Oregon Ducks Coach Wears Statement T-Shirt Before Boise State

After a less than perfect performance from Oregon Football’s offensive linemen during week one, offensive line coach A’Lique Terry is making sure his players have a chip on their shoulder as they prepare for Boise State.

Oregon offensive line coach A'lique Terry leads a workout during spring practice with the Ducks in Eugene, Ore. Thursday, April, 13, 2023. Sports Oregon Spring Practice / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

After Oregon Football’s lackluster game versus the Idaho Vandals, many Duck fans are hoping the 24-14 win could be the cold water thrown on the Ducks that helps improve their performance. This upcoming Saturday, Oregon faces the Mountain West Conference Championship preseason favorite, the Boise State Broncos, and the level of competition is certainly going to ramp up. The Ducks need to get their act together and fast.

No position group needs this wake up call more than the offensive line. During the contest vs. Idaho, the Oregon trenches allowed three sacks on quarterback Dillon Gabriel. In comparison, last year the offensive line only allowed five sacks all season. 

Oregon linemen hold the line during a point after kick as the Oregon Ducks host the Idaho Vandals Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Multiple preseason All-American awardee Ajani Cornelius committed two different illegal formation flags after lining up past center Charlie Pickard’s footing, Josh Conerly Jr. got yet another false start penalty added to his resume, Pickard (though Gabriel said he was "solid" on snaps) seemed to lack cohesive communication and was struggling to hold his footing against the Idaho defensive linemen, and Iapani “Poncho” Laloulou tripped on the turf during a play where he needed to cross over to defend a gap among a couple missed blocks. 

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The line simply couldn’t create any gaps, so the rushing offense Oregon is so known for churning out, especially in the past few coaching administrations, was non-existent. One could also partially attribute Gabriel’s insistence on short passes throughout the game to be because he was constantly pressured in the pocket. The pocket couldn’t hold, so Gabriel didn’t have enough time to read the defense and open receivers for more risky passes. There were even a couple times during the game offensive linemen would be pushed into the pocket to unintentionally hit Gabriel while trying to complete a one on one. 

This showing made a unit that last year was a semi-finalist for the Joe Moore Award look less than favorable for a team heavily anticipated to make a championship run. Many online even speculated that former Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson’s talent last year with the Ducks may have covered weak spots the offensive line didn't know were there.

So with all this talk, the trench monsters should be entering this Boise State week with a serious chip on their shoulder. If they aren’t already, offensive line coach A’Lique Terry is making sure his athletes know they need to show up and show out against their upcoming opponent in Autzen Stadium this Saturday.

New Offensive Line coach A'lique Terry, center, runs a drill during the first practice of spring for Oregon Football Thursday March 16, 2023. Eug 031623 Uo Spring Fb 13 / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Terry was seen wearing a shirt at open practice this afternoon with the saying “2.9 YPC - Idaho”, referencing the 2.9 yards per carry the Ducks offensive line helped create while blocking the Vandals. That statistic is unacceptable for this Oregon team looking to make it far into the playoffs this year. One can assume Terry’s statement through his shirt is a way to get the o-line unit to dig deep and address the problems needed to be fixed for the long season ahead.

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Speaking of problems to be fixed, according to reports, Pickard and Lalolou both lined up at first team center and right guard respectively for defensive line blocking drills. It seems that competitiveness for the first team isn’t really there with the depth, which can be sniffed out even by looking at the depth chart provided for the Idaho game, as Lalolou was listed as second team center and starting right guard. However, the second team up for reps in this open practice included George Silva, Nishad Strother, Kanen Rossi, Gernorris Wilson, and Kawika Rogers. Rossi was also taking snaps for the second team center in warm-ups before the Idaho game, but is not listed on the Idaho game depth chart for the Ducks at center.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning did say in his weekly press conference that he is confident that original starting center Matthew Bedford could play in the Boise State game. During this practice, Bedford was in full pads doing no-contact drills. Bedford has been out for some time after suffering an injury in fall camp and the Indiana transfer was expected to be a key part of the men up front this year. 

Terry’s gesture during practice is one of many statements from Oregon coaches emphasizing change has to happen before stepping out on Rich Brooks Field again. One can hope “2.9 YPC - Idaho” is burned into the brains of the mean greens to make sure the Vandals are the only team vandalizing Oregon’s run game this season.

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