Caleb Couturie of FishDuck.com spoke with Hroniss Grasu today at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex after practice.
The Ducks’ offensive line has been in the news all season, particularly when it was banged up and allowed 12 sacks over two games. Now it is back and ready to roll with redshirt senior Grasu leading the charge. With stars such as Marcus Mariota and Royce Freeman filling up highlight reels, it’s easy to overlook the players who help make it all happen.
A couple years ago a fan started a Twitter account called Hroniss for Heisman to bring some attention to this incredible player. When asked about the account, Grasu laughed. “I thought it was really funny, and I appreciate the fan, whoever did that,” he said.
Grasu and the O-line have protected Mariota this season.
The Ducks are known for their explosive plays, lighting up defenses and tearing the hearts out of opposing fans — but they can get the job done when it comes to the redzone as well. The offense has been in the redzone 39 times this season, scoring 33 times (84.62%), and 28 times have been for touchdowns (71.79%). With those numbers, its no wonder the offense has managed 45.5 points per game. Grasu attributed a lot of the success to teammates such as Dwayne Stanford and Pharaoh Brown.
“They’re big guys, great playmakers and they have great hands,” Grasu said. Let’s not forget that without Grasu and the line protecting Mariota, this offense wouldn’t have those chances to make plays.
Grasu and the Ducks might be in the middle of a fight for a spot in the College Football Playoff, but the center still makes time to watch his beloved Lakers. Their season is not as bright as the Ducks’, but Grasu still has faith. “They’re gonna make the playoffs,” he predicted. Sorry, Portland fans — Grasu has never thought about becoming a Trailblazers fan; he just likes to ask, “How many championships do they have compared to the Lakers?”
With the college football season half-way finished and the Ducks ranked fifth in the CFB poll, Grasu and his teammates will look to make a statement Saturday night against Stanford as they try to push their way into a playoff spot.
Top photo by John Giustina
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My name is Max Thornberry, and I am a sophomore at the University of Oregon studying journalism. I am from Ventura, CA but fell in love with Oregon when I visited last year and came to the Oregon vs. Cal game. I love sports and my hobbies mainly include fantasy baseball and football as well as playing sports video games. Growing up watching sports center and espn news I always wondered what I had to do in order to get a job where I got to talk sports every day, so when I saw an opportunity to intern for a sports news website (FishDuck.com) I couldn’t wait to get involved.