The offensive line has probably been the biggest weak link in the chain for the Oregon Ducks to start the 2024 season, but many of those concerns were at least quieted with an outstanding performance by the group against Oregon State.
For head coach Dan Lanning , who said that hey would continue to analyze the group following their Week 2 performance, he got plenty of consistency up front against the Beavers. The starting group of Josh Conerly Jr., Nishad Strother, Iapani laloulu, Marcus Harper II , and Ajani Cornelius played the entirety of the game together minus some late rotations when the game was already well in hand.
That was a marked difference from the constant line changes that we saw in Week 2.
Lanning was asked about the offensive line following a bye week practice, particularly about Laloulu’s role at center.
“I thought he did some really good things,” Lanning said. “He’s got to continue to work on his snap accuracy, so you know, some of those details. But overall, I thought it was a positive.”
Laloulu and the offensive line kept quarterback Dillon Gabriel upright for the entire game, not allowing any hits or sacks. It was a huge step forward. Laloulu wasn’t knocked for any pressures or hurries in the game, according to Pro Football Focus.
“I think it’s got a chance, right,” Lanning said when asked about the progress of the group. “The key is growth. We’re not the best version of us yet, and we won’t be the best version of us right until hopefully, you know, the end of the season. The key is, are we getting better today and getting better tomorrow as we continue to progress?”