3 things to look for in Oregon State's Spring Game

With the Oregon State Football team set to wrap up its 2019 spring session with the spring game on Saturday, BeaversEdge.com senior writer Brenden Slaughter gives three things to look for in the Beavers' spring finale.

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With Saturday marking the end of the 2019 spring session for the Oregon State football team, it also means that it will be the last time for the players to leave a strong impression with their coaches heading into the offseason.

Perhaps no two players will be competing harder to leave a lasting impression throughout summer than Jake Luton and Tristan Gebbia, who are both fighting to be the Beavers' starting quarterback.

With the battle being a bit of a give and take over the course of spring with Luton mostly being in the lead and Gebbia right on his heels, the Beavers' practice on Thursday gave us a good look at what they're planning on doing in the spring game on Saturday.

Luton and Gebbia split reps in practice with the 1st team for the first time all spring on Thursday and if that's any indication, it appears that head coach Jonathan Smith and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren are going to let both guys show what they can do to the fullest on Saturday.

With most of Oregon State's spring games in the past being a bit more of an exaggerated scrimmage rather than a game, this years' feels a little bit bigger. When talking to the players post-Beaverton last week, they were really hyped for what they were calling a "game like atmosphere" and it's possible that we'll see the Beavers get close to full-go on Saturday.

With several months of offseason training ahead for Luton and Gebbia before they return to the practice field in August, having a strong showing in the spring game will go a long ways towards having the inside track to being named starter.

Look for a good competition between the two quarterbacks as they'll each look to leave a lasting impression.

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As was the case in the three things to watch for in Beaverton last week, attendance and atmosphere is going to be another key thing to watch for on Saturday. With rainy and cold conditions dominating the last Saturday, Oregon State fans will have the opportunity to see the Beavers in action in Reser Stadium on Saturday with much better conditions as sunny skies and mid-60's are expected.

Given that the weather will be drastically improved and that it's the final time to see the Beavers until mid-August, I expect a sizable crowd at Reser Stadium.

The annual autograph session will be held on the concourse beginning at 9 a.m. Inflatable games, face painting, a photo booth and balloon artists will also be a part of the festivities.

The Spring Game kicks off at 11 a.m. and the two-hour event will be broadcast live by the Pac-12 Network. Numerous former Beaver football players will be in attendance and OSU personnel will unveil the new uniforms for the upcoming season.

The new uniforms are certainly a must-watch this weekend as Nike has rebranded the Beavers' uniforms and the team will be set to debut them this weekend. New uniforms are always exciting and having a redesign with the "Smith" image should yield simple, yet bold colors and schemes.

Despite finishing 2-10 a season ago, Oregon State has shown big signs of improvement during spring on both sides of the ball and now they'll look to put it all together on Saturday. The Beavers still have a long ways to go to get to where they need to be, but the spring game plays an important role in development and execution come fall camp.

With Smith noting after the Dam City Showcase in Beaverton that several of the injured players on both sides of the ball could have played if it were a real game scenario, I'd expect a fair number of Beavers who have been 'limited' or 'out' for the past several practices to make an appearance in the spring finale.

BeaversEdge writer Mitch Monge has the latest injury report heading into the spring game.

Offense: Champ Flemings, OUT; Kanoa Shannon, OUT; Aaron Short, OUT: Trevon Bradford, OUT; Tyjon Lindsey, Limited Non-Contact; Tino Allen, Limited Non-Contact; Calvin Tyler Jr., Limited Non-Contact;

Defense: Addison Gumbs, OUT: Jaden Robinson, OUT; Wynston Russell, OUT; Jeromy Reichner, OUT: Jaydon Grant, OUT; David Morris, Limited Non-Contact; Simon Sandberg, Limited Non-Contact; Kaleb Hayes, Limited Non-Contact; Shawn Wilson, Limited Non-Contact; Andrzej Hughes-Murray, Full;

Given that Pac-12 Networks is televising the event and that the Beavers are expecting are sizable amount of impact recruits visiting over the course of the weekend, showing out and putting your best foot forward heading into the summer offseason is going to be a top priority for Smith and Co.

With all that being said, unless it's an injury that the Beavers really want to be careful and cautious with, I expect most of the guys on the borderline of playing and not playing to at least suit up and get a few turns in on Saturday.