Oregon’s disheveled offensive line couldn’t hold up.
That was the overall consensus regarding the unit’s performance after the Ducks suffered their first and only loss of the season on Oct. 2 to Arizona.
“After the game, we knew we gave that game away,” offensive lineman Hamani Stevens said. “They played well but we didn’t play to our standard at all. We struggled with a lot but have improved so much since then, so we’ll be ready for this one.”
The Ducks’ offense was held in check by a Wildcats defense led by Pac-12 defensive player of the year Scooby Wright III. Oregon was limited to just 144 yards rushing on 41 attempts, an average of just 3.5 yards per carry, and Pac-12 offensive player of the year Marcus Mariota was sacked five times.
Taking a closer look at Oregon’s offensive line would reveal why its offense was held to a season-low in points.
Due to injuries, offensive linemen Tyler Johnstone, Andre Yruretagoyena and Jake Fisher did not dress and Oregon started true freshman Tyrell Crosby and former walk-on Matt Pierson at the tackle positions.
“We can make excuses about how our offensive line was missing some guys and playing new ones, but they’re just excuses,” Stevens said. “We believe in every guy out there so that was on us and now we have to do better.”
Arizona wreaked havoc on the unproven tackles all game long, constantly using stunts and switches to confuse the tackles and in return, were able to make life very difficult for Mariota and running backs Royce Freeman and Thomas Tyner.
Since that loss, the Ducks have worked on their communication, which was a big reason as to why they lost against Arizona. With that said, they’re finally getting healthy again. Both Yruretagoyena and Fisher have returned to action to help stabilize the offensive line.
Oregon has been on fire for seven-straight wins since that loss and a lot of it is due to the improved play of the big men up front. The Ducks have averaged 248 yards per game rushing while surrendering just 2.8 sacks per game.
With the rematch set for Friday night, the offensive line, particularly Yruretagoyena and Stevens, is looking forward to getting a shot at redemption.
“We have to have a lot of focus on their personnel and ourselves — just have to fix what we didn’t do well,” Stevens said. “This is our chance to beat the team that gave us our only loss but as long as we stay focused on us and our goals, we’ll be alright.”
“I’m really excited to play in this one,” Yruretagoyena said. “I think being healthier will help but we’ve been able to play well all season since that loss. Everyone is more experienced so hopefully we’ll have a different outcome.”
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka