The Oregon State football team just wrapped up their 13th practice on Wednesday amidst another hazy day in Corvallis. The Beavers are set to hold their second scrimmage of 2017 fall camp on Saturday and are looking to fine tune all aspects of their game as they draw nearer to their opening game against CSU.
Here are the practice nuggets from Brenden Slaughter
- Thomas Tyner took reps with the 1st unit for the majority of practice that the media saw today. His ability to shift and bounce between tackles is truly a gift that OSU hasn’t had since Jacquizz Rodgers. Ryan Nall is very elusive too, but in a different way. Nall does it with footwork, while Tyner is able to do it with spin moves, and jukes in addition to footwork. His ability to break tackles and run through guys is something that Beaver fans will be impressed with when they see him on display in the scrimmage this Saturday.
-Speaking of Tyner, it’s very clear at this point that even if he has to share carries with the other running backs, he is going to be very involved in the offense. Jake Luton hit Tyner with a little swing pass that he took to the house. His ability as a pass-catcher out of the backfield might be his biggest weapon that nobody is talking about.
-What a day for Wesley Payne! Payne was extremely impressive from the first moment that I saw him today. Marcus Greaves and I have been high on him for several weeks, but today was the first day that I really saw him make a couple big time plays. The best example was on a goal line play. Luton handed the ball off to Tyner who only needed about three yards to score, and out of nowhere Payne came into the picture and blasted Tyner backwards to keep him out of the endzone. Tyner is a strong player, and seeing him fall backwards by way of Payne was extremely impressive.
-Trevorris Johnson broke out today as he had several nice runs. He was primarily running with the second team with Darell Garretson, and he didn’t disappoint. He ripped off several big runs, including one for 20 plus. One of his impressive strengths is his ability to run through players. During his time at TCU, Johnson developed a reputation as a run through you type of player, and that was on display today as he just ran through Omar Hicks Onu on a stretch run. In addition to his power, Johnson also follows his blockers very well. He is an extremely patient runner and waits for the holes to open up before bursting through with above-average speed and raw power.
-Yesterday, Andersen called OSU’s practice a pass-happy day, while today it appeared that the Beavers were leaning more on the run game. There were multiple drives where Garretson and Luton handed the ball off more than they threw it.
-Just so the records can be set straight, OSU is not moving towards an Air Raid offense. Despite reports and speculation, it isn’t true. I caught up with passing game coordinator Jason Phillips who said that was slightly blown out of proportion. Phillips mentioned that the Beavers still want to be a run-first team who pounds the ground game and then has the ability to throw when they choose to do so.
-For the second day in a row, the defensive line really got after the offense. This is welcome news for Beaver coaches and fans alike as Andersen has publicly challenged the line to be better in 2017. In particular Kalani Vakameilalo, Paisa Savea, and Baker Pritchard were wreaking havoc today. There was one play where Johnson was trying to stay patient and find the hole only to run right into the big body of Vakameilalo. Once he had Johnson in his grasp, Savea and Pritchard helped to finish the play.
-Luton has improved his accuracy and release. Today was one of the first days where he was firing the ball out quickly while also being accurate. However, once I noted he was playing better, he threw an interception to Brandon Arnold in the endzone to end an OSU drive. Luton is getting better and better each and every practice but still needs to work on some basic fundamentals to be the quarterback that the Beavers want him to be.
-Speaking of that Arnold interception, it really fired up the defense when he made the play. DB’s don’t always get a chance to get their hands on the ball, and Arnold and Co. made sure that everyone on the practice heard and saw that they got an interception as the cheers, and jumps were more intense than normal.
-Jordan Villamin continues to look like he’s going to have a great senior season. He split time between the 1’s and 2’s today, and made a nice play while running with the 2nd unit and Garretson. Garretson fired a nice little pass to Villamin on an out-route where Villamin turned the corner and headed up field for a nice 15 yard gain. His confidence, moxy, and swagger appear to be returning for his senior season.
-Speaking of Garretson, he is looking like the quarterback that won the job outright last season. I caught up with him today, and he mentioned that having fun and being healthy are the two biggest things for him this season and have resulted in his better play on the field. Personally, I also think Garretson is benefiting from not having to battle Marcus McMaryion for the second string spot. Now that he is the de-facto #2 guy, he can settle in and focus on being the best backup he can be for the Beavers while staying prepared to play in case of injury to Luton.
-Jeffrey Manning caught my eye at the end of practice today as he had a really nice interception via a Garretson pass. His football IQ and hands really stood out to me today as he was able to read Garretson the whole way.
-Andersen mentioned that one of his biggest goals this season is to get to 60 total sacks and turnovers. In the 20 minutes that we got to see practice, the Beaver defense had three interceptions.
-Coming up: I’ll be writing a story talking about OSU’s backup quarterbacks and where they fit into the new look OSU offense that Phillips and Kevin McGiven have implemented.
Here are the practice nuggets from Brenden Slaughter
- Thomas Tyner took reps with the 1st unit for the majority of practice that the media saw today. His ability to shift and bounce between tackles is truly a gift that OSU hasn’t had since Jacquizz Rodgers. Ryan Nall is very elusive too, but in a different way. Nall does it with footwork, while Tyner is able to do it with spin moves, and jukes in addition to footwork. His ability to break tackles and run through guys is something that Beaver fans will be impressed with when they see him on display in the scrimmage this Saturday.
-Speaking of Tyner, it’s very clear at this point that even if he has to share carries with the other running backs, he is going to be very involved in the offense. Jake Luton hit Tyner with a little swing pass that he took to the house. His ability as a pass-catcher out of the backfield might be his biggest weapon that nobody is talking about.
-What a day for Wesley Payne! Payne was extremely impressive from the first moment that I saw him today. Marcus Greaves and I have been high on him for several weeks, but today was the first day that I really saw him make a couple big time plays. The best example was on a goal line play. Luton handed the ball off to Tyner who only needed about three yards to score, and out of nowhere Payne came into the picture and blasted Tyner backwards to keep him out of the endzone. Tyner is a strong player, and seeing him fall backwards by way of Payne was extremely impressive.
-Trevorris Johnson broke out today as he had several nice runs. He was primarily running with the second team with Darell Garretson, and he didn’t disappoint. He ripped off several big runs, including one for 20 plus. One of his impressive strengths is his ability to run through players. During his time at TCU, Johnson developed a reputation as a run through you type of player, and that was on display today as he just ran through Omar Hicks Onu on a stretch run. In addition to his power, Johnson also follows his blockers very well. He is an extremely patient runner and waits for the holes to open up before bursting through with above-average speed and raw power.
-Yesterday, Andersen called OSU’s practice a pass-happy day, while today it appeared that the Beavers were leaning more on the run game. There were multiple drives where Garretson and Luton handed the ball off more than they threw it.
-Just so the records can be set straight, OSU is not moving towards an Air Raid offense. Despite reports and speculation, it isn’t true. I caught up with passing game coordinator Jason Phillips who said that was slightly blown out of proportion. Phillips mentioned that the Beavers still want to be a run-first team who pounds the ground game and then has the ability to throw when they choose to do so.
-For the second day in a row, the defensive line really got after the offense. This is welcome news for Beaver coaches and fans alike as Andersen has publicly challenged the line to be better in 2017. In particular Kalani Vakameilalo, Paisa Savea, and Baker Pritchard were wreaking havoc today. There was one play where Johnson was trying to stay patient and find the hole only to run right into the big body of Vakameilalo. Once he had Johnson in his grasp, Savea and Pritchard helped to finish the play.
-Luton has improved his accuracy and release. Today was one of the first days where he was firing the ball out quickly while also being accurate. However, once I noted he was playing better, he threw an interception to Brandon Arnold in the endzone to end an OSU drive. Luton is getting better and better each and every practice but still needs to work on some basic fundamentals to be the quarterback that the Beavers want him to be.
-Speaking of that Arnold interception, it really fired up the defense when he made the play. DB’s don’t always get a chance to get their hands on the ball, and Arnold and Co. made sure that everyone on the practice heard and saw that they got an interception as the cheers, and jumps were more intense than normal.
-Jordan Villamin continues to look like he’s going to have a great senior season. He split time between the 1’s and 2’s today, and made a nice play while running with the 2nd unit and Garretson. Garretson fired a nice little pass to Villamin on an out-route where Villamin turned the corner and headed up field for a nice 15 yard gain. His confidence, moxy, and swagger appear to be returning for his senior season.
-Speaking of Garretson, he is looking like the quarterback that won the job outright last season. I caught up with him today, and he mentioned that having fun and being healthy are the two biggest things for him this season and have resulted in his better play on the field. Personally, I also think Garretson is benefiting from not having to battle Marcus McMaryion for the second string spot. Now that he is the de-facto #2 guy, he can settle in and focus on being the best backup he can be for the Beavers while staying prepared to play in case of injury to Luton.
-Jeffrey Manning caught my eye at the end of practice today as he had a really nice interception via a Garretson pass. His football IQ and hands really stood out to me today as he was able to read Garretson the whole way.
-Andersen mentioned that one of his biggest goals this season is to get to 60 total sacks and turnovers. In the 20 minutes that we got to see practice, the Beaver defense had three interceptions.
-Coming up: I’ll be writing a story talking about OSU’s backup quarterbacks and where they fit into the new look OSU offense that Phillips and Kevin McGiven have implemented.
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