Oregon’s 2019 offensive line was quite the crew. Shane Lemieux, Jake Hanson, Dallas Warmack and Calvin Throckmorton provided a talented and experienced senior core, while sophomore Penei Sewell won the Outland trophy for the nation’s best offensive lineman. Every Saturday, head coach Mario Cristobal didn’t have to worry about these starters.
Sewell decided to forego this season and declare for the NFL draft. The rest of the core graduated and most made an NFL roster. On Saturday, the starting five offensive lineman was composed of entirely new faces. This poses a unique challenge, especially in a shortened season without a non conference buffer, not to mention a new quarterback.
Despite the massive losses throughout the offensive line, many of the new starters already have plenty of experience in the program.
“From a work ethic standpoint, those other five guys last year didn’t work any harder than these guys,” offensive line coach Alex Mirabal said. “They didn’t lead any more or less than these guys are leading. It’s game experience. We just have to go out and play. They’re going to do a heck of a job, whoever those five guys are.”
Redshirt Junior Ryan Walk played fewer than 50 snaps each of the past two seasons, but had an exceptional performance on Saturday, one that earned him the Pac-12 Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week.
“He rarely missed. He was very disciplined with his hand placement and finishing blocks; he kept the pocket clean and made a dent at the line of scrimmage in the run game,” head coach Mario Cristobal said.
Walk graduated from Sheldon High School with Justin Herbert, but made the team as a walk-on and has remained in the shadows until now. His hard work the past few seasons and during fall camp seems to be paying off.
“We don’t care whether you’re on scholarship or a walk-on,” Mirabal said. “You’re going to be rewarded based upon your productivity on the field. The Oregon football program probably means more to Ryan Walk than to anybody in this program.”
While Walk rises into a prominent role, other offensive lineman are beginning to blossom as well. Junior Alex Forsyth has filled one of the leadership roles in a group of youngsters. Like Walk, he’s played fewer than 50 snaps each of the past two seasons.
“We call him toolbox. He’s a great dude,” offensive tackle Steven Jones said. “He’s shown the O-Line everything we need to know, especially the young guys. He’ll bring us in on off days to watch a little bit more film and just get that chemistry back together.”
Senior George Moore has provided leadership qualities as well. He was able to claim a sixth year of college eligibility this offseason after starting his career at the College of San Mateo. He has three years of experience on the roster, so he knows the system.
Still, Moore has seen very little playing time as a Duck. The blatant lack of experience on this offensive line leaves every position open for competition. This year has a much different feel from years past; this year, there’s opportunity.
Each passing week gives this offensive line group more in-game experience, which is what they need desperately. Fortunately, they have a two-time National Champion offensive lineman as their head coach to guide them.
“They’ve had some really rough days against the defense in practice, but as time went on, things started coming together,” Cristobal said. “They have a lot of areas where they can and want to improve, so it’s a good first step.”