2015 in Review: Offensive Line
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Reviewing Oregon’s 2015 season and looking ahead to spring drills.
DEPTH CHART
LT: Tyler Johnstone, Sr.; Elijah George, So. ; Brady Aiello, Fr.
LG: Matt Pierson, Sr.; Evan Voeller, So.; Davis Miyashiro-Saipaia, RFr.; Shane Lemieux, Fr.
C: Matt Hegarty, Sr.; Doug Brenner, So.; Jake Hanson, Fr.; Zach Okun, Fr.; Jim Weber, RFr.
RG: Cameron Hunt, Jr.; Jake Pisarcik, So.; Tanner Davies, RFr.; Mike Miller, RFr.
RT: Tyrell Crosby, So.; Haniteli Lousi, Sr.; Calvin Throckmorton, Fr.
Starters: The Ducks withstood the graduation of Hroniss Grasu, Jake Fisher and Hamani Stevens by welcoming in graduate transfer Matt Hegarty and welcoming back Tyler Johnstone from a knee injury. Hegarty was a tough, capable leader at the center spot, and Johnstone was named first-team all-conference and second-team all-America after sitting out 2014. They each started all 13 games, though each was injured in the Alamo Bowl and was unable to finish the game, critical factors in Oregon’s loss to TCU.
Tyrell Crosby came into his own as a sophomore. The analytics web site Pro Football Focus rated him a second-team all-conference pick, and actually gave him a higher grade for the regular season than either of the first-team selections. Cameron Hunt spent his third season as the starter at right guard, and was lauded for his improved maturity; the Ducks need leaders to emerge going forward, and Hunt could be a guy who steps into that role for 2016. The fifth starter for most of 2015 was Matt Pierson, completing a laudable journey from in-state walk-on to scholarship starter for the Ducks.
Oregon’s offensive line helped the Ducks lead the Pac-12 in rushing for the 10th straight season in 2015. The UO offense averaged 279.92 rushing yards per game, fifth-best in the FBS. Pass protection was less consistent; UO quarterbacks were sacked 39 times, with only a dozen teams nationally allowing more.
Reserves: The top five only missed a handful of starts, with Evan Voeller and Doug Brenner stepping up in those instances. Those two and Jake Pisarick generally filled out the regular playing rotation, with Elijah George, Davis Miyashiro-Saipaia, Jim Weber, Tanner Davies and Haniteli Lousi picking up a few reps early in the season. The most high-profile appearance by one of the backups came in the Alamo Bowl, when Brenner was called upon to replace Hegarty. Low snaps were a consistent issue throughout the rest of the game, an obvious point of emphasis entering the offseason.
Redshirts: One of the frustrating elements of the Alamo Bowl’s second half, with its center-QB exchange issues, was the knowledge that a potential center of the future was on the sidelines redshirting. Jake Hanson worked with the second-team offense for much of the fall, but by midseason the determination was made to preserve his year of eligibility. He’s a smart prospect who had never played the position before, but within a week or two of moving there his snaps were consistently clean. The other player who nearly cracked the rotation as a true freshman was Calvin Throckmorton. He’s a big, imposing tackle who was on the bubble to play due to some injuries midway through the year.
The other redshirts spent the entire season on the scout team. Zach Okun is another center prospect, Shane Lemieux is a weight-room junky who provides power at guard, and Brady Aiello is an athletic future tackle. Also new for 2015 was Mike Miller, a transfer who joined the team after a tryout.
SPRING PROJECTION
LT: Tyrell Crosby, Jr.; Elijah George, Jr. ; Brady Aiello, RFr.
LG: Evan Voeller, Jr.; Doug Brenner, Jr.; Shane Lemieux, RFr.
C: Jake Hanson, RFr.; Zach Okun, RFr.; Davis Miyashiro-Saipaia, So.
RG: Jake Pisarcik, Jr.; Tanner Davies, So.; Mike Miller, So.
RT: Cameron Hunt, Sr.; Calvin Throckmorton, RFr.; Jacob Capra, Fr.
What to watch: With so many players and positions to fill, the offensive line is tough to project. The depth chart above spreads out the returning starters, after the loss of the entire left side to graduation. And it’s not total speculation – for at least one series of the Alamo Bowl, position coach Steve Greatwood played Crosby at left tackle and Hunt at right tackle. One of the ‘X’ factors for 2016 could be the impact of George. After two years of knee problems, he finally was able to get in a full season of development in 2015. He’s an athletic tackle, and if he’s ready to start perhaps Crosby and Hunt can stay in their normal spots. The red flag is the youth at center, another spot where Hunt could be a factor if necessary. But the optimistic outlook is that Hanson is ready to follow in the footsteps of Grasu, entering the lineup as a redshirt freshman and in line to be a four-year starter.
