Oregon football has been in this situation before; injuries happen, and the Ducks’ offensive line has been forced to shift.
In Oregon’s 30-27 win over Washington, the Ducks had to adjust when breakout offensive lineman Penei Sewell went down with an ankle injury.
“Throughout the whole week, we prepare,” offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton said. “You can hope for the best but you should expect the worst in the course of a game.”
Sewell is out for six weeks, forcing the Ducks to rotate their offensive line around with Throckmorton moving to left tackle and redshirt junior Brady Aiello at right tackle. Oregon’s shift on the offensive line wouldn’t be possible if not for Throckmorton’s versatility.
“He played 50 [percent of the game] and 50 on right and left hand side,” Oregon offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “It’s the next man up. We have a great coaching staff to get those guys ready.”
Throckmorton has played all along the Oregon O-line. The one spot he says he hasn’t played in practice or a game is left guard, which is currently held by redshirt junior Shane Lemieux.
“It’s almost like with Penei I’ve got to be the older brother where Calvin is already up to speed,” Lemieux said. “Him hopping over to left tackle is really no difference whatsoever.”
Aiello’s addition to the starting lineup is no drop-off. He played in nine games last season, and two years ago he started in 10 of the team’s 12 total games, coming off the bench in the two he didn’t start in.
“Being here for four years, I’ve kind of grown accustomed to being ready,” Aiello said. “Right now it’s second nature. Doesn’t matter what role. As long as it’s a role to help the team out, I’ll be ready.”
Aiello was called into action against Washington alongside Jacob Capra after injuries to Sewell and Dallas Warmack, who unlike Sewell, will be healthy for Washington State.
When Sewell went down, Aiello sympathized with his true freshman teammate.
“It sucks,” he said. “You never want to see one of your fellow teammates go down. One play can be your last play. Can’t take it for granted.”
Even though they had to come in off the bench, Aiello and Capra were important contributors in the Washington win.
With the game on the line in overtime, Aiello and Capra created a gap for running back CJ Verdell to go untouched for the game-winning touchdown.
“We’ve got eight or nine guys that we have complete trust in,” quarterback Justin Herbert said. “I know we had to put in Brady and Jake Capra, and they didn’t miss a beat. Got complete trust in them and really proud of those guys.”
The Ducks will need a another strong performance from Aiello and the O-line as Oregon heads to Washington State to take on the No. 25 Cougars. Oregon will have to flex its depth at the line of scrimmage to beat Washington State.
“We talked about how much depth we’ve had for a long time,” Lemieux said. “We never really wanted to show we had depth but now it’s prevalent.”
Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow