue. Leading him to fire off this message via Erik Skopil of Duck Territory on 247Sports.
“A lot of people coming to town to watch this game because it's a premier game between two really good teams,” Lanning said. “I'm counting on our fans to have a big impact on that game. Ultimately we're counting on our fans to be a part of what makes this environment great… We want to see it and feel it on Saturday.”
He's counting on the 54,000 voices inside their home turf to make a big difference when Mendoza and IU are on the field.
Dan Lanning shares another ‘want' for Oregon fans against Indiana
Indiana is making its first trip to Eugene since 2004 — with the Hoosiers pulling off the 30-24 stunner against a Kellen Clemens-led Ducks team.
The visitors, though, are returning to the west coast for the second straight year (IU ripped UCLA 42-13 in front of the Rose Bowl).
Lanning shared another “want” out of his Ducks fanbase.
“Our fans have always been unbelievable but we want everybody in the Big Ten to get to experience that,” Lanning said. “Indiana is coming and they're obviously a really talented team, but our fans have a chance to make an impact.”
Oregon enters as a 7.5-pont favorite as of Thursday. Saturday's contest pits more than aspiring conference title contenders against one another. This top 10 battle becomes the second consecutive game Oregon will face a 2024 College Football Playoff team.
