A look at the Beavers’ Spring Game, from my perspective and Coach Shep’s
Maalik Murphy, in a battle for the starting quarterback job, had a “pretty good day” in the Spring Game Saturday according to Coach JaMarcus Shephard (courtesy OSU sports communications)
CORVALLIS — The defense won out in the Spring Game Saturday at Reser Stadium, but the offense got its licks in as JaMarcus Shephard’s first spring practice concluded.
While Shephard soaked in what he witnessed along with a few thousand fans on a sun-splashed afternoon, he told media afterward that he had already seen enough of his players in football gear.
“The Spring Game is really for the fans to get a first look at our guys,” the first-year Oregon State coach said. “I could have ended spring ball a week ago and started the process of getting our players in that weight room and getting (them) bigger and stronger.”
The defense outpointed the offense 28-24 in a competition witnessed by the likes of former OSU greats Brandin Cooks and Steven Jackson, and also new basketball coach Justin Joyner, who took the microphone at halftime for a short address to the crowd.
Joyner concluded it this way:
“My wife (Tracy Joyner, Oregon’s women’s soccer coach) works at that other institution down the road.”
Boos rang out all around, Joyner beckoning with his hands as if to indicate, “Bring it on.”
Then: “Screw the Ducks!” he shouted, smiling, to a wave of laughter and applause.
Shephard’s point system wound up favoring the defense Saturday, but only slightly. Beaver kickers missed three of four field-goal attempts.
“Had our kicking game been better and we made those field goals, the offense would have won,” Shephard noted. “But our defense stood out today in terms of how they performed.”
Practices this spring have featured competition between three quarterbacks vying for the starting job next season — returning senior Maalik Murphy and transfers Braden Atkinson and Brady Jones. All three had their moments in the passing game. No official statistics were kept that I know of, so stats I kept on my clipboard will have to suffice.
Atkinson, the 6-1, 210-pound sophomore transfer from Mercer, got the first reps and completed 8 of 14 passes for 167 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown off a tunnel screen to redshirt freshman running back Kourdey Glass. Which, incidentally, ticked off the head coach.
“We had a missed tackle that led to Glass’ touchdown,” Shephard said. “That was the thing that frustrated me the most. Our defense has done an outstanding job of getting (ballcarriers) to the ground and making (opposing offenses to) snap it one more time.”
Atkinson’s scoresheet would have been more impressive had not tight end Decorian Temple dropped a perfectly laid-in ball that might have gone for a 37-yard TD.
“Uncharacteristic of what we have seen from ‘DC’ this spring,” Shephard said. “It lets him know he has things he needs to work on.”
Jones, a 6-4, 215-pound senior transfer from Western Michigan, got the second QB opportunity and finished 10 for 16 passing for 130 yards.
Murphy took snaps on every third possession. The 6-5, 235-pound former Texas and Duke QB connected on 15 of 22 passes for 139 yards. Under heavy pressure, he deftly dumped off passes to running backs for short gains to avoid sacks, completing most of them. And he threw beautiful strikes to Malachi Durant for 17 yards and to tight end Jackson Bowers for 30.
There were no interceptions in the scrimmage, and only the one touchdown pass.
Shephard’s assessment of his quarterbacks’ play:
“There were times when Maalik did a pretty good job of starting to move the offense down the field. The key thing with him is not putting the ball in jeopardy (of an interception). He did a pretty decent job of that and at giving us a chance to score some points when it was his turn.
“Braden made some really good throws, pushed the ball down the field, showed he can get the ball out on time (against the rush). Maalik did a really good job of that as well.
“I wanted to see Brady play better than he did. I called him over during the middle and let him know the standard he had set, he was not reaching that. He has a lot of work to do before now and the first game to show me he is prepared to be one of our quarterbacks.”
By my count, 16 players caught passes in the scrimmage, including tight ends Bowers, Temple, Eric Olsen, Gabe Milbourn, Cody Siegner and T’Andre Waverly. Olsen (four receptions for 38 yards), Milbourn (three for 33) and Siegner (four for 33) and Temple (two for 34) stood out.
“I am really excited about what we are capable of in our tight end room,” Shephard said. “They can be the standard of our team. They have been performing well every single day of spring practice. They will be a major part of our offense.”
“That is one of the reasons why I decided to come here,” said Olsen, a 6-5, 230-pound senior who caught 52 passes for 583 yards and two touchdowns at Utah Tech last season. “I saw what we were going to do on offense. I knew it would get us involved. There is a lot of opportunity for tight ends in this offense.
“We have senior leadership in our tight end. Temple and I are fifth-year seniors, Milbourn is a sixth-year senior. We have a lot of veterans in our group who bring a lot of experience to the table. And we have a couple of talented young guys in Siegner and Waverly.”
While the passing game was effective Saturday, the run game was not on a day when there were few holes for the backs to run through.
“Our run game wasn’t worth a plug nickel,” Shephard said. “We didn’t move the line of scrimmage at all. It is a significant challenge for our offensive line. We have to get stronger, more physical, more hungry, more violent and have a chip on our shoulder every single day. We gotta be better there.”
Six offensive linemen who are recovering from injuries were unavailable for Saturday’s scrimmage, including senior tackle Tyler Voltin.
“We will probably add another offensive lineman to the roster (through the transfer portal) to give us the best chance to be really good,” said Shephard, who credited the defensive line with doing an “outstanding job, holding the point and making sure they weren’t giving up seams in the interior. They just didn’t let our backs get going.”
AJ Newberry, a 6-1, 195-pound senior transfer from Vanderbilt, played running back on the first possession of the scrimmage. He had one nice 10-yard run but finished with 14 yards on six carries. Jake Reichle, a 6-2, 220-pound senior, was next (three carries, 13 yards), followed by Glass, a 5-10, 200-pound redshirt freshman (six carries, 12 yards), 6-foot, 215-pound sophomore Cornell Hatcher (four carries, five yards), 6-foot, 220-pound redshirt freshman Skyler Jackson (three carries, three yards) and 5-10, 190-pound true freshman Tre Garrison (four carries, 15 yards). Hatcher and Garrison had TD runs.
The biggest play of the day was a 47-yard strike from Atkinson to Aaron Butler, a 6-foot, 175-pound transfer from Texas. It was his only catch in the scrimmage.
The talk of spring ball among the receiver group has been 5-10, 185-pound Jesse Legree, a freshman from Baltimore. He had two receptions for 21 yards.
“The defense did a good job of trying to blanket Legree,” Shephard said. “He has been a thorn in their side all spring. They did a good job of pushing coverage to him and preventing him from taking over the game at times.”
Shephard said there will be a strong emphasis on the weight room between now and the beginning of training camp in August.
“We have to put out some mass,” he said. “Some of the teams we’ll go against will have some mass. Big people usually beat out little people. We have to get bigger so we’re not getting beat up or pushed around on Saturdays.”
Shephard was asked when he will allow his quarterbacks to speak to the media. None of them have been made available this spring. It doesn’t sound like that will happen any time soon.
“I am doing the speaking for this football team,” the coach declared. “Right now at quarterback, I haven’t decided who is going to speak for our team. (The QBs) are speaking to the team throughout workouts, throughout practices. That is what they need to be focused on — how they are leading their peers. They are doing an outstanding job of doing that. The time to get up here and talk to you all will be determined when I make that decision.”
That seems unnecessarily restrictive. All three quarterbacks surely have experience doing interviews. They can provide insight on themselves that would be of interest to fans and alumni who spend a lot of money following and supporting the team and, in fact, help pay the coach’s salary. None of what they might say would cause any harm to the team’s development in any way.
Shephard himself is cooperative, glib and downright jolly in his dealings with the media, a nice change from the coaches who have preceded him on the job in recent years. He is unquestionably demanding of his players, and those who have watched practice say he has been impressive in providing leadership and organization in the short time he has been on the job.
For sure, Shephard’s expectations are high, and he will accept nothing but full commitment from his players. Saturday’s scrimmage had its good moments, but not enough to satisfy him.
“Today was not up to the standards I hold myself to, and (the players) hold themselves to, and I made that clear to everybody,” he said. “But we can get better from this.”
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