Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 2019)
SPORTS 8A — THE OBSERVER MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2019 Beavers confident they are on the right path to success By Steve Gress Corvallis Gazette-Times It’s been a tough fi ve years for the Oregon State football program as the Beavers have failed to make a bowl game since the 2013 campaign. During that stretch, the Beavers have gone 5-7 in what was Mike Riley’s last season, then had 2-10 and 4-8 seasons under Gary Andersen before a 1-11 campaign in 2017 when Andersen left six games in. It wasn’t a whole lot better in 2018 under fi rst-year coach and former Beavers star quar- terback Jonathan Smith as Oregon State was just 2-10. Add that up and the Bea- vers are a dismal 14-46 since fi nishing 7-6 after a Hawaii Bowl win over Boise State on Christmas Eve 2013. Most outside of the pro- gram don’t expect much to change this season, but the players remain optimistic that there will be plenty of growth and success in Smith’s second season. “If you look at the strides that we’ve made and where we’re at compared to last year it’s a whole different squad,” said senior offensive lineman Blake Brandel. “The amount that we’ve improved over the past year and a half, longer than that, since the coaching staff got here, is a testament to us and I think it’s a testa- ment to the coaching staff for getting us right. “I think we’ve made huge strides and it’s going to be a fun year.” For the Beavers to have success, it would appear they need to be more competitive at the line of scrimmage. Oregon State had just 15 sacks in 12 games last year, tied for 118th out of 129 Foot- ball Bowl Subdivision teams. On the other side, the Beavers gave up an FBS worst 48 on offense. Smith said Friday he felt better about the line of scrim- mage than a year ago but putting that in perspective may not be all that comforting to many. “I think the defense has done a great job,” senior defensive lineman Elu Aydon said. “Our focus was stop the run and get pressure on the quarterback.” The defensive line had a rough season thanks to inju- ries that destroyed any depth the Beavers may have had. But the addition of Jordan Whittley and others on the line has helped, even with the loss of Jeromy Reichner to an ACL injury. “All the new guys have come in and they’ve contrib- uted,” Aydon said. “Camp was basically a baseline for everybody and getting to see where people are. I feel like we will be ready for the game next Friday.” Brandel said he has seen the improvement each day in camp. “They’ve made huge strides,” he said. “The best part about that is they get bet- ter and then they challenge us so we’ve got to get better so it’s kind of feeding off each other’s energy and making each other improve. They’ve been huge in us improving and I think we’ve been huge in them improving.” The defensive players understand just how bad they were last season: 128th against the run (281.1 yards per game), total defense (538.8) and points allowed per game (45.7). They have owned up to the performance and vowed to be much, much better. “I believe we’ve grown a lot,” junior linebacker Hamilcar Rashed Jr. said. “That’s in every position group. I feel like everybody’s grown. We have young guys and they’ve stepped up a bunch so I feel like every position group, even my room, we’ve stepped up. Every day we’ve got to compete and it’s a big step right now and we’re going to continue to fi ght.” Another area for concern with the defense from last season is tackling. It was often a topic of discussion following each game but Smith said he has liked what he has seen in camp. “Obviously we’ll fi nd out better here in a week,” he said. While the defense had its struggles, the offense was able to be competitive despite playing musical chairs at the quarterback position due to a rash of injuries to Jake Luton and Conor Blount. Luton received a sixth year of eligibility and was announced as the starter on Friday, beating out Nebraska transfer Tristan Gebbia. Lu- ton passed for 1,660 yards and 10 touchdowns last season and led a miraculous come- back at Colorado. “We feel good either way with both guys whether one goes down or not,” senior tight end Noah Togiai said of the quarterbacks. “Obviously I’ve been with Jake for three years now I know what he can do and this year he’s performing at the highest level I’ve seen him perform at. It makes me excited, everybody on the of- fensive side and the defensive side excited to see what he’s going to do.” Luton has been the starter for the opener the past two seasons but was injured in the fourth game of the 2017 season and did not return, then and suffered a concus- sion in the opener last season and also missed some time with an ankle injury. And while Luton is healthy and confi dent, the offensive line and tight ends know they have to keep whoever is under center upright and as untouched as possible. “I think we took major strides in the protection,” Togiai said. “We are a lot more comfortable in the schemes that coach M (Jim Michalc- zik) gives us. I know we have more experience … everybody knows what they’re doing with different looks that we get, different pressures that we get, we’re more comfort- able with picking them up.” Smith said he has, for the most part, liked what he has seen out of the offense in training camp. “The passing game has been crisp, I think we’ve been solid in our pass protection and the ball coming out on time,” Smith said. “I think we’ve been deep at running back, B.J. Baylor, the way he’s been carrying it has been a positive. I think still we can clean up some details in the run game (but) I can say that for everything.” TREASURE VALLEY STEEL, INC. Manufacturing Zee & Cee Purlins In-HouseCustom HouseCustom Cut Exact Lengths • 24 Colors • Custom Trim • 2 1/2” Corrugated • Delivery Available • Full Soffi tt Line • 3 ft. Gulf Coast Panel • 3 ft. PBR Panel • 3 ft. Mesa Panel • 3 ft. Tuff Rib Panel • Standing Seam DELIVERY • 2 ft. Delta Rib AVAILABLE • 3 ft. Pro Panel 40 Year Full Paint Warranty • WeatherX Paint System Colts suddenly out of Luck The Associated Press Andrew Luck watched one last game from the sideline Saturday. Then he said goodbye to the NFL. The Indianapolis Colts quarterback heard boos as he walked away from the fi eld, then walked to the podium and made the surprise decision offi cial. The oft-injured star is retiring at age 29. “I’m in pain, I’m still in pain. It’s been four years of this pain, rehab cycle,” Luck said. “It’s a myriad of issues — calf strain, posterior ankle impingement, high ankle sprain. Part of my journey going forward will be fi gur- ing out how to feel better.” Luck wasn’t planning to make the announcement fol- lowing Saturday’s 27-17 loss to the Chicago Bears. But when ESPN fi rst reported the news during the fourth quarter, Luck changed the plan for a Sunday afternoon announcement. Instead, he held a 25-min- ute impromptu news conference. At times he sounded wistful. At others, his voice cracked with emotion. One thing was clear: The endless barrage of injuries stripped away his joy for the game and prompted him to walk away so he could enjoy the life he wants. “There’s no doubt when you hear him talk about the cycle of pain and injury and rehab, you can hear that,” coach Frank Reich said. “There’s a saying in football that everyone knows and everybody lives by, it’s next man up and even though this situation is unique, no one is exempt.” That task now falls to Jacoby Brissett, a fourth- year player whom the Colts acquired in a cutdown week- end trade two years ago. ONTARIO 541-889-4214 BOISE 208-336-7505 1460 N. Verde Dr. Toll Free 1-866-887-8335 6619 S. Supply Way Toll Free 1-888-717-8335 WWW.TREASUREVALLEYSTEEL.COM I got screened. Now, I’m talking about it. Screening can prevent colorectal cancer or catch the #2 cancer killer early when it’s highly treatable. Most people get screened because they’re encouraged by someone they know and trust. So if you’ve been screened, please talk about your experience. And encourage others to get screened too. SOCCER Continued from Page 7A Marley Farrell with just three minutes left to keep the score even. Cottrell again had three saves. Nan Kiebert and Bassett were the offensive aggressors for EOU with six and fi ve shots, respectively. Kiebert put fi ve shots on goal, and Bassett had three. Eastern had 15 shots total, nine of which were on goal, while Midland had 14 and four, respectively. Rodriguez took fi ve shots for Midland. The Mountaineers (1-0-1 overall) will face yet another ranked opponent when they host No. 10 Embry-Riddle (Arizona) on Friday. COLORECTAL CANCER The cancer you can prevent. TheCancerYouCanPrevent.org Karen King Pendleton, Oregon A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded campaign
