dpIt’s no secret that the No. 23 Oregon Ducks (5-3 overall, 4-1 Big Ten) have struggled throughout the 2026 regular season with finding a successful lineup in the offensive trenches, particularly in the tackle slots.
However, it seems that the 34-26 win over Northwestern at Autzen Stadium finally solidified the front five, with the Ducks utilizing their first consecutive starting group this year to produce the fourth-highest overall offensive yards of the season, second-highest passing yards of the season, and a season-low zero offensive penalties for a much-needed win.
Dan Lanning Reflects On Offensive Line Rotation
That offensive line starting rotation against Northwestern included: left tackle junior Fox Crader, left guard freshman Tommy Tofi, center senior Iapani “Poncho” Laloulu, right guard sophomore Douglas Utu, right tackle senior Gernorris Wilson.
Though the Ducks are cementing a pattern in the trenches, Lanning still asserts there’s work to be done for a position group that previously recorded three straight Joe Moore Award finalist nods.
“Yeah, I think we’re still identifying strengths as we go through, but this is a group that’s been cohesive kind of the last two weeks. I think this we’ve had a better done a better job of moving bodies up front, which I think is really where it always starts,” Lanning said during his Monday weekly pregame press conference.
The Injuries In The Trenches
There’s also the factor of injuries pursuing throughout the season that could impact Oregon’s current trench rotation. During the Oklahoma State loss, relief lineman Trent Ferguson went down with a knee injury that ended his season. It should also be noted that freshman Immanuel Iheanacho has missed a handful of games this season, and Iuli is listed as “out” for the trip to Columbus.
“You talk about winning the line of scrimmage, and some of those were just necessary reps to get us to the point to where we felt like we had that. The reality is the O-line that we’re playing with right now might not be the O-line that we continue to play with the entire year, just because we know how football plays, right?” Lanning said.
“Injuries may happen, matchups may happen. I think the competition has really helped us at those positions. That those guys feeling like they’re battling every single day to go out there and play, knowing that nothing’s guaranteed, and it’s about what you do each day,” Lanning said.
Aggressiveness vs. Clocking In
For Lanning, the essence of his current line setup is based on consistency. Though the Ducks’ previous offensive lines made up of veteran transfers boasted vicious plays (Los Angeles Charger Alex Harkey comes to mind), participated in trick plays (Wilson’s touchdowns from 2025), or had explosive tackles to secure the outside line (Washington Commander Josh Conerly comes to mind), this line just needs to focus on the basics of securing the pocket.
“And it goes a little bit back to what I talked about, also of having that assassin mentality as opposed to a superhero mentality. There’s times that we’ve been poor this season because we’re trying to get a knockout shot rather than just do our job,” Lanning said.
“And I think this group’s probably been the most consistent right now with that. Of okay, ‘I’m gonna I’m gonna do my job. I’m gonna do what’s necessary for the team. I don’t have to do anything extraordinary. I just gotta do that,'” Lanning added.
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