Injury to Oregon Ducks Offensive Lineman Ryan Walk Not Believed to be Long Term
A few days have passed since the Ducks opened up their season with the Georgia Bulldogs and Oregon is still dealing with some first-game bumps and bruises ahead of Eastern Washington this week.
The most significant piece of news we've gotten this week is that the Ducks will be without senior defensive tackle Popo Aumavae this season due to a foot injury that will require surgery. Another player looking to heal up is Ryan Walk, a veteran offensive lineman who didn't play in the second half against the Bulldogs due to injury.
"Ryan got dinged. HIs knee got a little bit banged up," Lanning said Monday. "That being said I think he's going to be good to go moving forward. He's still getting treatment and going through some pieces there."
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In the second half the Ducks sent in Marcus Harper II to play in his place the rest of the game. Both linemen played nearly the same number of snaps with Walk logging 36 snaps and Harper 32, which is the most playing time Harper has seen at the college level.
"Marcus has proven to be a reliable player for us through fall camp. He's earned the opportunity to certainly participate and help and I think he carried that over on Saturday," Lanning said of Harper's play. "Some moments of growth for him, some spots where he could certainly get better, but having multiple guys that can help play up front is certainly gonna help us down the road."
Walk has been a valuable component for the Ducks the past few years as he's played 1,027 snaps dating back to his sophomore year in 2018. Walk moved back and forth between positions last season when Alex Forsyth was battling back spasms, but still helped the Ducks become a top-25 rushing team with a 77.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
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Harper getting his number called may be something that could benefit the Ducks in the long run this season as he proved to fans and the coaching staff that he can be a reliable option in the offensive line two deep.
1,014 days is how long Harper said he was waiting to get an opportunity to contribute to the team which allowed him to take his preparation to the next level. He credits all the senior linemen in front of him for getting him to the position he was in on Saturday as they have mentored him since joining the program in 2020.
One thing Duck fans can take away from all this is that though Harper may not be in the starting lineup currently, fans could expect him to always be the next man up at any given point someone was to go out of the game. Depending upon how Saturday’s game progresses, we may see Harper back on the field sooner rather than later.
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