You won’t see them in the box score, on highlight reels or at the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Most are relatively unknown and don’t get as much credit as they deserve. But the members of Oregon’s offensive line have the ability to ultimately determine the success or failure of every given play.
The Ducks’ front five have contributed to an offense that’s finished each of the last three seasons ranked in the top five nationally in rushing yards, total yards and yards per game and either first or second in total points. Marcus Mariota has been sacked just twice through three games this season, tied for second in the country.
Returning starters Jake Fisher, Tyler Johnstone and Hroniss Grasu are joined by veterans Hamani Stevens and Mana Greig, who have all been integral parts of the o-line over the years, with Grasu starting all 30 games of his Oregon career. As the center and most experienced player, Grasu is naturally the group’s leader, but offensive line coach Steve Greatwood says the rest of the starters have also stepped up as leaders.
“He’s not the only one,” Greatwood said on Grasu being the leader of the offensive line. “We’ve had a lot of great leadership emerge. Tyler Johnstone, Jake Fisher, Mana Greig, Hamani Stevens have all really stepped up their game — not only (technically) but in a leadership position. It’s been a collective effort.”
Johnstone echoed Greatwood, saying the unit has remained relaxed and comfortable with each other with the key being horizontal leadership and an open line of communication.
“Everyone kind of has their role,” Johnstone said. “Hroniss is a great leader. He’s not a very talkative guy, but he’s a great leader. Everyone kind of just looks out for each other, we have a bunch of horizontal leadership along the offensive line. If I was running slow, maybe Jake Fisher will be like, ‘Tyler, pick it up a little bit,’ and I won’t get upset at that because I’ll do the same thing to Jake Fisher or Hroniss. Everybody can tell everybody anything. Nobody feels like they have to stay quiet because they’re not necessarily the leader of the group.”
While the fast-paced, high-octane Oregon offense is a more recent development, superb offensive linemen have a rich history at Oregon. Five former members of the Ducks’ o-line are currently playing in the NFL, including Pro Bowl center Max Unger of the Seattle Seahawks. Ducks’ offensive linemen are also represented twice in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Dave Wilcox played on both lines for Oregon in 1962 and 1963 and was elected to the Hall of Fame after an 11-year career with the San Francisco 49ers. Gary Zimmerman is widely considered one of the best tackles in NFL history and was enshrined into the hall in 2008.
Duck ball carriers have rushed for 1,066 yards on 126 carries so far this season — a national best 8.5 yards per tote. The team’s 17 rushing touchdowns also leads college football, while their 355.3 yards per game is a close second. Running back Byron Marshall understands the importance of a superior offensive line to compliment a premiere running game.
“It helps a lot,” Marshall said. “They just have a good chemistry, so you know the holes should be there when they’re supposed to be. Just trust it, it’s a process and I trust all five of them.”
Marshall added that the group continually puts in overtime when it comes to practice.
“I think it’s great really. You can just tell how much work they put in. They’re always in there before practice starts and after practice ends, doing some extra work just getting everything down.”
Johnstone and Greatwood also emphasized the importance of work ethic and the role it’s played in the success of the line and the team.
“Work ethic,” Greatwood said. “It’s the mantra for the whole team each and every day. We gotta take one step to being better than our former selves. Thus far I’ve been very, very pleased with the guys taking that attitude and running with it.”