Oregon Ducks Center Iapani Laloulu leads offensive line in impressive stats

After the Oregon ducks‘ first two games against Idaho and Boise State, a lot concern started bubbling over the state of the offensive line. The Ducks had given up seven sacks in two games after giving up just five sacks all season the previous year.

However, after a rotation change that started during the Oregon State game and was reinforced by the trip to UCLA the following week, it appears that Oregon’s offensive line has found its groove, and quite successfully.

One of the biggest strengths of Oregon’s turnaround is its center Iapani “Poncho” Laloulu. Laloulu, a sophomore from Hawaii, was the backup for Rimington Trophy Winner and now Las Vegas Raider Jackson Powers Johnson. After making his first career start in 2023 for the Ducks in the VRBO Fiesta Bowl against Liberty, Laloulu has a firm grip on the starting center position once held by junior Charlie Pickard going forward.

Laloulu recently received a shoutout as a candidate for the Rimington Trophy Award Watchlist. According to Pro Football Focus, Laloulu has not allowed a sack in 270 pass-blocking snaps and has not allowed more than two quarterback pressures in a single game so far in the season with a pass-blocking grade of 69.0. Pro Football Focus uses an algorithm to instantly check each athlete’s direct contribution to the game.

Laloulu’s impact can also be seen in the run game. Thanks to the internal offensive line shift, there is a lot more movement in the ground game compared to the abysmal 2.9 yards per rush against Idaho at the start of the season. According to PFF, Duck running back Jordan James is second only to Boise State running back and Heisman Trophy favorite Ashton Jeanty for “Run Only Grades” through week eight with a 90.4 (Jeanty’s is a 98.5). That not only shows impressive skills through James, but also how much the attacking line with Laloulu at the helm has improved since the start of the season.

It also falls on that quarterback Dillon Gabriel looking more comfortable in the pocket with seemingly more time to execute while Laloulu is in charge. Gabriel seemingly has more time to plan deep balls, something he didn’t rely on much early in the season due to a quickly collapsing interior in the pocket. Against Michigan State and State of OhioOregon’s offensive line did not allow a single sack (against Purdue, however, 3 sacks were allowed).

In week eight, Laloulu failed to break into the rankings for the week’s highest-rated centers on the PFF algorithm, something he achieved in week five. In the Big Ten Conference, no centers broke into the top ten best performers in week eight. The number one title in the country for highest rated center currently belongs to Jacob Gardner of the Colorado State Rams (83.9).

Looking back at the start of the season and the grief Oregon fans had about the offensive line performance, and even offensive line coach A’lique Terry wearing a t-shirt that read “2.9 YPC Idaho” during Boise State weekday practices, is it’s reassuring to know that the Ducks have found their trenches to play “winning football.”

You can catch Laloulu starting for Oregon on Saturday, October 26 against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Autzen Stadium. The kick-off is at 12.30 pm.