Tag: Alex Forsyth

Injury Report: Updated news for Oregon Ducks ahead of game vs Utah

The Ducks got banged up against Washington on Saturday, and could potentially be without a few key pieces this weekend against Utah.

Obviously, no one wants to see a player go down with an injury, but when Oregon quarterback Bo Nix was being helped off the field after a hit to the knee, you could hear a pin drop inside Autzen Stadium.

The fate of the Oregon Ducks football season could rest on Nix’s knee. They need him to play. It would be the difference between a possible Pac-12 title with a trip to the Rose Bowl and an appearance in the Sun Bowl.

When asked in his Monday press conference, Ducks head coach Dan Lanning didn’t give specifics, but he said he felt better about the situation than he did Saturday night.

Besides Nix, a few other Ducks were banged up during the 37-34 loss to Washington. The Ducks don’t offer an official injury report each and every week, so we tried to compile some information from what we’ve seen and heard this week at practice and interviews.

Dan Lanning offers cryptic injury update for QB Bo Nix, multiple starting offensive linemen

Lanning was asked about the health of QB Bo Nix. He gave a guarded answer, but hinted at some positive news that was received on that front.

The potential high ceiling for the Oregon Ducks’ 2022 season was thrown into question on Saturday night when quarterback Bo Nix went down with an apparent knee injury in the fourth quarter against the Washington Huskies.

Nix sat out a drive while getting checked out by trainers in the medical tent, but he went back in for the Ducks’ final drive, though it was too late for a comeback victory.

Nix did not meet with media members after the game, so it wasn’t until Monday night that we gained any clarity on his injury. If that’s what you call what head coach Dan Lanning gave us during his weekly press conference.

“I’m not going to share really any update with anyone,” Lanning said. “We came away dinged in that game. I will say that I feel lot more positive today getting to hear some news on where things are at right now.”

Of course, the question was about updates for Nix as well as starting center Alex Forsyth, and starting right guard Ryan Walk. It’s impossible to say whether or not supposed positive news was or any individual in particular, or the group at large.

“I’m feeling better about our health this week,” Lanning again stated later in the interview.

Whether that means that all three starters are good to go and will play vs. No. 10 Utah on Saturday or not is up for question, but we will learn more on Tuesday when media members get a chance to see a portion of practice.

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Total of 5 Oregon Ducks named to Reese’s Senior Bowl watch list

A total of five Oregon Ducks have been placed on the Reese’s Senior Bowl watch list ahead of the season.

With less than a week until the 2022 college football season getting off the ground, one of the more anticipated watch lists for the nation’s veteran players has been released.

The Reese’s Senior Bowl watch list features 484 players who deserve to be focused on ahead of next year’s 2023 NFL Draft. It is a compilation of the “best of the best” draft prospects who will be eligible to play in the annual Senior Bowl after the season is over, giving them arguably the biggest stage — aside from the NFL Combine — to showcase their skills and offer NFL teams a chance to evaluate them.

While the Oregon Ducks are a young team, there is a handful of guys who made the list, five in total. Here’s who is on the watch list.

Adrian Klemm describes ‘comfort’ that positional flexibility brings the offensive line

The Ducks’ offensive line is experienced and versatile. That brings comfort and flexibility for the offense, says Adrian Klemm.

On a roster filled with newcomers at several key positions, including quarterback, a big saving grace for the 2022 Oregon Ducks is the experience on the offensive line.

Alex Forsyth returns at the pivot position in the middle, ready to once again compete for the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center.

The rest of the (projected) starting line includes redshirt junior Steven Jones, senior transfer T.J. Bass, redshirt senior Ryan Walk, and redshirt transfer senior Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu.

So while experience (and to some degree continuity) is a big benefit for this group of linemen, the unit also features a ton of positional flexibility which should help them in the short and long term.

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“We have a good idea on what position best suits them,” new offensive line coach Adrian Klemm said. “But there’s always a positive outcome when you have position flexibility, when you have some mobility. It’s not something I like to do within a game, but it’s comforting, especially for the offense coordinator to know that guys are capable of doing certain things.”

Oregon is heading into the season with a new head coach and new coordinators on offense and defense, so versatility and flexibility are no doubt crucial elements for everyone on the roster as they try to put the pieces together to get the most successful results in year one.

However, Klemm is weary of trying to push these guys without giving them the proper opportunity to work on the nuances of each different spot along the offensive line in practice first.

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“You never want to throw a guy in there during the game that hasn’t taken any reps at that position,” Klemm stated. “They kind of blame the kid and say, ‘Oh, he’s not doing a good job.’ If you haven’t given him an opportunity to kind of hone his craft, and to do that in practice, then you can’t expect them to have success in the game.”

With just a few weeks until the season opener against Georgia, Klemm will be working hard to have each of the guys ready to work at least at one spot up front. However, the more spots each guy can contribute the more dynamic this offensive unit will be this season.

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Where the Ducks land among the top-ranked offensive lines in the nation

The Ducks have experience on their side when it comes to the O-Line. They rank among the best units in the nation going into 2022.

When many people project the Oregon Ducks are going to find success in the 2022 season under new head coach Dan Lanning, a lot of that is on the basis it will come of the backs of the defense.

However, you shouldn’t be so quick to overlook the offensive line.

One of the most valuable position groups on the field, Oregon has a real strength on the line this season, returning a handful of starters from last season and bringing in some talented young pieces as well. Though there have been a couple of injuries to monitor — T.J. Bass and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu have missed time during fall camp — the Ducks look largely healthy and ready to go for the start of the season.

If you’re looking for it, there is also an upside that comes with the injuries on the front line as well. While we expect the veteran players to be ready to go by Week 1, their missing practice has allowed some young guys — five-star offensive tackle Josh Conerly, four-star offensive guard Dave Iuli and three-star OT Kawika Rogers — to get valuable reps early on in practice.

“Fortunate for us we’ve been able to get a lot of young guys reps early,” Lanning said earlier this week. “And there’s been some guys that have stuck out and had really good days. You know, Josh Conerly had a good day, had a really good rep and competition today. Competition drill — we do kind of a one-on-one drill — he did a really good job. Seen some good things from Dave (Iuli), seen some good things from Kawika (Rogers). A lot of those young guys have done well up front.”

As it stands, the Ducks should feel confident about where their OL stands going into the season. But where do they stack up when it comes to the best position groups in the nation? Here’s where On3 ranked them:

Alex Forsyth on Rimington Trophy Award watchlist for second year in a row

For the second year in a row, Oregon Ducks center Alex Forsyth is a candidate for the Rimington Trophy award.

There is not a lot of continuity between the 2021 Oregon Ducks and the 2022 version, which features a new head coach, new offensive and defensive coordinators, a new quarterback, mostly new running backs and wide receivers, and multiple new starters in the secondary.

One constant is the man in the middle of the offensive line, center Alex Forsyth, who was once again named to the watchlist for the 2022 Rimington Trophy Award, given annually to the nation’s top center.

Forsyth was on the watchlist last season as he led Oregon’s offensive line unit, although the award was eventually given to Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum.

Forsyth is one of five Pac-12 centers to make the watchlist, alongside Brett Neilon from USC, Drake Nugent from Stanford, Jake Levengood from Oregon State, and Matthew Cindric from Cal.

Oregon has had their ups and downs on the front five in the past few seasons, but Forsyth remains a steady presence on a team filled with uncertainty (and excitement) as the 2022 season approaches.

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Alex Forsyth offers advice to 5-star Oregon OT Josh Conerly Jr.

Josh Conerly comes to Oregon as the highest-rated OT in Oregon history. Despite lofty expectations and comparisons, veteran Alex Forsyth offers sage advice.

Life as a 5-star recruit is sometimes a blessing and a curse. The opportunities presented to you are often endless, with almost any school in the nation falling over themselves trying to get you to commit to their school. However, once you decide which team you’re going to play for, the expectations are extremely high. Even a slight underperformance will leave you exposed to ridicule and fan aggravation.

For Oregon’s freshman offensive tackle Josh Conerly, that has to be something that’s not far from mind. After signing with the Ducks this spring, Conerly became the highest-rated OT in school history, ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 player at his position in the country. With that ranking, some are expecting him to start from day one, and have an instant impact on the offensive line.

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Veteran center Alex Forsyth wants to push back on those expectations.

“It takes a while to get good at football or to be like ready,” Forsyth said, via Duck Territory’s Erik Skopil. “It’s not their fault that they’re a five-star. It’s not their fault that they were highly ranked. So I think sometimes it kind of sucks for the kids.”

As the new highest-ranked OT in Oregon history, Conerly is drawing immediate comparisons to Penei Sewell, arguably the best OT to ever play for the Ducks. Sewell — who was the No. 1 OT in Oregon history at the time of his commitment — started as a freshman, won the Outland Trophy as a sophomore, and was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the No. 7 overall pick in 2021.

“I hate comparing players. You can never try to be somebody else because then you’re gonna lose sight of who you are and what makes you special,” Forsyth said. “Penei did unique things that I can never do and 99.9-percent of football players can never do. So it’s hard to compare anybody to him and I just think for a young player, it’s unfair to make comparisons and be like, ‘Oh, he’s like that guy.'”

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Conerly will have an uphill battle to find a starting spot on the Oregon O-line, considering that the Ducks bring back 5 starting linemen from last season. If he can’t crack the starting lineup, that shouldn’t be viewed as a detriment to the freshman phenom, though. He may be ranked higher than Sewell was, but that doesn’t mean his career trajectory needs to be compared to the Oregon legend’s every step of the way.

“Everybody is their own unique player,” Forsyth said. “They do things better than some and some not as good as others but that’s what makes players special and unique to themselves.”

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Travis Dye undecided on if he will return to Oregon Ducks in 2022

Travis Dye said this week that he is still undecided on if he will return to the Ducks in 2022 or not.

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As the Oregon Ducks football season winds to a close and we prepare for Senior Night, we are looking to the players who could potentially participate in the ceremonies.

While the university is yet to tell us which players will be honored, fans are left a bit in the dark, especially this year with so many players given an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic-shortened season. For example, starting center Alex Forsyth announced earlier this week that he will be returning in 2022 despite already playing four seasons with the Ducks.

So what does starting RB Travis Dye plan to do next year? According to the 4th-year junior, he isn’t quite sure just yet. However, he did say that he won’t be participating in the senior night activities on Saturday.

“I haven’t decided no, but I’m leaning on I’m probably not going to,” Dye said this week. “It’s Senior Day; it’s important for the seniors to get their shine and their recognition and I don’t want to take anything away from them.”

If Dye were to return next season, it would be a boost for the Oregon backfield, but also has the potential to give them a “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario, with Byron Cardwell, Trey Benson, Sean Dollars, and Seven McGee all looking for reps. There is also the possibility that CJ Verdell returns again next year after missing much of this season with a foot injury.

Players who have competed in four years of college football are being entered into the 2022 NFL Draft, per an agreement between the NFL and NFLPA, and have until Feb. 4 to opt-out and return to college.

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Report: Alex Forsyth says he is returning to the Ducks next season

Oregon’s starting center Alex Forsyth says that he plans to return to the Ducks for the 2022 season as a fifth-year senior.

The Oregon Ducks are among the youngest teams in the country this season, but one of their veteran players announced that he plans to return next year, rather than trying his hand in the NFL draft.

According to The Oregonian’s James Crepea, Forsyth said that he is coming back for 2022.

Forsyth has played for the Ducks for four seasons and has been the starting center for the past two. Forsyth was granted an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic-shortened season last year, and he will return to the roster as one of the oldest and most experienced players on the roster.

Around him, the Ducks are expected to have a deep talent pool to fill out the front-five, including Ryan Walk, Jackson Powers-Johnson, T.J. Bass, Dawson Jaramillo, and Steven Jones, among others.

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Injury Update: Ryan Walk avoids season-ending injury; expected to miss 3-4 weeks

Ryan Walk is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a left knee injury, but should be okay to go for the bowl season.

The Oregon Ducks offensive line has been hammered with injuries almost from Day 1 of the 2021 season. The group has had to mix and match throughout with the most significant injury being center Alex Forsyth.

So when lineman Ryan Walk went down with a left knee injury in the middle of the Washington Huskies game, a collective holding of the breath occurred on the Duck sideline.

As it turns out, according to Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal, the injury wasn’t as bad as first feared. The Ducks thought that maybe Walk would be out for the rest of the season.

Fortunately for everyone involved, especially Walk himself, the big 6-foot-3, 293-pound junior will only miss three or four weeks. That timetable might take him out for the remainder of the regular season, but he should be available for the bowl season or maybe the college football playoff.

Lineman Steven Jones also went down during the game as he was rolled up on and he’s questionable to play this Saturday against Washington State. Jackson Powers-Johnson, who has missed time, will be available for the Cougar game.

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