Oregon Ducks emphatically slam the door closed on discussions over previous issue with dominant performance
The Oregon Ducks finally looked like a team worthy of being considered one of the best teams in the country. Their 49-14 win on the road against Oregon State in their rivalry game was lopsided, dominating in a multitude of ways. Most critically, the Ducks offensive line looked dramatically better, putting forth a performance that […]
The Oregon Ducks finally looked like a team worthy of being considered one of the best teams in the country. Their 49-14 win on the road against Oregon State in their rivalry game was lopsided, dominating in a multitude of ways. Most critically, the Ducks offensive line looked dramatically better, putting forth a performance that answers the questions and doubts that have surrounded them through the first two weeks of the season.
It was a resounding, inspiring win, and more than that, it seemed like a performance where an identity was beginning to take shape.
Oregon's offensive line gashed Oregon State in the run game
It's important to talk about the personnel groupings up front. Last week, head coach Dan Lanning was open about evaluating the group up front and their options, while cycling through four different combinations on the offensive line.
Before pulling the starters late, it was a consistent line combination of LT Josh Connerly, LG Nishad Strother, C Iapani laloulu, RG Marcus Harper II, RT Ajani Cornelius. They stuck with that group throughout the game, and they cleaned house.
The run game was absurd. Oregon ran the ball for 240 yards on 32 carries, averaging a whopping 7.5 yards per carry, including Jordan James carrying the ball 12 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Dillon Gabriel snapped off a 54 yard touchdown run on an option play that was blocked up perfectly. Noah Whittington got in on the action as well, taking seven carries for 64 yards and a touchdown, including a 27 yard run.
The offensive line was moving Oregon State off their marks and creating freeways for Oregon runners to go through.
Dillon Gabriel kept clean
The pass blocking was truly elite in this matchup. The only time Gabriel broke a sweat was when he took off on that long touchdown run. The rest of the night, he was never in danger. He had all day to throw. He was able to hang in the pocket and pick the defense apart. Crucially, there were zero sacks allowed.
For a unit that struggled mightily through the first two weeks, with seven sacks allowed over the two games,
"I'm just proud of those guys," Gabriel said after the game. "There were a lot of things that were said, and and we took that personally. You know, these are guys that pride themselves in the run game and they're protecting me, and I can't thank them enough, you know, the law firm, and then, you know, the freak shows boys in the back, you know, they're just running at will."
They deserve a ton of praise. It was a huge performance that allowed the offense to stay in phase and dominate early. They'll look to keep the mojo rolling after next week's bye.
One crucial key stands out for how Oregon must slow down Oregon State in rivalry game
Oregon better be ready.
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