When Oregon football fans set foot in Autzen Stadium for the team’s first game against Wisconsin Sept. 1, it’ll be a whole new ballgame.
Not only will Brooks Field feature brand-new NeXturf — a surface that supposedly looks and plays like grass — fans will also be treated to minor changes around the stadium, according to Oregon spokesman Dave Williford.
“Everything that had been targeted to be done will be done by that first game,” Williford said.
“Phase Two” of the multi-million dollar Autzen expansion project includes many changes that will prepare the stadium for the addition of seats next year.
Fans driving down Centennial Boulevard this summer may see the giant concrete structure being built behind the existing location of the scoreboard. That structure will be the new home of the giant scoreboard, as the expansion includes the addition of seats to the west end zone.
A second structure that fans will notice right away is a new ticket booth on the north side of the stadium, on Centennial Boulevard. The ticket booth will serve as a will-call and information booth as well.
The new ticket booth betrays another Autzen change. The Lane Transit District drop-off has been moved from the north end of the stadium to the south end. Buses will now drive up Leo Harris Parkway instead of clogging Centennial, which takes the brunt of traffic for the games.
Finally, the expansion has shifted some fences that should make getting around Autzen easier next year. Fans will no longer have to take a “pass out” in order to pass out at the Moshofsky Center. Autzen’s exterior walkway will be surrounded by a permanent fence that will make it part of the stadium.
“The main stadium entrances will now be on the north and south sides,” Williford said. “People will find it much easier to get around.”
While the changes to Autzen Stadium are minor and can’t help bring the Ducks some wins, fans will still see differences in their beloved football shrine. Ideally, that won’t mean too many differences in Oregon’s winning ways.