"Coach is locked in on one mission, one goal and if you’re not locked in with that, please step out the way. We got one mission one goal, he’s going every single day he’s consistent with that. There’s no wavering, there’s no roller coaster in him, coach is a rocket. We’re going to the top.”
--Offensive line coach Alique Terry, talking about head coach Dan Lanning
In football they call quarterback, receiver and running back the skill positions, but it takes a lot of skill to be an offensive lineman, as well as a willingness to embrace the grind and physical and mental commitment.
Those skill position guys can't do their thing without consistent play up front. This year Oregon has marvelous returning talent at the glamour positions in Bo Nix, Troy Franklin and Bucky Irving, but if the o-line doesn't rise to the standard, the Ducks won't have a potent and exciting offense.
Last year's Oregon offensive line was stellar. They were the best in the country at protecting the quarterback, giving up just five sacks all year. They provided the push as Irving, Whittington, Nix and company rushed for 2805 yards and 34 touchdowns.
That line had tremendous experience and leadership, provided by center Alex Forsyth, guard T.J. Bass, tackle Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu and guard Ryan Walk, but all those guys are gone, lost to graduation. They were chosen as semi-finalists for the Joe Moore Award, given annually to the nation's best offensive line, won last season by 13-0 Michigan, a playoff team.
"This is an Oregon offensive line that is doing whatever they want to do to Kalani." https://t.co/JV7QMYz2kj pic.twitter.com/H24miSuaLc
— ☘️LegalizeQuack☘️ (@Legalize_Quack) September 18, 2022
With that group moving on to pro football or their post-college careers, the Ducks have to rebuild this season. Making that challenge even greater, line coach Adrian Klemm accepted an opportunity to become offensive line coach for the New England Patriots, the team he played for as a pro, a part of three Super Bowl Championships.
Head coach Dan Lanning wasted little time in naming his successor. This season former Oregon grad assistant A'lique Terry takes over as position coach. Terry played offensive line for four seasons at Wake Forest, was o-line coach at Hawaii in 2021 and assistant defensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings in 2022 before returning to Oregon, just two seasons after his stint as Grad Assistant at UO in 2019 and 2020.
The Ducks employ a team approach in developing the offensive line. Terry will be assisted by veteran coach Mike Cavanaugh, who has over 30 years experience in college football and the NFL, and Cutter Leftwich, a former starter at center for McNeese State who has been a grad assistant at UCLA and UTSA.
The Oregon players rave about the instruction these three provide, the advantage of having "three sets of eyes on you" as they perfect their technique.
"Let's go have us a day!"
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) March 23, 2023
Get an inside look at practice with the O-Line with Coach A'lique Terry (@105CoachTerry) 🗣#GoDucks pic.twitter.com/ikXP2U2QQT
“It sounds weird, but this was my dream school coming out of high school too, and now working here… The first time, winning two Pac-12 championships and winning the Rose Bowl. This place is like none other realistically, with it being my dream school and then actually coming here firsthand and experiencing the place, there are not many places at all, if any, that are like the University of Oregon. So to me, it was a no-brainer.”
"Being able to be here previously under Coach Cristobal, and Coach Mirabal, and being an offensive lineman myself, you kind of like that. Honestly, that’s the world we live in. You like that pressure. And honestly, I feel no pressure. A bunch of these guys already know the standard. There’s a standard of offensive line play that’s here. And we’ve got to exceed that standard. We won’t try to reach it, obviously. But we’re trying to exceed it every single day. And that’s been set way before Coach Cristobal, Coach Mirabal, there has been a ton of offensive lineman to come through here, trying to continue to elevate that standard for them.”
Oregon has a great tradition on the offensive line, going back to NFL Hall of Famer Gary Zimmerman and longtime position coaches Neal Zoumboukos and Steve Greatwood. Geoff Schwartz, Max Unger, Tyrell Crosby and Calvin Throckmorton all starred at Oregon before moving on to the NFL. In 2019 Penei Sewell won the Outland Trophy, given annually to the nation's best lineman.
So the task for this year's group is to not only replace Forsyth, Walk, Bass and Sala, but to live up to that tradition while helping their "skill players" achieve their tremendous potential: if the offensive line gels, Oregon could have the most entertaining and explosive offense in the country.
Forsyth calls Terry "the most prepared coach I've ever been around." Sewell said, "This man's passion and commitment to help others reach their potential is unique and hard to find."
It's not as though the cupboard is bare, not at all, in fact. Jackson Powers-Johnson takes over at center. Last season in a reserve role he was the conference's top-rated guard, according to Pro Football Focus. Guards Steven Jones and Marcus Harper have 29 starts between them. Left tackle Josh Conerly is a former four-star recruit from Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, Washington, so athletic that he's even lined up at tight end in certain formations--last season he caught a four-yard touchdown pass.
"Josh Conerly is he’s a freak athlete, but he is the hardest worker in our room. And what does that do for everybody else? If one of your best players in your room is your hardest worker, it becomes contagious.”
In addition, Oregon reloaded in the transfer portal, adding Adjani Cornelius from Rhode Island, a junior right tackle who earned PFF's top grade among transfer offensive linemen, Junior Angilau, who had 34 starts at Texas, and Nishad Strother from East Carolina, 6-3, 326, who played four seasons at ECU with 30 starts. George Silva, the country's top JUCO offensive lineman, signed with the team in December.
Terry points out one key advantage his unit has in furthering their development: they work everyday against the Oregon defensive line, a stalwart, veteran group that includes Brandon Dorlus and Mase Funa on the outside, Popo Aumavae, Casey Rogers and Taki Taimani in the middle, all providing an incredible physical challenge. Rogers squats 700 pounds. Tamani has made a tremendous leap forward this spring. "Who in our conference is going to block Taki?" Terry said, "It’s gonna be a long day in office for a lot of people.”
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