Saturday Afternoon was an absolute nightmare for the Oregon Ducks as the team fell in a shocking upset to Oklahoma State. The sobering loss instantly created a ton of questions around this team in a year that Dan Lanning was supposed to have his best chance yet to bring a National Championship back to Eugene. Among the many problems the Ducks have is that the offensive line remains a work in progress.
After allowing 4 sacks and struggling to open holes in the run game, Oregon's offensive line had a chance to continue rotating players through the unit. It turns out that Oregon will have one less player to plug into the group as the Ducks lost a key starter for the season on Saturday.
Starting offensive guard Trent Ferguson ruled out for the season
On Monday, Dan Lanning spoke to the media for the first time since the Ducks returned to Eugene following Saturday's loss. As everyone looks for answers and potential ways to fix the issues with this team, a new problem was added to the mix as Dan Lanning announced that starting guard Trent Ferguson will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Dan Lanning announced tonight that Oregon starting guard Trent Ferguson is out for the season due to a knee injury.https://t.co/scLtiiNxem pic.twitter.com/qo8MB2bStW
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) September 15, 2026
After Douglas Utu started the season opener against Boise State at left guard, Trent Ferguson came in for 30 snaps and played well, allowing just 1 pressure in 18 pass blocking snaps. This weekend, Trent Ferguson earned the starting role at left guard but played just 12 snaps before Kawika Rogers and freshman Tommy Tofi each took snaps as the Ducks looked to replace him.
Losing Trent Ferguson is a massive blow to Oregon's offensive line depth, as he looked to be trending toward being one of the starters on the interior for the rest of the season. Instead, Oregon now will need to look for a full-time starter at guard which could also effect how the Ducks' fill the two tackle positions.
Given that Kawika Rogers and Tommy Tofi each played at left guard while Michael Bennett III played 1 snap at right guard, the team will likely give each a chance to earn the job against Portland State. Douglas Utu didn't play against Oklahoma State, but Dan Lanning shared that he could return this weekend which would be a massive boost.
Fox Crader and Ziyare Addison both had solid starts against Boise State, but there are now some questions about the two at the offensive tackle positions. It's easy to write off the concerns, and with Portland State next on the schedule, we likely won't see the two truly tested again until the USC game, which is concerning given the stakes of the game.
The Portland State game arrives at a perfect time as the players are clearly still adapting to the new coordinators, and the Ducks have a ton to work through. Getting the young offensive linemen experience this weekend will only be for the best moving forward as the Ducks need to find reliable depth to lean on with the wear and tear of Big Ten play.
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