Oregon State Beavers 2018 Football Preview
Opening Statement: Gary Anderson has left the athletic building in Corvallis, and former QB Jonathon Smith has taken over the reigns as head coach of a Beaver program that has been in a nose dive for years now. This will be the first head coaching job for Smith, and he hired former Beavers coach Mike Riley as a consultant, but that was a short lived hire, as Riley then left last week for a job in the new American Alliance of Football, as head coach of their San Antonio franchise. Smith has worked for Christ Petersen in Washington, so he has that experience as OC to rely on, but this could be a bumpy ride out of the gate.
Breakdown Offense: Jake Luton has returned from a thoracic spinal fracture, but he may not be able to walk right into the QB job, as Conor Blount has given him a ride for his money. Blount is a more diversified athletic threat, as Luton is a pure pocket passer. At the end of the day, you could not find two more different types of play from these two, and it will all come down to what Smith feels best about in the position. Jack Colletto could also play his way into the mix, but was well behind in spring ball after transferring from Arizona Western (JC).
The Beavers lose their top 2 rushers in Ryan Nall and Thomas Tyner, and will be hitting the reboot with Artavis Pierce, who was the 3rd back last fall. He carried 68 times for 323 yards and one score as a sophomore last fall. Calvin Tyler and BJ Baylor are the backups, but they have just 3 career carries between them, and they all belong to Tyler. Baylor is a RS freshman. This is going to be a bit of a red flag position until things get ironed out.
The WR corps returns 2 starters in Isaiah Hodgins and Timmy Hernandez. Hernandez caught 30 passes for just 357 yards last season, while Hodgins caught 31 passes for just 275 yards. Travon Bradford steps in as the 3rd receiver, but caught just 11 passes last fall. Bradford, however, may be the best bet for a big play receiver in the group, as he averaged 18.55 yards per catch. Depth is a huge issue here.
Noah Taogiai is back to start at TE, but had off-season ankle surgery, and was not available for spring ball. He led the Beavers last fall with 34 receptions for 461 yards. His backup Tuli Wily-Matagi returns as well, but also missed spring ball. Quinn Smith is the 3rd TE, but early enrollee Isaiah Smalls had a strong spring, and should climb the depth chart quickly.
The line is not in terrible shape, as 4 starters return. Blake Brandel is the most experienced starter on the offensive side of the football at LT, and has started the last 24 games. Gus Lavaka (LG), Sumner Houston (C), and Trent Moore (RT) also return. Yanni Demogerontas is penciled in at RG after starting spring ball in the running to start at C. Houston is a converted defensive lineman. Keli'i Montibon and Clay Cordaso are a pair of JC transfers that will back up at the Tackle spots, while Kammy Delp and Onesimus Clarke will back up inside. Delp started one game last fall, while Clarke is a RS freshman. Nous Keobounnam is the backup at C.
Breakdown Defense: There were few teams worse defensively than the Beavers in 2017, as they ranked 120th nationally in total defense. Tim Tibesar will try to fix that issue with just 4 returning starters in the mix.
Kalani Vakameilalo started at NT last fall, but could kick out to DE in the 3-4 set that the Beavers will employ. In any event, he is the lone returning starter up front. He totaled 3 TFLs last fall from the middle. Isaac Garcia is also in the mix at DE for that spot in particular, as is Lamone Williams. Jeremy Reichner is looking like a lock at the opposite DE spot after transferring from Los Angeles Valley College. Williams could end up backing him up as well, and Vakameilalo could move inside to NT still. Elu Ayden and Isaac Hodgins are well within the mix in the middle as well.
Jonathon Willis is the lone returning starter at LB, and will be playing with 3 new starters this fall. He will likely move inside. Hamilcar Rasheed will likely start at one OLB spot, as projected starter Bright Ugwoegbu was suspended indefinitely and missed spring ball. His status is still unclear. Kee Whetzel is projected to start at the opposite OLB spot as a sophomore. Andrzej Hughes-Murray should be backing him up. Shamar Smith moves inside to join Willis. Doug Taumoelau and Hamilton Hunt will likely serve as key reserves inside. Hughes-Murray and Taumoelau will still be in the hunt for starting jobs as we head into fall camp.
The Beavers will be looking for 2 new starters at CB this fall. Xavier Crawford and Dwayne Williams figure to be those new starters, but both missed a huge portion of the season last year due to injuries, and were still hobbled in spring ball. Isaiah Dunn, a sophomore, and Justin Gardner, a RS freshman, are the only options should the starters fail to be able to go.
David Morris and Jalen Moore both return at Safety to start. Morris did not play in spring ball after having off-season leg surgery. Omar Hicks-Onu and Moku Wilson were both projected as 2nd team players heading into spring ball, but both were lost with injuries, and Jeffrey Manning, Jr. and Drew Kell moved up the depth chart and passed them by.
Breakdown Special Teams: Jordan Choukair is back at PK, but he struggled last fall, and hit just 12/19 FG attempts on the season. He was perfect on 30 PATs, however. He needs to show some major improvement this fall, or risk getting pushed. Zach Standish returns as his backup as a RS junior.
Alex Bland got some work in last fall as the Punter, and takes over as the likely full time starter, but he struggled badly, averaging just 35 yards per punt in limited duty. Daniel Rodriguez will try to push him for the job in camp, and could also push for work at PK.
Pierce was the primary KR man last fall, and should be the guy again this fall after averaging 20 yards per return. Bradford is the returning PR man.
Final Analysis: Smith will have his hands full in returning to Corvallis as head coach. The roster is loaded with JC transfers and cast offs, and the talent level is not what one would ever call fantastic. There are a couple of pieces dotted around the roster to begin building a foundation, but this program is easily 3 years away from even sniffing at a bowl right now. As I said, this is going to be a bumpy road, and finishing dead last in the PAC-12 overall standings and in the North should be expected.
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