EUGENE, Ore. — When No. 4 Oregon takes the field at Northwestern this Saturday, the Ducks will find themselves in a football environment unlike any they’ve experienced before — and one they’ll never see again.
Northwestern is hosting games this season at Martin Stadium, a 12,023-seat waterfront venue along Lake Michigan that normally serves as home for the Wildcats’ soccer and lacrosse teams. With Northwestern’s new $862 million Ryan Field under construction, the Wildcats are making do with the smallest stadium in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
A Unique Opportunity
“There’s a lot of cool venues we get to play at and that’s one of them because it’s a one-of-one opportunity,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said this week. “It’s definitely a different environment, but if you love football, you want to play your best regardless of what the crowd looks like or what the setting is.”
The Ducks haven’t played in such an intimate setting in decades. For comparison, their smallest road crowd since 2016 was 28,840 at Oregon State’s Reser Stadium in 2022, when part of the venue was under construction. Until the NCAA eliminated attendance minimums in 2023, a stadium as small as Martin wouldn’t have met FBS requirements.
National Stage, Small Venue
While the venue will be cozy, the broadcast stage will be massive. FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff is on campus, and the network’s lead crew will handle the broadcast nationwide.
“This is why you play in the Big Ten,” Northwestern head coach David Braun said. “The students are back. We need Wildside (the student section) at a whole ‘nother level. The Lakefront needs to be packed with purple. We need to create a home-field advantage.”
Braun insists that the smaller stadium still offers a chance to give the Wildcats an edge if the atmosphere is electric.
Familiar Ground for Some
Oregon cornerback Theran Johnson, who transferred from Northwestern this spring, knows Martin Stadium well. He played there last season before joining the Ducks. Johnson, sidelined this year with a right knee injury, admitted the return trip had been circled on his calendar.
“It’s going to mean a lot,” Johnson said last month.
For Northwestern players, the chance to host a top-five opponent in such an unusual setting has been motivating. The Wildcats went 2–3 at Martin Stadium last year and 2–5 overall in home games, but players view Saturday as an opportunity.
“Couldn’t ask for a better conference opening,” defensive lineman Anto Saka said at Big Ten media days. “A lot of people have us as an underdog. We don’t necessarily care about that. We’re ready to show the world what we got.”
Ducks Excited for the Experience
For Oregon, the novelty of the small venue has generated some buzz among the players. Offensive tackles Alex Harkey and Isaiah World are the only Ducks who have previously played in stadiums of similar size, during their time at Texas State and Nevada, respectively.
Center Iapani Laloulu said the lakefront location reminded him of playing in Hawaii, though without the palm trees and tropical breeze. “Probably might give me a sense of home, a little bit, being right by the water,” he said. “It’s like home, but not really home.”
Game Details
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Matchup: No. 4 Oregon (2–0) vs. Northwestern (1–1)
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When: Saturday, Sept. 13
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Time: 9 a.m. PT
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Where: Martin Stadium, Evanston, Illinois
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TV: FOX (KPTV in Portland)
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Streaming: Fubo (free trial) or DirecTV (free trial); availability may vary outside the Pacific Northwest
For Oregon, Saturday’s clash offers more than a conference game. It’s a rare, one-time chance to compete on college football’s biggest stage in its smallest stadium.
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