In Week 1 of a college football season, you're going to see a lot of newness across the board, and that may be no truer than on the Oregon Ducks' offensive line. After sending three players to the NFL last year- Isaiah World and Alex Harkey, plus left guard Emmanuel Pregnon- Dan Lanning and A'lique Terry have been forced to reload in the trenches this year ahead of a season with national championship aspirations.
Going into the first game of the year against the Boise State Broncos, there were questions about who we would see at each position and how they would fare. It's nice to say that early returns are pretty positive.
Oregon played eight total offensive linemen in the game, rotating a pair of guards and a tackle into the mix throughout the contest.
After watching the film and evaluating things over the weekend, Lanning came away pretty encouraged by what he saw.
"Overall, I thought they played well together as a unit," Lanning saidon Monday night. "I thought they were able to protect the quarterback. We got movement at times and handled some things really well at times, and then certainly there were some moments that we can be better, too. So, first glance at that group. I think we'll continue to see how that group develops over time."
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There was a bit of surprise among the fanbase early in the day when the starting line came out, and it was Fox Crader at right tackle, with Ziyare Addison at left tackle — a flip from what many, myself included, were projecting. At the guard spots, both Douglas Utu and Michael Bennett III got the start, with the veteran Iapani Laloulu starting at center.
Dave Iuli rotated in at right guard with Bennett throughout the game, while Trent Ferguson came in to spell Utu in the second half at left guard.
Overall, the unit allowed only one sack on the day, with four total quarterback pressures. For a new unit that was playing together for the first time, it was a solid performance, to say the least.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dan Lanning encouraged by Oregon OL performance in Week 1
