Severe Weather Threatens Another Marquee College Football Clash After Week 2 Lightning Delays

“Always fun to see Autzen full, right? Our fans were great as always. I think a lot of things went right and our way today.” Except this isn’t Auzten. And nothing is going Oregon’s way before the kickoff. It looks like the football gods are testing whether Lanning jinxed himself. Their first road test comes in Evanston under sheets of rain, where forecasts call for a tenth to a quarter inch of new rainfall, with heavier bursts possible in thunderstorms. And the downpour is set to shape Oregon–Northwestern from the opening kick today.

Morning storms have rolled through the Chicago metro and linger over the lakefront, making for slick turf and a wet football that will test every exchange. Thunder and a risk of heavy downpours have been flagged right around game time, adding a volatile layer to ball handling and footing. Winds near 10–15 mph only add to the challenge for punts, kicks, and deep shots.

Oregon enters with top-five clout and begins its conference slate on the road, where composure and drive management matter even more in a downpour. Northwestern sees an opportunity to spoil and set a tone, especially with conditions that can compress talent gaps and turn the game into a field-position fight. The stage is national, and mistakes can swing momentum fast when the ball and grass are slick. FOX has the window, and this matchup was already circled before the forecast turned soggy. In weather like this, a clean operation may matter more than flashy plays this afternoon.

Rain squeezes playbooks. Passing efficiency dips, verticals shrink, and coordinators pivot to quick game, screens, and RPOs that ask for safer throws and defined reads. The ball turns slick, so snap-to-handoff mechanics and wideout catch technique take center stage, while coaches preach two hands through traffic. We should be expecting more carries, heavier personnel, and downhill runs behind double teams to stabilize drives. Special teams can tilt the day, with punts that check up, kicks that drift, and returns that become dicey on a greasy surface. And if history is anything to go by, precipitation correlates with depressed scoring and more conservative sequencing, a blueprint that rewards patience and field position.

That script favors Oregon’s backs, and Noah Whittington is built for a grind-it-out afternoon. The veteran runs with balance and burst, finishes through contact, and has the trust to handle high-leverage touches when footing is messy. Whittington’s vision can turn mushy footing into gains, and in the red zone, he can score big if touches stack. If Northwestern can’t win early downs, the running backs may drain the clock.

One caution hangs over a rain game. Wet surfaces can increase the risk of lower-extremity injuries, especially when there is variable cleat–surface friction and uncertain traction on cuts. Slips in the open field and pileups at the point of attack also spike in sloppy conditions, compounding exposure across snaps. Staff respond with conservative footing, frequent cleat checks, and a relentless emphasis on ball security across offense, defense, and special teams. In a rain game, the team that protects the ball, embraces patience, and wins the hidden yards usually prevails. That profile points toward Oregon today, but discipline, tackling, and turnover luck will have the last word in Evanston.