Oregon Ducks can prove dramatic improvement in critical area is no fluke against No. 2 Ohio State
The first couple games of the year saw the Oregon Ducks get out of the gates a bit slow — if you can call winning all your games "slow — and saw an enormous amount of conversation about the offensive line.It was a struggle early. There's no denying that. In the first eight quarters that […]
The first couple games of the year saw the Oregon Ducks get out of the gates a bit slow — if you can call winning all your games "slow — and saw an enormous amount of conversation about the offensive line.
It was a struggle early. There's no denying that. In the first eight quarters that the Ducks played this season, quarterback Dillon Gabriel was sacked seven times. It was off to a horrendous issue. Yet, somehow, the offensive line quickly turned a corner and pulled a complete 180.
In the last three games, Gabriel hasn't been sacked once.
How did the offensive line do it? It could be that it simply took time for a new unit with a new quarterback to gel. Oregon returned their starting offensive tackles in Ajani Cornelius and Josh Conerly Jr., along with guard Marcus Harper, but the center and other guard position, along with Gabriel, has an entirely new look than it did last year.
Early in the season, there were miscommunications all over the field. Since then, the group seems to be playing cohesive football, regularly giving Gabriel all day to stand in the pocket.
Oregon's offensive linemen undeniably have their biggest test of the season so far, by a lot, coming up on Saturday when they host Ohio State.
It's the biggest of big stages as far as regular season college football goes. Oregon is currently No. 3 in the country, and Ohio State is No. 2. You can make a case that this will be the most anticipated game in Autzen Stadium history.
Oregon's line has a massive opportunity in front of them to prove that they have left their early-season struggles behind them, and that they have what it takes to propel this team to the College Football Playoffs. It all starts up front.
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This would be a massive win.
Follow along all year for more Oregon Ducks coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on X @JonHelmkamp, as well as follow our main page @AtoZSportsNFL for all the latest news.
