Oregon’s offensive line has become the kind of issue that can swallow a season whole.
The Ducks came into the year averaging nearly 200 rushing yards per game last season. Two games in, that figure has dropped to 104.5.
That’s the backdrop for the biggest question hanging over No. 21 Oregon: is this an offensive line talent problem, or a scheme problem?
On the Ducks Confidential podcast, Aaron Fentress and George Wrighster landed on different sides of that argument. Fentress, who covers Oregon for The Oregonian/OregonLive, sees a deeper problem that showed up in Saturday’s 39-31 loss at Oklahoma State.
“I think there’s more going on that might not be fixable, starting with the mess on the offensive line,” he said. “Because if you can go in there and impose your will on somebody and run the football regardless of whether they know runs coming...then you change that entire game. But the offensive line gets no push and the pass protection is mediocre.”
For Fentress, the issue goes beyond the run game. He believes the line isn’t creating the kind of physical edge that makes the rest of the offense click.
And if that doesn’t change, he sees trouble ahead for an Oregon team that is now 1-1. In his view, at least two more losses are coming, and a three-loss Ducks team - with one of those defeats to rebuilding Oklahoma State - likely won’t make the playoffs.
Wrighster, a former Ducks and NFL tight end and host of the Unafraid Show, pushed back on that fatalism. His argument is that the line may not need a wholesale fix at all.
“You don’t have to fix the line,” he said. “You have to fix the scheme as your young players continue to get better.”
That’s the split in this debate: scheme can be tweaked fast, while talent and experience take time to mature.
Wrighster pointed to the young tackles, Fox Crader and Ziyare Addison. Both played well in the opener against Boise State, then struggled against Oklahoma State, especially late, when crowd noise and heat exhaustion came into play.
“That’s a typical problem for younger tackles,” he said, adding that keeping things on schedule and simplifying the approach can help inexperienced linemen while they build road-game communication.
He also raised the issue of tipping plays. After the Oklahoma State loss, reports surfaced that something in Oregon’s offensive line stances - and possibly quarterback Dante Moore’s stance - may have been giving away whether a play was a run or a pass before the snap.
Wrighster compared that to a pitcher giving away what’s coming: “If they’re tipping pitches, even mediocre hitters are going to have success against them,” he said.
If that problem is real and gets cleaned up, some of the rushing issues could ease on their own.
Wrighster’s broader point is that Oregon needs to lean into what it is right now. In his view, this is a team built around its quarterback and receivers, not a bruising power-run offense. Quick passes, RPOs and half-roll protections could serve as a bridge while the line develops.
The guard spots only add to the uncertainty. Oregon has already used two different starting combinations through its first two games, and neither one has looked dependable.
That leaves Dan Lanning and his staff with a bigger choice than just who starts where. They have to decide whether to reshape the offense around the players they have instead of the identity they want. That answer could go a long way toward defining the season.
Fentress said he understands Wrighster’s view, but he kept coming back to the same preseason concern: the line might simply not be experienced enough to help Oregon chase a national title.
“That window is closed for now,” he said.
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