When Gary Andersen arrived at OSU, he inherited a team that was desperately in need of a rebuild. OSU had struggled in the last two years under Mike Riley, and needed a fresh look to reinvigorate a frustrated fan base.
Andersen wasted no time tearing it down to the ground, as the Beavers went through a complete offensive and defensive overhaul in his first season. The results for the Beavers in year one and year of the rebuild were not always pretty.
OSU went 2-10 in Andersen’s first season, and didn’t win one Pac-12 game. Despite the rough season, he echoed that he is building the program the right way and building something takes time.
Throughout the whole rebuilding process, Andersen has stated many times “I’m a builder. I like to build things.”
Beaver Nation and Andersen saw progress in year two as the Beavers doubled their win total from the previous year and were much more competitive in nearly all of their contests. And perhaps most importantly, the Beavers got a giant monkey off their back when they broke an eight year losing streak to the Oregon Ducks to finish of the 2016 season with a 4-8 record.
Now, here we are in the beginning of Andersen’s third season at OSU. The Beavers are already several weeks into fall camp, and are beginning to show signs of being ready to take the big leap that fans, players, and coaches have been so desperately craving.
When Andersen met with the media today following practice No. 12, he was asked whether or not this is the most comfortable he has felt with a team.
“I would say yes (this is the best I’ve ever felt about a team),” Andersen said. “This team has grown and developed and is a pretty tight knit unit. We still have a long ways to go and a lot of work to do, but they are playing with a lot of want to and care factor throughout camp and have handled camp very well throughout this point.”
And why shouldn’t Andersen feel good about his team this season?
Offensively, the Beavers finally appear to have a quarterback who is going to put up the type of numbers that OSU hasn’t had since Sean Mannion in Jake Luton. They have perhaps the deepest group of running backs in the Pac-12, and also boast experience, height, and speed in the receiving core.
In terms of those running backs, one of the biggest questions Andersen and Co. are facing in 2017 is how they will give all of their running backs carries? Andersen isn’t worried about it one bit.
“We have good running backs who are competitive and want the ball,” Andersen said. “It’s a good problem to have when you sit back and say, ‘How are you going to get these running backs touches? I feel good about these young men and they’re working hard and staying healthy and continue to make plays for us.”
On the defensive side of the ball, the Beavers appear to finally be in a position where they are ready to hand out the punishment rather than take it. For the last two seasons, opposing offenses have walked all over the Beaver defense with the exception of several lower tier teams. However, those days of being a punching bag appear to be behind them.
The Beavers’ strength this season on the defense is going to be the linebackers and the secondary. Bright Ugwoegbu and Manase Hungalu figure to anchor OSU’s improved defense in 2017 while Xavier Crawford and Brandon Arnold look to lock down the back end with solid, tough play.
There are still 17 days until the Beavers face off with Colorado State in Fort Collins, but it seems like a lot of the questions are starting to be answered about this team with each and every practice.
One of the few remaining questions is going to be who starts at safety opposite of Brandon Arnold. Jalen Moore, Austin Hudson, and David Morris are all vying for time to play in the back end.
In addition to Morris, Andersen also mentioned three other freshmen who will most likely not redshirt in the 2017 campaign. Calvin Tyler Jr, Isaiah Dunn, and Kesi Ah’ Hoy all figure to play in some capacity this season. Where exactly that remains to be seen, but all of those guys will most likely get on the field.
“Calvin Tyler will most likely play. He has shown to be very effective in a lot of things he’s doing, and at this point, he’ll definitely be involved in the scheme of things. David Morris is the same way right now,” Andersen said. “He’s battling like crazy at the safety position and if he can keep himself on the field and keep progressing he will have a chance to play. Kesi Ah Hoy has proven himself to be ready to go in the linebacker rotation. We also expect Isaiah Dunn to be in the same position as well with the corners.”
With OSU’s second scrimmage slated for Saturday at Reser Stadium, the Beavers are getting closer and closer to their date with Colorado State. The scrimmage is open to the public and will give OSU fans who didn’t make the trip to Bend a chance to see Gary Andersen’s 2017 Beavers that should be his most complete team here.
Andersen has taken no shortcuts in building Beaver Football the way that he wanted it, and now that he has his best team at OSU, fans will get to see Andersen’s two plus years of work on display.
