By Brenden Slaughter
Per the usual on Thursdays, the Beavers were in walkthrough mode for practice today. It could have been the most laid back walkthrough since they started doing them as all players were not wearing helmets or pads.
The big topic of discussion today was the weather conditions for Saturday. Corvallis is predicted to get almost an inch of rain in addition to winds between 40 and 60 miles per hour. The conditions will definitely play a role in the outcome according to coach Andersen.
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Per the usual on Thursdays, the Beavers were in walkthrough mode for practice today. It could have been the most laid back walkthrough since they started doing them as all players were not wearing helmets or pads.
The big topic of discussion today was the weather conditions for Saturday. Corvallis is predicted to get almost an inch of rain in addition to winds between 40 and 60 miles per hour. The conditions will definitely play a role in the outcome according to coach Andersen.
Practice nuggets
- Today was a very loose walkthrough, with many smiles on both sides. Both the offense and defense were all enjoying the dry conditions inside the Truax Center. However, coach Gary Andersen mentioned the Beavers will practice in the full elements tomorrow in preparation for Saturday’s game.
- The first team defense was very focused on staying in their gaps and shutting down the scout team today.
- Safety Devin Chappell took some reps at nickelback today and looked very comfortable.
- You could tell that the Beavers as a whole were very focused on fine tuning their craft. Focus was definitely the order of the day. They were laid back, but still focused at the same time.
- Kendall Hill is getting more and more comfortable at the safety spot. The former wide receiver is starting to find his groove in the defensive backfield.
- Both Adam Soesman and Wesley Payne were getting reps at linebacker.
- Joah Robinett looks very in tuned with the defense. For a true freshman, he looks like he has the football IQ of an upper classman.
- Darell Garretson made a couple nice longer passes, he looked much more consistent today compared to previous days this week. This is a great sign for OSU.
- Hunter Jarmon was back with the 1’s for a portion of practice, and he made a couple nice grabs.
Injury Notes
- Running back Ryan Nall, who was injured against Cal, was out of the boot and back taking reps with the 1’s. He looked good to me, and it didn’t look like he was hampered.
- Dwayne Williams, Titus Failauga, Yanni Demogerontas, Shemar Smith, Ricky Ortiz and Jay Irvine have been ruled out against Utah.
Final Word
“I think that regardless of the weather, getting our pass game going is a big factor,” Andersen said. “We have shown the ability at times to do both. Week in and week out, you have to be balanced with the run and the pass. It’s something we truly believe in. We want to be able to throw the ball consistently and be able to execute at a high level.”
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