Oregon’s season started with the kind of buzz that usually covers up a few early flaws. That hasn’t happened here. The Ducks came in ranked No. 2 with national title hopes, but the offensive line has become the problem that keeps dragging everything else down.
The latest evidence came Saturday in a 17-15 loss to UCLA at Autzen Stadium, when Oregon managed just 73 yards on 27 carries despite having two explosive backs in Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. That lack of movement on the ground left backup quarterback Dylan Raiola exposed, and the passing game never found its footing. Raiola was 6 of 19 for 43 yards before Brock Thomas took over.
Afterward, Dan Lanning didn’t sugarcoat what he saw.
“In moments, we looked really good against a USC team two weeks ago and we were able to run the ball effectively at times,” Lanning said. “I think there’s a combination of things that happened in this game.
One, they had a good plan. Our plan wasn’t as good.
That’s part of it. Our players have to play better.
We have to coach better. I think that’s part of it.”
The deeper issue is how Oregon got here. Lanning and offensive line coach A’lique Terry trusted the players already in the building and did not dip into the transfer portal to replace three 2025 starters - Isaiah World, Alex Harkey and Emmanuel Pregnon - all of whom are now in the NFL.
The numbers tell the story. Oregon is 10th in the Big Ten in rushing at 141.8 yards per game, well below last season’s 198.6, when the Ducks finished third in the conference. Strip out the 289 rushing yards against FCS Portland State in an 84-0 win, and the average falls to 105 yards per game.
That has blown up any dreams of Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. each reaching 1,000 yards. Hill has 228 rushing yards at 4.4 per carry.
Davison has 301 at 4.9 per carry. A year ago, both were far more productive in reserve roles behind Noah Whittington: Davison ran for 667 yards at 5.9 per carry, while Hill piled up 656 at 8.7 per carry.
The pass protection has been shaky too, and the two issues feed each other. Without a run game that can force defenses to respect the box, Oregon keeps ending up behind the sticks.
“When you have third-and-long situations, you’re not successful with the run on early downs; it puts you a little bit behind the chains,” Lanning said. “But we’ll have to evaluate what it looked like. Obviously, it wasn’t good enough.”
The problems have shown up all over the line. Oregon entered the season with just two returning starters there, but the staff believed the group’s upside would be enough. Lanning said the program felt good about that choice.
“I think we all knew that it wasn’t gonna be the same experienced O-line that we had this past year, but we felt comfortable,” Lanning said.
That comfort led to only one transfer addition, senior Michael Bennett III from Yale. He started the opener against Boise State, then disappeared from the rotation. During fall camp, Lanning and Terry talked about having as many as eight candidates for five jobs, and they expected to sort through the group and find the best combination.
That list included Bennett and true freshman Tommy Tofi, a 360-pound four-star recruit who still hasn’t made an impact.
So far, only center Iapani Laloulu has been steady. The rest of the unit has been a revolving door.
Fifth-year guards Dave Iuli and Kawika Rogers, along with sophomore guard Douglas Utu, have all been inconsistent. Junior right tackle Fox Crader hasn’t met expectations, sophomore left tackle Ziyare Addison has played like a young lineman, and senior tackle Gernorris Wilson has been uneven as well.
Junior guard Trent Ferguson’s season-ending injury made the rotation even thinner.
The constant shuffling has only added to the inconsistency.
UCLA clearly identified the weak spot. Bruins coach Bob Chesney said he believed his defensive backs could hold up against Oregon’s receivers long enough for the front to attack the tackles and pressure Raiola. The Bruins didn’t rack up a huge sack total - just one sack and two quarterback hurries - but they still forced bad decisions, including two interceptions.
Oregon’s confidence in the line came from Terry’s recent track record. The Ducks have produced three straight Joe Moore Award finalist groups from 2023 through 2025, and Lanning pointed to that history as reason to believe this unit would improve.
“If you look at the history of us developing there, that position, and what it’s become over time, it’s always gotten better towards the end of the season, and it’s improved,” Lanning said. “We’ve always been one of the better teams to protect the quarterback. It hasn’t been good enough this year.”
The difference this time is the personnel. Oregon’s past lines were built around veterans who moved on quickly to the NFL.
The 2025 group included World, Harkey and Pregnon. The 2024 line had Josh Conerly, now a first-round pick with the Washington Commanders, and Ajani Cornelius, now with the Dallas Cowboys.
The 2023 line featured Cornelius, Jackson Powers-Johnson of the Las Vegas Raiders and Steve Jones of the Pittsburgh.
This year’s line has Laloulu, who is expected to be drafted in 2027, and a bunch of younger blockers who haven’t played well enough to match the standard.
Lanning still believes in them.
“I love the guys we have in that room,” Lanning said. “We have to coach them better and give them an opportunity to have success on the field.
And they have to be critical of themselves, too. They have to look at it and say, ‘OK, where am I not good enough?
Where can I improve?’”
For Oregon, the clock is ticking. The Ducks still have time to fix things, but not much if they want to keep the season on a playoff path. Nebraska comes to Eugene on Saturday night.
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