Whatever anxieties Duck fans have about the offensive line, replacing three starters after a subpar blocking performance versus Auburn, Darron Thomas doesn't share them. After practice Friday he told KVAL he felt so comfortable behind this group, "I can sit in the pocket, eat my lunch."
The line, and the entire offense with it, seemed to improve in Friday's and Monday's full contact workouts, after a disastrous performance in Wednesday's scrimmage, when fumbles, dropped passes and missed blocks piled up like mullet trimmings on the floor of an Alabama barbershop.
The main question for Saturday's Spring Game is, can the Duck offense move the football on the Oregon defense, which has appeared to be ahead in their development for most of the spring. Some offensive rhythm, along with some decent weather, would make it a perfect celebration of the troops. If the Webfoot offense marches out of step, however, Spring practice will seem like a work of questionable progress.
Looking at the rosters for Saturday, it's painfully clear Steve Greatwood doesn't have the depth he's enjoyed in years past on the o-line. A senior walk-on is starting at one guard, and the two-deep is dotted with a couple of uninspiring names. Depth took a hit when three seniors graduated and two underclassmen gave up football this winter.
The closer you study it, the more possible it becomes that one or two of the true freshmen coming this summer may have to play right away, at least in a reserve role. Jake Fisher is the most likely candidate. As the dings and nicks of the season mount, something's gotta give, and the eight healthy, capable, experienced linemen in the fold won't be able to do it alone, no matter how inventively Greatwood mixes and matches. It's far from ideal, but by late October, at least one of the touted recruiting class of 2011 will have his redshirt tossed into the shredder. They'll need him. Because there's no waiver wire in college football, sometimes talent has to be rushed a little.
This is a season of opportunity for the Ducks. They're loaded with speed and returning stars, and have most of the ingredients to repeat as conference champions for a third year. With an opportunity like that, it's no time to play it safe, or put the future ahead of the present.
More skeptical analysts say that Oregon lost too much in the defensive front seven to be a top five team nationally, but fans who watch the Spring Game closely will conclude that the Ducks have upgraded athletically on the defensive front and linebackers. The players who graduated were hard workers and experienced, but this group might be the fastest and most agile front seven Oregon has ever had. Jordan, Heimuli, Wade K, Hart, Hanna, Kaddu, Clay, Alonso, and Lokombo can all run and hit, and there's a solid group of backups behind them.
Offensively, assuming Greatwood can put a reliable line together (and he always has before), the one remaining question is who emerges at receiver. Between the returnees and the speedy newcomers there's a wealth of possibilities, but two or three of them have to make enough plays over the next five months of preparation to gain the confidence of their quarterback. A solid performance on Saturday would be a very good start.
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