Heading into Saturday’s showdown against Arizona State, Oregon football players find themselves in a spot none of them have been in before at Oregon.
The Ducks sit at the bottom of the Pac-12 standings with a 2-5 overall record and 0-4 in conference play. When the Ducks host the Sun Devils in Eugene at 2 p.m., the game will serve as chance to break out of the current slump.
“Obviously this season hasn’t produced in the number of wins we’ve wanted but we have grown and gotten better,” Oregon offensive line coach Steve Greatwood said. “This is a big game for us this week and our guys have been practicing that way — we’ll be ready to go on Saturday.”
One of the biggest concerns the Ducks have against Arizona State this weekend is finding a way to slow down the Sun Devils’ vaunted pass rush.
Arizona State ranks No. 8 nationally with 61 tackles for loss and No. 15 in the nation with 23 sacks. Linebacker Koron Crump is a load to handle for any offensive line. He has eight sacks on the year, good enough for third in the nation. DJ Calhoun is Crump’s running mate, not allowing teams to double team Crump with the threat of Calhoun on the other edge.
So how is Oregon going to counteract this dynamic duo? With the ever-improving offensive line.
“They (offensive line) have improved week-in and week-out based on how hard they’ve worked,” Greatwood said. “Obviously they’re still young, but they’re at the point where they are looked upon as veterans and leaders. They need to keep improving if we are going to change things around.”
For most of the season, the Ducks’ front five has consisted of four redshirt freshmen and one senior. Redshirt freshman center Jake Hanson must ensure that the Ducks have the correct pass protection to giving quarterback Justin Herbert enough time to get the ball out to his playmakers.
Against a defensive line this talented, communication and pre-snap awareness will be vital to Oregon’s success. In practice this week, the Ducks offensive line has worked on identifying where the pressure will come from. They’ve also worked towards increasing the offense’s overall tempo.
“We know that Arizona State likes to blitz and bring the pressure … and they’ve shown that they’re good at it,” Hanson said. “For us, it’s about being on the same page and working together as one unit. We’ve really worked on our communication this week and getting ourselves as ready as possible.”
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