Bo Nix praises cohesiveness from offensive line group

The Oregon Ducks offensive line has undergone a few changes over the weeks. With injuries affecting some players along the line, the Ducks have had to rotate through a number of players. However, the game of musical chairs happening in front of him has not really been noticed or felt by starting quarterback Bo Nix. In a recent interview, Nix expressed how he is comfortable and confident because of the cohesiveness in the offensive line despite all the movement.

“As a quarterback, the best thing is when the offensive line is really good. And I think the most part is how experienced they are. They just do a really good job of communicating,” said Nix. “They watch film a lot together, and just a very close-knit group that seen a lot of football and they play really hard up front. That’s all you can ask for as a quarterback.”

With starting tackle Ryan Walk looking at being out for an extended period, the Duck have turned to third-year sophomore Marcus Harper to fill the void. Harper recently said that it has been over 1,000 days since he has played any meaningful snaps dating back to his time in high school. And with that being the case, you would think there would be a little cause for concern with Nix.

“To be honest, no; ’cause from week one, week two, you saw a lot of consistency. Obviously, down the road, you can continue to see guys go in and out. Because, unfortunately, at the o-line position, sometimes a lot of guys get injured and banged up, and so you got to have a lot of different lineups. But I’m comfortable with all those guys, confident, and trust them all.”

Lanning discusses approach to using redshirt players throughout season

Every college coach has to figure out with their young incoming players whether or not to redshirt them for the season. And while some coaches struggle in making these decisions, the Oregon Ducks‘ first-year head coach Dan Lanning, has a fluid method and navigating those waters. During a recent press conference, Lanning discussed his approach to using redshirt players throughout the season.

“Honestly, our plan is how can we best develop our players and how can we best win games. I think that conversation continues to change throughout the year based on your health as a team; based on people’s performance,” said Lanning. “To think that any of the guys that just got here for us will be the same players ten games from now is a complete disservice to them and our program from a development standpoint.”

Despite this being Lanning’s first time as a head coach, he is familiar with how to utilize redshirting and redshirt players throughout the season. At his previous home with the Georgia Bulldogs, that topic came up with a handful of players.