Ducks Digest

Oregon Ducks Center Iapani Laloulu Leading Offensive Line In Impressive Stats

After a rocky start for the start of the season, the Oregon Ducks offensive line has found its key rotation, and its center Iapani Laloulu is putting up some interesting statistics, catching notice of the Rimington Trophy, awarded to the best center in college football.

Ally Osborne

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel, left, and offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu celebrate a touchdown run by Gabriel as the Ducks host the Spartans Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.
Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel, left, and offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu celebrate a touchdown run by Gabriel as the Ducks host the Spartans Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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After the Oregon Ducks' first two games against Idaho and Boise State, a lot of concern started bubbling over about the state of the offensive line. The Ducks had given up seven sacks in two games after only giving up five sacks the whole season during the previous year.

However, after a rotation change that began during the Oregon State game and felt solidified by the trip to UCLA the following week, it seems like Oregon’s offensive line has found their groove, and quite successfully.

Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu (72) and Oregon Ducks defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei (10) leave the field afte
Sep 14, 2024; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu (72) and Oregon Ducks defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei (10) leave the field after the game against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

One of the biggest strong points for Oregon’s trench turnaround is center Iapani “Poncho” Laloulu. A sophomore out of Hawaii, Laloulu was the backup for Rimington Trophy Winner and now Las Vegas Raider Jackson Powers-Johnson. After making his first career start in 2023 for the Ducks during the VRBO Fiesta Bowl against Liberty, Laloulu has a firm hold on the starting center position going forward, once held by junior Charlie Pickard.

Recently, Laloulu received a shoutout as a Rimington Trophy Award Watchlist candidate. According to Pro Football Focus, Laloulu has not allowed a sack in 270 pass blocking snaps and has not allowed beyond two quarterback pressures in a single game so far in the season with a pass blocking grade of 69.0. Pro Football Focus uses an algorithm to check each athlete’s direct contributions to the game per snap.

Laloulu’s impact can also be seen in the run game. Thanks to the interior offensive line shift, there’s a lot more movement in the ground game compared to the abysmal 2.9 yards per rush put up against Idaho to start the season. According to PFF, Duck running back Jordan James is second to Boise State running back and Heisman Trophy favorite Ashton Jeanty for "Run Only Grades" through week eight with a 90.4 (Jeanty’s is a 98.5). That not only shows impressive skills through James, but how much the offensive line with Laloulu at the helm has improved since the start of the season.

It’s also noticeable that quarterback Dillon Gabriel looks more comfortable in the pocket with seemingly more time to execute with Laloulu leading the charge. Gabriel seemingly has more time to plan out deep balls, something he didn’t often rely on at the start of the season due to a quickly collapsing interior in the pocket. Against Michigan State and Ohio State, the Oregon offensive line did not allow a single sack (however, against Purdue, 3 sacks were allowed).

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel, left, and offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu celebrate a touchdown run by Gabriel as t
Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel, left, and offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu celebrate a touchdown run by Gabriel as the Ducks host the Spartans Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In week eight, Laloulu did not break into the leaderboard for the highest graded centers of the week on the PFF algorithm, something he achieved during week five. The Big Ten Conference did not have any centers break into week eight’s top ten highest performers. The number one title in the nation for highest graded center currently lies with Colorado State Rams’ Jacob Gardner (83.9).

Looking back on the start of the season and the woes Oregon fans had about the offensive line performance, and even offensive line coach A’lique Terry wearing a t-shirt with “2.9 YPC Idaho” to Boise State week practices, it’s comforting to know that the Ducks have found their trench men to playing “winning football.”

You can catch Laloulu starting for Oregon on Saturday, October 26th versus the Illinois Fighting Illini at Autzen Stadium. Kickoff is at 12:30pm.

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Ally Osborne
ALLY OSBORNE

A born and raised Oregonian, Ally was raised going up and down the steps of Autzen Stadium. Ally graduated from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications in 2021. She currently works at KOIN 6 and Portland's CW in Portland, Oregon where she hosts the lifestyle program "Everyday Northwest" and reports for the KOIN Sports team. She's also a graphic designer in her free time, with several of her works created for Oregon athletes.

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