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The Oregon Ducks will travel to Ann Arbor this weekend to take on Big Ten football foe Michigan. It will be the program’s first trip to the Big House since 2007.
With that being said, there is one player on the Ducks‘ roster that’s all too familiar with the Wolverines due to his previous affiliation.
Lineman Derrick Harmon spent three seasons at Michigan State as a member of the Spartans‘ defensive unit. After racking up 69 tackles and 3.5 sacks, he moved on to Eugene.
Now, he’s shining along the Ducks’ front four.
Through eight games, he’s nearly doubled his career sack total. Oregon boasts the nation’s 10th-ranked scoring defense with Harmon being an anchor.
He’s fitting in fine with his new squad, but he hasn’t forgotten his Michigan State roots.
“I don’t like [Michigan]. I’m gonna leave it right there but don’t like ’em.”
-Derrick Harmon
With a matchup against his former rival upcoming, Harmon was asked about a return to Ann Arbor. He took the moment to shade the Wolverines and their “wine and cheese” fanbase!
The Oregon football star made himself look silly in the process.
“Surprisingly, it’s not that loud. When I’m on the field it’s not loud for me… To me it’s not loud.”
-Derrick Harmon
Harmon says that the Big House is far from intimidating for opposing visitors. It’s not loud!
Some would tend to agree.
While Michigan Stadium is often referred to as one of college football’s largest and most historic venues, boasting a capacity of more than 107,000, it’s not always known to be hostile.
The bowl shape doesn’t allow crowd noise to be trapped inside the stadium. The open design makes it fall behind much smaller stops in terms of noise level.
Take Oregon’s Autzen Stadium, for example. It holds just 54,000 but often ranks near the top of the sport’s most raucous environments.
No love lost for former Michigan State DL turned Oregon DL Derrick Harmon on Michigan:
“Don’t like ’em. I’m gonna leave it there. Don’t like ’em.” pic.twitter.com/azkzTdjETV
— Brenna Greene (@BrennaGreene_) October 30, 2024
With that said, Derrick Harmon’s comments didn’t make much sense!
He specifically says that the crowd isn’t loud when he’s on the field – that would be when the home offense is on the field. All crowds are quiet with their offensive units lined up as to not cause any communication issues.
Fans are loudest when the home defense is playing. Derrick Harmon is on the bench in those situations – at least in Ann Arbor. He’s not affected by it!
Could he have been including his time on the sidelines in his shady assessment? It’s possible, but it wasn’t obvious!
It’s also worth noting that in Harmon’s lone trip to Ann Arbor, his Spartans lost 29-7 in a rather boring game that saw the Wolverines kick five field goals.
His limited experience doesn’t make him the best source on Michigan Stadium crowd noise.
Regardless of the ridiculous trash talk, it will be used as bulletin board material when Oregon takes the field on Saturday. The Michigan fanbase will be loud and proud with the country’s No. 1 team visiting the (un)friendly confines.