Penei Sewell and Shane Lemieux Named to National Team of the Week
In a game full of storylines, don't let the dominant performance by the defense overshadow Oregon's rebirth of the running game. After struggling to get much going on the ground for the first several weeks of the season, the Ducks made a point to get back to basics during their bye week, and it proved successful on Friday night against Colorado.
In their 45-3 blowout win, Oregon rushed the ball for 252 yards and four touchdowns, making light work of Colorado's defense thanks to massive holes upfront for the backs to get through. While players like CJ Verdell (171 yards rushing) and Cyrus Habibi-Likio (3 rushing touchdowns) will be the ones featured in a highlight-reel, much of the credit should go to the boys up front, namely Shane Lemieux and Penei Sewell.
Both Lemieux and Sewell are getting honored now after being named to the Eckrich National Team of the Week.
Lemieux, the senior right guard, played a major role in the running game and helped to create massive holes for the Ducks backfield to navigate through, and Sewell kept QB Justin Herbert clean throughout the night with a near-flawless performance at left tackle. Former Duck and current NFL Analyst Geoff Schwartz was more than impressed with what he saw.
While the bulk of the attention will be given to skill position players who cross the goal line with the ball, it's always important to recognize the men upfront who helped to get them there. Thanks to Lemieux and Sewell, the Oregon offense is once again clicking in all facets of the game.
