10/27/2020 football Edit

3 Burning Questions Heading Into Week 3

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

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With the Oregon State football team now into its third week of fall camp, BeaversEdge.com Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter poses three burning questions heading into the stretch run.

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1. Will Tristan Gebbia be named the starting quarterback this week?

Shortly after the conclusion of last Saturday's scrimmage, Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith may have tipped his hand as to what he's thinking at quarterback by saying that it's possible the Beavers would name a starting quarterback this week.

While his wording technically kept the quarterback competition open between Tristan Gebbia, Chance Nolan, Ben Gulbranson, and Nick Moore, if you read between the lines, all signs point to Gebbia being the guy after he put together a solid performance in the scrimmage.

The question now is when will the team make the announcement?

With the opener against Washington State less than two weeks away, there are more pros than cons to naming a guy as soon as possible. Given that Gebbia is the most experienced and versed in the offense, getting him the majority of the reps from here on out would greatly benefit him against the Cougs.

We'll have to wait and see how it shakes out this week, but with the clock ticking and the opener looming, there's no question that both Smith and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren will be looking to name a starter sooner than later.

2. Who will be the five starters on the O-Line?

With under two weeks to go until the season opener against Washington State, the Oregon State offensive line is coming together but is still a work in progress as they search for the best fitting five guys.

After losing Blake Brandel, Gus Lavaka, and Clay Cordasco to graduation this past offseason, offensive line coach Jim Michalczik needed to replace the production of three starters who barely left the field.

Outside of Joshua Gray and Brandon Kipper, who are likely to occupy LT & RT respectively, there's competition for center and both guard spots amongst a group that includes Nathan Eldridge, Nous Keobounnam, Korbin Sorenson, & Ke'ili Montibon.

Given Michalczik's staunch record of letting the competition play out until the last possible moment and inner desire to get the best five guys on the field, this might be the most nip-and-tuck position group battle on the squad down the stretch.

The Beavers have always yielded a strong line under Michalczik, and one that gets better as the season goes on, so while there's still some concern here, I wouldn't worry about the group he ultimately goes with because they'll have passed his rigorous trials and will be up to the challenge.

3. What will we learn from the depth chart?

It's almost depth chart time!

Following the conclusion of the scrimmage this past Saturday, Smith hinted that a depth chart could be on the way soon.

With that being said, I'm extremely curious to see what it looks like because the Beavers have some real competition at several position groups. Whether it be the offensive/defensive line, secondary, linebackers, or receivers, the team has some real battles brewing in fall camp as the depth and talent has never been higher.

Unlike any other time in the Smith era, the stakes for playing time have never been bigger. Earlier in camp, the Beavers' head coach admitted that there will be some really talented guys on this roster that won't start simply because there aren't enough starting spots.

It's that competition that should fuel this team to new heights... competition drives success and if the Beavers have backups that are pushing the starters to new levels in order not to lose their spot, the program will continue its upward ascent over the course of the year.