The Oregon Ducks did not play up to their standard in a Week 1 win over the Idaho Vandals.
A 24-14 final score left a bitter taste in the mouth of many players and fans, and it was concerning enough to drop the Ducks out of the top five of the US LBM Coaches Poll on Tuesday morning.
While there are issues to clean up across the board, the biggest concern has to be the offensive line.
A group that was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award a year ago looked nothing of the sorts in Week 1, giving up three sacks and paving the way for just 107 rushing yards (2.9 yards per carry).
On Tuesday at the Ducks’ practice, offensive line coach A’lique Terry was seen wearing a custom T-shirt meant to inspire his unit, and, hopefully, add some fuel to the fire.
The shirt read “2.9 YPC — Idaho.”
You have to think that shirt will not be for sale in the Duck Store anytime soon.
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Whether or not a few words on the front of a shirt will be enough to inspire the Oregon offensive line is a question for another day, but the Ducks are certainly in need of a big-time bounce back on Saturday night against the Boise State Broncos.
Fortunately, they could have some reinforcements on the way. Indiana transfer right guard Matthew Bedford has been sidelined for the past several weeks with a knee injury.
Bedford practiced in limited fashion last week, and head coach Dan Lanning said on Monday night that he is optimistic the guard would be available to play on Saturday.
It’s just a piece of the puzzle, as is the motivation spurred on by Terry. But in the end, they could be two of the pieces needed to get the Ducks’ O-line back on track.
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