Big men on the firing line for Ducks' offensive woes.

Byline: Bob Clark The Register-Guard

So how does Oregon get this two-game slide turned around?

The head coach put it on the offensive line.

`Absolutely,' Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. `I've said it my entire career, the game starts at the line of scrimmage.'

So the comeback has to start up front?

`I think so,' UO center Dan Weaver said. `The downfall is a little bit of our fault, and our climb back has to be totally on our shoulders.'

Mostly, those shoulders have been hitting the blocking sleds and dummies the past couple of days. The Ducks don't play Arizona State until Saturday, but UO offensive line coach Neal Zoumboukos was hoarse by Tuesday from instructing and, yes, yelling.

`You block through the man, not to him,' Zoumboukos' voice boomed across the practice field.

Oregon quarterbacks have been sacked nine times, and the tailbacks have averaged 2.1 yards per carry in consecutive losses. If those numbers describe a faltering offense, what do they say about its offensive line?

`The best word to describe it is disappointing,' Zoumboukos said. `It was a lack of technique, it was a lack of focus, it was a lack of execution and it all falls directly on me.'

His offensive linemen, Zoumboukos said, `were not prepared to play at a high level against Utah.'

Some of the problems against Washington State were the result of the Ducks being so far behind early, due to turnovers and special teams mistakes, that the Oregon offense was put in the position of having to throw more than it would normally. So much for balance.

The scoreboard was no ready reason for the line's struggles against Utah, and it was a struggle. The Ducks didn't score a point in the final 41 minutes. Oregon had only three rushing first downs, two on scrambles by quarterback Jason Fife when he was flushed out of the pocket.

Utah defensive end Josh Savage turned the game into a personal highlight video with seven tackles, including three for lost yardage.

`We made the Utah defensive end look good,' Zoumboukos protested. `With all due respect to the young man, it was us, not him.'

Except, that's two consecutive weeks of big games by opposing defensive ends.

`Fast and mobile,' Bellotti said of the common trait of those ends. `Our tackles have not done a good job. That will be a huge focus this week because Arizona State has similar defensive ends. They're not the biggest guys, but they have good athleticism and agility and we have to neutralize that.'

Back at square one, Zoumboukos said Oregon's linemen need to improve their `pad level.' In two words, get lower.

`They have to bend their knees,' Zoumboukos said. `It's a critical part of run blocking, it's a critical part of pass blocking. We've just got to get back to the basics.

`If you stand up when you're trying to pass block, they're going to knock you back into the quarterback. If you stand up when you're trying to run block, you're not going to get anybody moved, and you might get knocked on your butt, all of which happened in the Utah game.'

Those are usually mistakes made by young or inexperienced linemen. The Ducks are neither up front, with the core group a senior in Weaver and four juniors - Michael DeLaGrange, Robin Knebel, Adam Snyder and Nick Steitz. They've been joined in the regular rotation by sophomore Ian Reynoso, who despite an injured knee was the one offensive lineman who graded out higher against Utah than he did against Michigan.

`That's how it should be, and (Reynoso) did it playing on one leg,' Zoumboukos said.

Zoumboukos said three linemen graded out close to their scores against the Wolverines, and that shouldn't happen, he said, because Michigan was the superior defensive line, so grades should have been better against the Utes.

The grades against Utah for the other two UO linemen? `Abysmal,' Zoumboukos said, naming no names but pulling no punches.

Certainly, there have been setbacks for the UO blockers, with both Reynoso and DeLaGrange (shoulder) hampered in recent weeks by injuries.

`It obviously affects us,' DeLaGrange said. `Guys are moving around and you're playing with guys you're not used to (but) there can't be any excuses for not getting the job done.

`We've got to move somebody out of the way and protect the quarterback, that's what we've got to do.'

Weaver said the cumulative effect of linemen being held out of practices the previous three weeks was more responsible for diminished performance than players not being at full strength for games.

Weaver said that more than the performance being affected because players aren't full strength for games was the cumulative effect of linemen being held out of practices the previous three weeks.

`Practice time is the most important thing,' Weaver said. `It's a matter of being comfortable with the people around you.'

Weaver said that's where the Ducks especially miss three-year starter Joey Forster, the best and most experienced lineman, who was lost for the season prior to the opener due to a knee injury.

`Everybody was so comfortable with him in there,' Weaver said.

`Yeah, I wish we still had Joey, but it doesn't work that way,' Zoumboukos said. `The fact remains, this is what we've got and you've got to make do with what you've got.'

While not listed on any injury reports, the assorted bumps and bruises for most of the linemen start to add up by midseason, especially after physical games against Michigan and WSU, followed by a short week of recovery before going to Utah.

This group may appreciate next week's bye more than any other unit on the team.

`If we don't perform well this Saturday, there isn't going to be a bye week for these guys,' Zoumboukos said.

Changes in the starting lineup aren't likely simply because there are few options. Reynoso was pushed into more playing time sooner than expected by the injuries to Forster and then DeLaGrange, but the rest of the depth remains largely untried in sophomore Josh Hagemeyer and redshirt freshmen Shawn Perkins and Enoka Lucas.

Zoumboukos said that trio has `made strides (but) I don't believe they're quite ready for the prime time. They'll give us more depth, but to utilize them in the rotation like we've had in the past, we're not there yet.'

So it's back to the basics, with the same basic five plus Reynoso. Frankly, that's still a fairly good unit ... or should be, based on past performances including the start of this season.

`That's why it's so disappointing, 'cause there's an awful lot of ability in those young men that unfortunately I didn't get out of them last Friday night,' Zoumboukos said.

His solution? More work, and fewer rewards.

`No more sugar for them,' Zoumboukos said. `They never should have been on a billboard, they never should have been in the newspaper, there never should have been a (Pac-10) player of the week award. No more of that sugar. It's all salt this week, and for the rest of the year.'

OREGON FOOTBALL UPDATE

Parker's return: Samie Parker, who remains tied for the team lead in receptions with 31, isn't expected to rejoin the Ducks until Thursday's practice. He has been in Los Angeles, where the funeral for his step-father is scheduled today.

Parker missed most of the previous week's workouts while in Los Angeles with his mother but did meet the Ducks in Salt Lake City and played Friday night against Utah, recording four receptions for 86 yards. He is expected to play Saturday against Arizona State, but again will be replaced in the starting lineup by Kellen Taylor, who also had four receptions at Utah.

On second thought: After not announcing any players of the week as usual on Monday, UO coaches reconsidered and Tuesday honored linebacker Kevin Mitchell and kicker Jared Siegel for their performances against the Utes. Mitchell was in on 13 tackles and broke up three passes, and Siegel kicked two field goals, including a season-long 42-yarder, and also put his four kickoffs either beyond or deep enough in the end zone that Utah didn't return any.

CAPTION(S):

Oregon quarterbacks have been on the run in the past two losses, and the Duck coaching staff says the offensive line shares the blame.