You could make the argument Oregon’s offensive line has done its job better through four games than any other offensive line in college football. If their primary job is protecting the quarterback, literally no other line in the country can say they’ve done a better job.

Oregon has yet to give up a sack on the year. It is the only FBS team that can say that. And among quarterbacks with at least 50 dropbacks this season, only four FBS quarterbacks have played a higher percentage of snaps without even facing pressure from the defense.

For Bo Nix, 83% of his dropbacks have been clean.

And the offensive line is taking that 17% personally.

“Even the times I’ve thrown it away or been knocked down, they’ll come up and say, ‘That’s our bad. We’ve got to keep you up,'” Nix told reporters on Wednesday.

Nix has found new life in the Oregon offense as a byproduct of the Ducks’ offensive line play. He never had this kind of protection at Auburn, and he’s enjoying a career year immediately in his first year with the Ducks. Nix is currently posting career highs in yards per attempt, completion percentage, and quarterback rating.

“It’s huge,” he said of how the line has helped him. “The stat is crazy that we’re the only team in the FBS that hasn’t allowed a sack. That’s incredible through four games, but it all goes to them. It’s the leadership and the experience that we have up front. We have a bunch of protection meetings. We’re all on the same page. I think that has a lot to do with it.

“I think it’s kind of a pride thing. Up front, they believe in themselves. They take pride in it. They’re sure to make the right checks. If something happens, even the times I’ve thrown it away or been knocked down, they’ll come up and say, ‘That’s our bad. We’ve got to keep you up.’ That’s awesome that they even think about that because I don’t even think of it. That’s just the play to me. But they take so much pride in the little things that even if I throw it and get knocked down they still take it pretty hard. It speaks to their character and their competitiveness and the guys up front that we have.”