Those Oregon national championship hopes hinge on one thing

Dan Lanning and the Oregon coaching staff have assembled one of the most talented rosters in college football. Running back Jordon Davison finished second in the Big Ten with 15 rushing touchdowns as a true freshman. The Ducks other rookie running back Dierre Hill averaged 8.8 yards per carry, second in the nation behind Navy quarterback Braxton Woodson.

At wide receiver the team features four former five-stars in Evan Stewart, Dakorien Moore, Jalen Lott and Gatlin Bair. Their tight end Jamari Johnson could be a first-round draft pick and the best pass-catching tight end in the NCAA.

Quarterback Dante Moore is a Heisman Trophy candidate after throwing for 3.565 yards and 30 touchdowns a year ago.

The array of offensive talent at the so-called skill positions is impressive, but it all counts for nothing unless A'lique Terry can put together another effective offensive line. Terry has crafted three straight Joe Moore Award finalists, but this season he's replacing three starters, including All-American and third-round draft pick Emmanuel Pregnon at left guard.

Fortunately the cupboard isn't bare. Terry has recruited brilliantly over the last several seasons.

Depth and teaching key parts of Terry's winning recipe

The Ducks return two experienced, reliable starters in Dave Iuli and Rimington Award candidate Iapani "Poncho" Laloulu at center. Laloulu is pivotal: If a team was returning just one offensive lineman, you'd want it to be a left tackle or a center. The center quarterbacks the offensive line, and Laloulu is a passionate leader with 30 career starts.

Fox Crader takes over at LT for the Law Firm, a former four-star with one start last year. The crew added a pair of impact freshman in four-star Tommy Tofi and five-star Immanuel Iheanacho, who arrived on campus last week.

The uber-talented freshmen will push a group of returnees who contributed significant snaps last season, including Ferguson, Brooks, Manning and Stascausky. Right tackle Gernorris Wilson has played in 19 games with one start, but he was plagued by injuries last year.

Three things present a strong case for success in trenches for the Ducks:

• 1. Terry's track record

Three straight Moore Award finalists and a demonstrated ability to teach the fundamentals of line play.

• 2. Laloulu's leadership

A senior who could have declared for the NFL draft.

• 3. Depth of competition

Iuli's a senior with 19 career starts. Last season he allowed zero sacks, just 10 pressures in 453 pass snaps. At the tackles, it's not as if Isaiah World and Alex Harkey will be hard to match for production and consistency.

Alongside these two, the Ducks have an impressive collection of top prospects pushing each other, several with a couple of years in the program, capped by two top freshmen, both over 6-6, 340. The unit's one lone 2026 transfer, Michael Bennett of Yale, should be in the mix to crack the two-deep, twice All-Ivy with the Bulldogs.

Terry has size, strength and talent to work with. He also enjoys a top-ranked defense and a favorable early-season schedule as he brings the unit along.

By the time Oregon travels to USC for a ranked matchup with the Trojans on September 28, they should be ready for a hostile environment. Not that The Coliseum is particularly intimidating.

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