Oregon Ducks Receiver Evan Stewart on Autzen Stadium: 'One of a Kind Environment'
Oregon Ducks running back Jordan James did it all for the Ducks' offense on the ground while the wide receiver duo of Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson did it through the air. In the monumental victory at Autzen Stadium over the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Oregon crowd and their non-stop explosion of noise played just as big of a factor.
The record-breaking crowd of 60,129 fans at Autzen Stadium was overwhelming for the Ohio State players to deal with but it was a lot to deal with even for the Oregon players on their home field. James seemed almost mesmerized at times.
"It was very loud. At one point you couldn't hear the person next to you, but shout out to the crowd."
- Oregon running back Jordan James
Stewart, who played in Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium during his freshman season with Texas A&M, has never experienced any football stadium that was rocking as much as Autzen was against the Buckeyes.
"This was up there for sure, like it's a one of a kind environment. They brought it, for sure."
- Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart
Stewart's counterpart on the outside had similar thoughts on how much the crowd played an influence in the win. Tez Johnson was thoroughly impressed about the student section showing out as they were filling in hours before kick-off.
"The student section, it was unbelievable. They was packed before we even got there."
- Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson
The fans' cheering even affected Oregon's head coach Dan Lanning's play-calling at times. After the game, he told reporters he was having trouble hearing from his staff up in the box and on the sidelines.
"I wear a single earpiece and I had to cover my ear a lot of my game to be able to communicate and hear. That's a good thing."
- Oregon head coach Dan Lanning
James is still sitting on cloud nine after taking down the Big Ten foe in Ohio State and still can't believe what he was apart of inside of Autzen Stadium. All athletes dream of competing in such a wild environment with the crowd having their back every play.
"You dream of playing games like this. But for it to actually happen, especially for my journey... now that I'm here, I don't take it for granted... I still fell like I'm living a dream and it's going to continue."
- Oregon running back Jordan James
The Ducks now are in the driver seat of their Big Ten Conference title hopes and College Football Playoff destiny. In the most recent Associated Press poll, undefeated Oregon has moved up to No. 2 with just the Texas Longhorns ahead of them.
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