Sun Devils ready to feel the Autzen noise

EUGENE, Ore. - Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon has played in many games at Autzen Stadium and one at famed Michigan Stadium, and there is no doubt in his mind which facility boasts the louder crowd.

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Even though Autzen has a nearly 50,000-seat capacity disadvantage to the 107,000-seat “Big House,” Dixon said: “Our place. I can’t doubt our fans. They put in a lot of effort.”

Before dismissing Dixon’s comments as own-team bias, consider that in 2003, a Michigan Daily columnist wrote:

“Autzen’s 59,000 strong make the 'Big House’ sound like a pathetic whimper. It’s louder than … 'The Swamp’ at Florida, 'The Shoe’ at Ohio State, and 'Death Valley’ at Louisiana State. Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die.”

At 8-0 and ranked fourth in the Bowl Championship Series standings, Arizona State dreams to be great. Today, Autzen is an ear-splitting barricade on the road to the national championship that the Sun Devils must bust through.

“In the game I played up there, I remember looking around at times and thinking, 'Is the play still going? Did somebody blow a whistle?’ ” ASU tight end Brent Miller said. “I remember looking around a lot. There are times where you just can’t communicate (via) sound, not even with the guy next to you.”

In its last two visits to the Eugene sound machine, ASU has managed to win, 45-42 in 2002 and 28-13 in ’04. Still, the home-field advantage at Autzen, whose official capacity is 54,000 but routinely draws football gatherings larger, has become legendary.

Oregon has a 52-game sellout streak dating back to 1999. The Ducks are 60-17 at home in coach Mike Bellotti’s 13 seasons, including a 4-2 record against top 10 opposition.

When Ducks running back Jonathan Stewart scored a fourth-quarter touchdown in last week’s contest against Southern California, a digital sound-level meter recorded the stadium-record crowd of 59,277 at 127.2 decibels. That is louder than a jet taking off.

“It’s a difficult place to play,” said ASU coach Dennis Erickson, who has coached at Autzen twice, both while at Oregon State. “I don’t know that there is any place tougher. (The facility) is dug down a little, and the noise does not escape. You just have to be prepared for it.”

Washington State coach Bill Doba, who has taken his team to 101,568-seat Ohio Stadium, 87,451-seat Jordan-Hare Stadium at Auburn and 80,321-seat Camp Randall Stadium at Wisconsin, said: “Oregon is the worst, by far.”

What makes the Autzen crowd — modest in size by big-time college football standards — pack such a verbal wallop? Bellotti gets the question often.

With no track surrounding the field, the fans are located directly behind the sideline. A large overhang located above the press box is designed for shade but also keeps much of the crowd noise from escaping. And, Bellotti said, Oregon fans are cognizant of which situations to raise their voices for.

“It’s a combination of all of those things that make Autzen a difficult place to play, and our players feed off of that energy,” Bellotti said. “Over the course of a game, that energy and noise makes a significant difference.”

Fortunately for the Sun Devils, they have the experience of recent successes in Autzen to bank on. Ten players — including four starters: Miller, safety Josh Barrett, receiver Rudy Burgess and center Mike Pollak — saw action in ASU’s 2004 win at Oregon.

That day, Hakim Hill rushed for 134 yards, quarterback Andrew Walter threw three touchdown passes and the Sun Devil defense collected six sacks.

“We were under control in that game,” Miller said. “The crowd didn’t affect us because we were executing our assignments.”

Three years later, the ASU Express is cruising the national-title highway, and the Autzen barricade is approaching.

Time to step on the accelerator, Barrett said.

“We have to play to the crowd, not be intimidated,” Barrett said. “Just as quickly as that crowd can get stirred up and loud, they can get quiet just as quick. So, that’s on us to make the plays.”