WATCH: Oregon State Spring Practice Interviews - Day 7
https://oregonstate.rivals.com/news/watch-oregon-state-spring-practice-interviews-day-7
Oregon State brought the energy on a cool, drizzly morning to start the second half of spring practice. The Beavers were outside all morning in full pads, and looked fresh despite the week off.
Head coach Jonathan Smith noted how much his liked having a week off, and how impressed he was with how his guys have embraced it. Having a week off is much easier on players’ bodies, and Smith thought the team looked sharp.
Offense
- The Oregon State offense started with a two-minute drill, and this was the first group to take the field.
QB: Jake Luton
RB: Artavis Pierce
TE: Isaiah Smalls
WR: Isaiah Hodgins
WR: Champ Flemings
WR: Kolby Taylor
LT: Blake Brandel
LG: Gus Lavaka
C: Nous Keobounnam
RG: Clay Cordasco
RT: Brandon Kipper
- Oregon State’s offense struggled to get going early on, but found their stride and practice progressed. Luton led the first drive, which ended in a missed field goal attempt from Choukair.
- The second drive was a three-and-out, with several passes slipping off the hands of receivers due to the rain.
- Luton was the first to take snaps during 7-on-7 as well, but threw a pick to Jalen Moore on the first drive. Luton was looking deep down the middle and Moore had enough time to come across to help from the opposite side.
- Luton did find TE Ralph Taufa’asau near the end of the period, as he got by the defense on a miscommunication and was wide open for a score.
- Near the end of practice, the offense finally clicked, as Artavis Pierce took a screen pass up the left side before an early whistle was blown before giving him a chance to put a move on the last few defenders.
- Jermar Jefferson then ripped off a 70 yard score up the left side… he did this against the first team defense which hyped up the entire offense.
- During an inside-run period, Jefferson blasted through the hole twice on back-to-back handoffs, each longer than 10 yards.
- Taron Madison continues to impress me with his pass-catching ability out of the backfield. He went on a five-yard out, and when the pass was over his head, he extended his right arm up above his helmet and came down with the one-handed snag.
- Champ Flemings has some of the best hands on the team. He is super technical, and catches almost every pass thrown his way—I cannot remember the last time he had a true drop on a pass less than 10 yards.
- Tristan Gebbia’s highlight of the day came on a long pass to I’Shawn Stewart. Stewart went left to right across the entire field, and Gebbia dimed him up right before falling out of bounds. I was right there, and he had possession and was in bounds, and Tyjon Lindsey was right there to congratulate Stewart after.
- Teagan Quitoriano had a great catch in one-on-one drills where he used his big frame to box out the defender and hauled in a tough catch falling backwards.
- Oregon State ran several different offensive sets, including ones with two or no tight ends, in some cases.
- Smith also talked after practice about injuries and position changes mentioned this week.
RB Mikey Alfieri tore his ACL and is out for the foreseeable future, which is a reason Kase Rodgers returned to the backfield. Smith also noted that the team is already very deep at safety, and that it’s good to have a lot of depth at running back.
Smith also mentioned that Trevon Bradford will miss the rest of the spring, but will be back around May. He was at practice in a walking boot today, after an injury to “a small bone in his foot.” Additionally, Tyjon Lindsey is nearing a return after being sidelined the last several practices with a lower body injury.
Today was Noah Togiai’s first day back in practice; he worked through some drills, but did not go through any contact drill.
Defense
The defense ran several different packages including the nickel, but this has been the base package for coach Tim Tibesar:
DE: Isaac Hodgins
DT: Elu Aydon
DE: Lamone Williams
OLB: Matthew Tago
ILB: Shemar Smith
ILB: Isaiah Tufaga
OLB: Hamilcar Rashed
CB: Isaiah Dunn
S: Shawn Wilson
S: Jalen Moore
CB: Kaleb Hayes
- Omar Hicks-Onu rotated in frequently with the DBs, which would push Wilson to the nickel corner. Aydon also came off the field in many of the pass situations.
- During the first team period, Rashed came firing off the left edge and batted down Luton’s first pass of practice. Later on, Rashed came hard again off the edge, this time using a spin move to reach the QB.
- Isaac Hodgins is fast for an interior lineman. Several times he got through the line and forced the QB out of the pocket, and was step for step with Luton both times chasing him out of the pocket. He dusted the other d-linemen.
- Jalen Moore had one interception on Luton, and several other nice tackles. Moore has been the leading tackler the last two seasons, but more plays were being made before reaching the second level.
- Braelen Bettles came away with a fumble recovery. It looked like Kase Rodgers was the one who fumbled, and I could not tell who ripped the ball loose, but Bettles came away with it.
- Andrzej Hughes-Murray came away with a sack on Gebbia. The line got a great pass rush, and when the pocket collapsed, Hughes-Murray found Gebbia trying to escape, and brought him down for a loss.
- Kee Whetzel made several nice plays during open field tackling drills. His combination of size and speed will guarantee him a spot on most special teams coverage, and he will see time rotating in at safety.
- Coach Smith noted after practice that he’s hoping to get David Morris back next week. Morris, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, is “really close” and was in full pads today for the first time all spring. He had an orange injury practice jersey, but it was good to see him padded up.
- Smith was asked if Mike Riley would come back to the program in some aspect, and his response, “I think he still owns a home, and he’s always welcome to be hanging out…”
Injuries
Offense: Tino Allen, OUT; Calvin Tyler Jr., OUT; Tyjon Lindsey, OUT; Trevon Bradford, OUT; Noah Togiai, Limited; Mike Alfieri, OUT;
Defense: Simon Sandberg, Full Non-Contact; Moku Watson, Limited; Tra’jon Cotton, Limited; Hamilcar Rashed, Full Participation; Addison Gumbs, OUT; David Morris, Limited;
https://oregonstate.rivals.com/news/watch-oregon-state-spring-practice-interviews-day-7
Day 7 Practice Nuggets
By Mitch MongeOregon State brought the energy on a cool, drizzly morning to start the second half of spring practice. The Beavers were outside all morning in full pads, and looked fresh despite the week off.
Head coach Jonathan Smith noted how much his liked having a week off, and how impressed he was with how his guys have embraced it. Having a week off is much easier on players’ bodies, and Smith thought the team looked sharp.
Offense
- The Oregon State offense started with a two-minute drill, and this was the first group to take the field.
QB: Jake Luton
RB: Artavis Pierce
TE: Isaiah Smalls
WR: Isaiah Hodgins
WR: Champ Flemings
WR: Kolby Taylor
LT: Blake Brandel
LG: Gus Lavaka
C: Nous Keobounnam
RG: Clay Cordasco
RT: Brandon Kipper
- Oregon State’s offense struggled to get going early on, but found their stride and practice progressed. Luton led the first drive, which ended in a missed field goal attempt from Choukair.
- The second drive was a three-and-out, with several passes slipping off the hands of receivers due to the rain.
- Luton was the first to take snaps during 7-on-7 as well, but threw a pick to Jalen Moore on the first drive. Luton was looking deep down the middle and Moore had enough time to come across to help from the opposite side.
- Luton did find TE Ralph Taufa’asau near the end of the period, as he got by the defense on a miscommunication and was wide open for a score.
- Near the end of practice, the offense finally clicked, as Artavis Pierce took a screen pass up the left side before an early whistle was blown before giving him a chance to put a move on the last few defenders.
- Jermar Jefferson then ripped off a 70 yard score up the left side… he did this against the first team defense which hyped up the entire offense.
- During an inside-run period, Jefferson blasted through the hole twice on back-to-back handoffs, each longer than 10 yards.
- Taron Madison continues to impress me with his pass-catching ability out of the backfield. He went on a five-yard out, and when the pass was over his head, he extended his right arm up above his helmet and came down with the one-handed snag.
- Champ Flemings has some of the best hands on the team. He is super technical, and catches almost every pass thrown his way—I cannot remember the last time he had a true drop on a pass less than 10 yards.
- Tristan Gebbia’s highlight of the day came on a long pass to I’Shawn Stewart. Stewart went left to right across the entire field, and Gebbia dimed him up right before falling out of bounds. I was right there, and he had possession and was in bounds, and Tyjon Lindsey was right there to congratulate Stewart after.
- Teagan Quitoriano had a great catch in one-on-one drills where he used his big frame to box out the defender and hauled in a tough catch falling backwards.
- Oregon State ran several different offensive sets, including ones with two or no tight ends, in some cases.
- Smith also talked after practice about injuries and position changes mentioned this week.
RB Mikey Alfieri tore his ACL and is out for the foreseeable future, which is a reason Kase Rodgers returned to the backfield. Smith also noted that the team is already very deep at safety, and that it’s good to have a lot of depth at running back.
Smith also mentioned that Trevon Bradford will miss the rest of the spring, but will be back around May. He was at practice in a walking boot today, after an injury to “a small bone in his foot.” Additionally, Tyjon Lindsey is nearing a return after being sidelined the last several practices with a lower body injury.
Today was Noah Togiai’s first day back in practice; he worked through some drills, but did not go through any contact drill.
Defense
The defense ran several different packages including the nickel, but this has been the base package for coach Tim Tibesar:
DE: Isaac Hodgins
DT: Elu Aydon
DE: Lamone Williams
OLB: Matthew Tago
ILB: Shemar Smith
ILB: Isaiah Tufaga
OLB: Hamilcar Rashed
CB: Isaiah Dunn
S: Shawn Wilson
S: Jalen Moore
CB: Kaleb Hayes
- Omar Hicks-Onu rotated in frequently with the DBs, which would push Wilson to the nickel corner. Aydon also came off the field in many of the pass situations.
- During the first team period, Rashed came firing off the left edge and batted down Luton’s first pass of practice. Later on, Rashed came hard again off the edge, this time using a spin move to reach the QB.
- Isaac Hodgins is fast for an interior lineman. Several times he got through the line and forced the QB out of the pocket, and was step for step with Luton both times chasing him out of the pocket. He dusted the other d-linemen.
- Jalen Moore had one interception on Luton, and several other nice tackles. Moore has been the leading tackler the last two seasons, but more plays were being made before reaching the second level.
- Braelen Bettles came away with a fumble recovery. It looked like Kase Rodgers was the one who fumbled, and I could not tell who ripped the ball loose, but Bettles came away with it.
- Andrzej Hughes-Murray came away with a sack on Gebbia. The line got a great pass rush, and when the pocket collapsed, Hughes-Murray found Gebbia trying to escape, and brought him down for a loss.
- Kee Whetzel made several nice plays during open field tackling drills. His combination of size and speed will guarantee him a spot on most special teams coverage, and he will see time rotating in at safety.
- Coach Smith noted after practice that he’s hoping to get David Morris back next week. Morris, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, is “really close” and was in full pads today for the first time all spring. He had an orange injury practice jersey, but it was good to see him padded up.
- Smith was asked if Mike Riley would come back to the program in some aspect, and his response, “I think he still owns a home, and he’s always welcome to be hanging out…”
Injuries
Offense: Tino Allen, OUT; Calvin Tyler Jr., OUT; Tyjon Lindsey, OUT; Trevon Bradford, OUT; Noah Togiai, Limited; Mike Alfieri, OUT;
Defense: Simon Sandberg, Full Non-Contact; Moku Watson, Limited; Tra’jon Cotton, Limited; Hamilcar Rashed, Full Participation; Addison Gumbs, OUT; David Morris, Limited;
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