Oregon Football: Ducks' Offensive Line Holds Key to Beating Florida State

If Marcus Mariota is the driver and Royce Freeman is the engine, then Oregon’s offensive line is the key that turns on the Ferrari-like Ducks offense.

Oregon’s O-line has been a talking point all season for local and national pundits alike. It’s been a weird year for the group as a whole. The Ducks have suffered through countless injuries along the line, beginning with incumbent left tackle Tyler Johnstone going down with an ACL injury before the season.

On the season, the O-line has allowed Heisman Trophy-winner Marcus Mariota to be sacked 29 times. For the sake of comparison, Mariota was sacked 17 times in 2012—his first year as Oregon's quarterback—and 18 times in 2013. 

The offensive line doesn’t look any better this season when you compare sacks per game and sack percentage to the previous two seasons.

Year	Sacks	Pass Attempts	Sack %	Sacks Per Game
2012	17	336	4.8	1.3
2013	18	386	4.4	1.4
2014	29	372	7.2	2.2

Despite the sacks, the Ducks lead the nation in offensive efficiency, yards per play, points per drive, touchdown percentage and host of other offensive categories. This is to say that regardless of how maligned the offensive line has been this season, the Ducks have produced offensively.

But has the Ducks offensive line been bad all season, or are the sack numbers inflated due to a couple of bad games?

If you said yes to the second part of that question, you would be correct.

Left tackle Jake Fisher missed two games early in the season after suffering a leg injury against Wyoming. In those two games, against Washington State and Arizona (Oregon's lone loss this season), the Ducks were a significantly different team on the offensive side of the ball. In fact, Fisher’s injury nearly derailed Oregon’s season. 

Luckily for the Ducks, Fisher returned for the UCLA game, and the Ducks have been unstoppable ever since. No, seriously: The Ducks have yet to trail in the second half of a game since Fisher returned to the lineup eight games ago.

Here’s a look at how the Oregon offensive line played with and without Fisher. The numbers are staggering. 

	Games	Sacks	Pass Attempts	Sack %	Sacks Per Game
With Fisher	11	17	315	5.1	1.55
Without Fisher	2	12	57	17.4	6

With Fisher in the lineup, Oregon’s offensive line has been one of the best units in the entire country. 

As Grantland’s Matt Hinton explains, Oregon’s offensive line is ranked No. 1 in the nation in Adjusted Line Yards despite having been pelted with numerous costly injuries this year.

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…offensive line, a long-in-the-tooth group that managed to rank no. 1 nationally in Adjusted Line Yards despite a succession of injuries that sidelined two veteran starters (Tyler Johnstone and Andre Yruretagoyena) for all or most of the season and two others (Jake Fisher and Hroniss Grasu) for multiple games. With the exception of Johnstone, who tore his ACL in the preseason and hasn’t played at all, the O-line depth chart for Thursday is fully intact for the first time since September.

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That’s right, Oregon’s offensive line hasn’t been as healthy all season as it should be come Thursday. Senior center Hroniss Grasu, who earned first-team All-Pac-12 and second-team AP All-American honors, will be “ready to play” come January 1, according to Andrew Greif of The Oregonian. Grasu has been out since November 8 after suffering a lower leg injury in the fourth quarter against Utah.

Grasu, a three-time first-team All-Pac-12 center, had started 50 straight games for the Ducks before sitting out the past three. While his loss was thought to be devastating at the time, the Ducks rolled to three landslide victories without him. Hamani Stevens, Oregon’s normal left guard, stepped in at center and the offense didn’t miss a beat.

"Hamani is probably one of the most improved players on our football team this year," said offensive coordinator Scott Frost, according to Greif. "He's had an exceptional year, probably exceeded what we expected from him. And when he stepped in at center, we didn't miss a beat in the championship game."

Oregon’s offensive line should be in a position to play its best football of the season against Florida State. Its players haven’t been this healthy all season and are facing a defense that hasn’t exactly torn apart offensive lines this year.

Despite the fact that Florida State possesses a slew of extraordinary athletes along its defensive line, including All-ACC lineman Eddie Goldman and Mario Edwards Jr., the Seminoles have only managed 17 sacks this season, which ranks No. 107 nationally.

From Grantland’s Hinton:

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…while Florida State boasts a slew of next-level athletes, that hasn’t translated into pressure: FSU averaged fewer sacks per game than any other ACC defense and ranked 108th in Adjusted Sack Rate, worst in the conference except for Pitt.

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If the Ducks are to beat an FSU team that hasn’t lost since 2012, they’re going to need their offensive line to keep Mariota upright. Moreover, Oregon’s offense is predicated on being able to run the ball in any situation.

Oregon’s rushing attack has been phenomenal over the past eight games with Fisher in the lineup. The Ducks have averaged 255 yards per game on the ground since their loss to Arizona, and they are coming off of their best rushing game of the season. In the Pac-12 Championship game, Oregon rushed for 301 yards and scored four touchdowns against a Wildcats team that held them to a season-low 144 yards and zero touchdowns on October 2.

With Fisher in the lineup, the Ducks have averaged 251.7 yards, 5.7 yards per carry and 3.4 rushing touchdowns per game in those 11 games. Without Fisher (two games), the Ducks averaged 158 yards per game, 3.8 yards per carry and failed to score a touchdown on the ground.

Florida State’s defense ranks No. 58 against the run this season and is allowing over 160 yards per game on the ground. With a healthy offensive line in tow and true freshman tailback Royce Freeman running like a savvy veteran, the Ducks should be able to find success on the ground.

The Ducks are in a position to finally become a one of the few college football “blue bloods,” whether they like it or not.

From Bleacher Report’s Greg Couch:

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So now, Oregon has its chance. Even one win—over Florida State—will go a long way. Two wins over the blue bloods would change everything.

Those victories would put Oregon in the club. And its past? It would be flushed away.

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The Ducks are once again on the precipice of greatness. In order for them to finally plant their flag atop the mountain, they’re going to need an impeccable performance from their offensive line.

The O-line simply has to turn on the ignition. Once the key is turned, Marcus Mariota and company will do the rest.

Statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise stated. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.

Jason Gold is Bleacher Report’s lead Oregon writer. Follow Jason on Twitter @TheSportsGuy33.