Oregon game is the time for Zach Hanson and USC O-line to dominate

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Last year, USC offensive line coach Zach Hanson made a very positive first impression. He took over for Josh Henson (who left for Purdue) and instantly upgraded the USC offensive line. Lincoln Riley made what appeared to be a very strong and impactful hire. Now comes the moment when Hanson can affirm himself as the most important USC assistant other than defensive coordinator Gary Patterson. The Oregon game is here.

Let's stop and consider how surprisingly ordinary the Oregon defensive line has been this season. Ducks Wire described how much the Oregon defensive line underperformed against Boise State earlier this month:

"Throughout the offseason, much was made of the Oregon Ducks getting their entire defensive line back for another season. A'Mauri Washington, Bear Alexander, Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti all have the potential to be early draft picks. In Saturday's season-opening victory over Boise State, the group showed up and delivered on some of those expectations. The pass rush helped finish the game. The defense only allowed 93 rushing yards to a Broncos' offense with two capable running backs and a dynamic quarterback. Statistically, the performance was impressive. 'Not good enough,' Oregon coach Dan Lanning said of the team's run defense. 'Not to our standard.'"

This is the time for the USC offensive line to truly dominate a big game against a high-profile opponent which is not playing its best. If the USC offensive line falters here, so much of Zach Hanson's good work will be undone. At the very least, his good work will be forgotten and discarded. This is when USC and Hanson have to show that all the improvements made over the past 13 months have really meant something, that they can translate into a high-level achievement.

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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Oregon game is the time for Zach Hanson and USC O-line to dominate

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