By Brenden Slaughter
Just as quickly Oregon State spring football came about, it will be departing just as quickly. The Beavers are entering their final week of spring practice, culminating with the spring game this Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
Today was the first day of practice since the Saturday scrimmage, and it was evident that the Beavers were taking things a bit more easy today given that they went full contact during the scrimmage.
Kevin McGiven on what he wants to see on Saturday...
“Consistency is the biggest thing you try and get out of spring ball,” McGiven said. “I like to see guys get out there, see them compete and get after it. We’ve gotta get out there and compete at a very high level and make some plays.”
Kevin McGiven on staying relatively injury free...
“There have been several guys that we have been trying to protect and you're always going to do that in spring with guys that are your veterans and proven,” McGiven said. “That will be very big if we come out of spring fully healthy.”
Marcus McMaryion on how quick spring football went and QB battle...
“It’s kinda just like the blink of an eye with how quickly it started and now it’s almost over,” McMaryion said. “I feel confident as far as getting in the right spot and finding the right reads. I think I could execute a little better on my end, completing the deep ball a little bit better.”
Quarterback Marcus McMaryion
Offensive Coordinator Kevin McGiven
Just as quickly Oregon State spring football came about, it will be departing just as quickly. The Beavers are entering their final week of spring practice, culminating with the spring game this Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
Today was the first day of practice since the Saturday scrimmage, and it was evident that the Beavers were taking things a bit more easy today given that they went full contact during the scrimmage.
Practice Nuggets
- In typical fashion, we start with the quarterbacks. Nothing too unusual today as Jake Luton was the first quarterback to receive reps with the 1st team. The first team offensive line was exactly the same as the scrimmage, however the wide receivers were different today. Andre Bodden, Hunter Jarmon, and Isaiah Hodgins were the three receivers alongside tight end Noah Togiai. Based on what I’ve seen in the past few practices, Hodgins is getting close to being a starter in the fall. Hodgins is playing very good football right now, and in my opinion, deserves to start on this team.
- Artavis Pierce took most of the reps at running back today. For Ryan Nall, it continues to be precautionary, with the coaching staff not wanting to put more hits on his body than is required. Pierce made one really nice catch out of the backfield where he tipped the pass to himself and then rumbled for a nice 5 yard gain or so before being taken down by Xavier Crawford.
- Marcus McMaryion was the second QB to take reps today, and it was with a mix of the 1’s and the 2’s. McMaryion didn’t look very good today. He struggled at times, and it seemed like he was having happy feet in the pocket several times. (Credit to the D-Line and linebackers for getting great pressure today. More info on them later.)
- Darell Garretson was the third quarterback to get reps today, with a mix of the 1’s and 2’s as well. Garretson didn’t start off his reps hot, firing an interception on his second throw, but responded well making a couple nice throws over the middle, and running the zone-read effectively. I think McMaryion and Garretson are battling for the backup spot at this point if I had to guess.
- Speaking of quarterbacks, I asked offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven if there was a timetable on establishing a quarterback. He looked at me, smiled and said we will talk about it later. So no news in regards to the QB race. He did say that you’ll see a blend of QB’s in the spring game on Saturday.
- The physicality was definitely down today. Pads were still popping at practice today, but based on how physically demanding the scrimmage was on Saturday, I’m not too surprised the Beavers toned down the hits today.
- The defense definitely had the advantage on the offense today. Whether it was Luton, McMaryion or Garretson at QB, the offense really struggled to move the ball down the field. The defensive line and linebackers broke through the protection several times to force the quarterback into a quick decision that often lead to overthrown balls or incompletes.
- Corners had the advantage on the receivers today. There were several times where Shawn Wilson and Xavier Crawford simply out physicalled the receivers to break up the pass.
- In terms of the D-Line, they were much better at pushing the O-line backwards today. All three quarterbacks had to move around in the pocket because the D-Line was able to collapse well today.
- A couple injury notes: I didn’t see Timmy Hernandez today. He has been banged up since the first scrimmage and hasn’t taken any reps in the portion of practice open to the media. Tight end Tuli Wily-Matagi was in a red no contact jersey today as well.
Quotable
Kevin McGiven on what he wants to see on Saturday...
“Consistency is the biggest thing you try and get out of spring ball,” McGiven said. “I like to see guys get out there, see them compete and get after it. We’ve gotta get out there and compete at a very high level and make some plays.”
Kevin McGiven on staying relatively injury free...
“There have been several guys that we have been trying to protect and you're always going to do that in spring with guys that are your veterans and proven,” McGiven said. “That will be very big if we come out of spring fully healthy.”
Marcus McMaryion on how quick spring football went and QB battle...
“It’s kinda just like the blink of an eye with how quickly it started and now it’s almost over,” McMaryion said. “I feel confident as far as getting in the right spot and finding the right reads. I think I could execute a little better on my end, completing the deep ball a little bit better.”
Quarterback Marcus McMaryion
Offensive Coordinator Kevin McGiven
