The Beavers held their annual spring game April 25 on a cloudless Saturday afternoon at Reser Stadium to kickstart a new era of football with head coach JaMarcus Shephard at the helm.
Saturday’s showcase scrimmage featured half an hour of drills before the offense, dressed in white led by quarterbacks in orange, took on the defense, draped in black.
The defense won the uniquely scored contest, scoring points for punts, stopped fourth downs, missed field goals, turnovers and three-and-outs. The Oregon State offense scored three touchdowns in total and went 2 of 4 on field goals.
After the game Shephard discussed his thoughts about the afternoon and what he wants his Beavers to continue working on.
A running theme for over a year at Reser Stadium has been the size and production of the offensive line.
The line is the engine that makes the offense run and to Shephard and the Oregon State coaching staff, the engine needs to get bigger, faster and stronger.
“We didn’t block worth a plug nickel,” Shephard said after the spring game. “I feel like we didn’t move the line of scrimmage at all. It’s a significant challenge for our offensive line … we’ve got to get stronger, more physical, more angry, more violent and have a chip on our shoulder every single day.”
Josiah Timoteo, Nathan Elu, Carter Guillaume, Will Larkins and Teko Shoats were the first offensive line unit to take the field. It’s a combination of returning players and transfers, and numerous others were rotated through the lineups.
Regis High School graduate Tyler Voltin, a senior, is among the linemen Shephard wants to see growth from.
“Interchanging some of the other guys once they’re back healthy and giving them a chance to shore up some things is something we’ll do to make sure we have the right five out there when it’s time for us to have the right five out there,” Shephard said.
But the line isn’t the only position group Shephard wants to see physical growth from. He wants to see it across the board, on both sides of the ball.
“For me, it’s bigger, faster, stronger, put on some weight,” tight end Eric Olsen said. “I’m going to be going against some big guys down in the trenches so I just got to keep getting stronger, keep putting on some weight and getting my speed up.”
Olsen was a member of a tight end room that saw a lot of snaps, a lot of targets and a versatile style of work in the spring scrimmage.
Jackson Bowers, a former BYU transfer in his second season in Corvallis, was the first tight end to take the field. From there, consistent appearances from Bowers, Olsen, Gabe Milbourn and Decorion Temple made for a carousel at the position.
They were heavily involved in the game, and it may be a hint at what Shephard wants to do with his offense this fall.
“I’ll say this, our tight end room is one that I’m really excited about with what we’re capable of,” Shephard said. “We’ll continue to push that group and make sure that they know they can be standard of our entire football team.”
Shephard referenced former coaches and players from the position group that inspire his craftmanship with this roster, including current Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee and the Rams' coaching staff.
“Ultimately, the tight end has always been that piece of the offense that made the offense diverse, in my opinion,” Shephard said.
The ideal tight end possesses a variety of blocking and receiving qualities to keep the team versatile and unpredictable, the coach added, and his players are working to mold their games like the pros they watch.
“I think there’s a lot of opportunity for tight ends in this offense,” Olsen said. “I see a lot of teams like to use tight ends a lot in pass game and then a lot of play action, all that stuff. A great example is the (San Francisco) 49ers .. teams like that is what I kind of strive to play like.”