Just one and a half games into the season, the Oregon Ducks lost their two starting left tackles. A week later, the third player to get reps at left tackle, Jake Fisher, went down with an injury. Luckily for the Ducks, Jake Fisher returned from injury to help stabilize the Ducks’ offensive line and bring back one of the nation’s best offenses from its depletion.
What about Tyler Johnstone and Andre Yruretagoyena, the first two left tackles to get injured during the year?
While Johnstone’s fate had been decided the day he received the news of his injury, Yruretagoyena has recently shed his cast and walking boot and is working diligently to get back onto the field before the season ends.
“I’m just taking it day-by-day — it’s good to be out walking around now,” Yruretagoyena said. “I’m able to workout on it now so it’s weird being able to use all my muscles again.”
Just less than eight months after tearing his ACL in Oregon’s Alamo Bowl win over Texas, Johnstone rushed through rehab to make it back in time for Oregon’s season-opener but never got the chance. On the first day of two-a-days in fall practice, Johnstone collapsed to the ground in a non-contact drill and with the fall to the ground, went his season too.
“It was hard to deal with, but now I’m trying to take it slow and make sure I don’t rush and properly rehab everything,” Johnstone said.
While neither player will be suiting up for No. 5 Oregon’s big showdown with Stanford this Saturday, both players will still play vital roles in the preparation of Oregon’s offensive line facing Stanford’s talented defensive front seven.
Johnstone provides the most experience of any player on the offensive line, apart from center Hroniss Grasu, on what it’s like to face Stanford’s front seven. While the Cardinal players have changed over the years, their schemes and formations haven’t changed much, so Johnstone has been trying to embed that information into the minds of Fisher, Tyrell Crosby and Matt Pierson.
“Stanford does have a great defense year-in-and-year-out,” Johnstone said. “Don’t worry about their individual tendencies, make them play your game.”
On the other hand, Yruretagoyena doesn’t have as much game experience as Johnstone does, but he has practiced as the team’s starting left tackle all throughout spring, summer and fall camps, so he knows the tendencies of his own offensive line and has taken it upon himself to help correct flaws he notices in practices.
“We (Yruretagoyena and Johnstone) try and coach as much as we can, but when they are out there on the field, it’s about giving them advice on what we can,” Yruretagoyena said. “Just trying to help them tweak certain things.”
Yruretagoyena has admitted that if he’s going to make it back this year, he is going to have to take more than just a physical step in the preparation. The mental side of trusting that his lower leg injury is completely healed and can take the pounding of top-tier Division I college football.
“I know I can do it, but there’s something blocking me from doing certain things sometimes,” Yruretagoyena said. “From there, we break down certain workouts we’re doing into smaller parts to get it done.”
The time off for Johnstone has allowed him to do something he never thought possible, continue attending classes at Oregon and strive for a second major, this time psychology.
“I’ll be back next year, so I thought I should go and get another major — I mean why not?” Johnstone said.