10/20/2020 football Edit

Beavers Showing Signs Of Improvement After First Scrimmage

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

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With Oregon State's first scrimmage now in the books, a large portion of head coach Jonathan Smith's Tuesday Press Conference was squarely focused on what the Beavs were able to accomplish over the weekend.

As the Beavers work their way towards a Nov. 7th home-opener against Washington State, the first scrimmage not only offered the coaching staff a window into the future of the squad this season but also gave everyone a chance to see how things would unfold live.

"We got after it pretty good on Saturday with the scrimmage as we got over 100 plays in," Smith said. "Both sides made some things happen... the detail and execution weren't perfect, but I was happy with the way we tackled and the fact that no turnovers were committed."

In terms of a positive and a negative that he could draw from Saturday's action, Smith indicated several areas where he was pleased, while also adding that there were several detail-oriented processes that need to get corrected.

"I liked how clean the scrimmage was. We didn't commit many penalties, took care of the ball, and tackled well. I liked the playcalling throughout the scrimmage too. On the flip side, the pass rush was pretty consistent. We needed to get the ball out quickly with the pressure we were bringing and we did. As far as what I'd like to see improved, we need to tighten up the details in a big way."

In terms of how specifically stood out, Smith once again singled out freshman wide receiver Zeriah Beason, and several other freshmen that caught his eye during the scrimmage session.

"Zeriah made some nice plays, including a screen on a third and long that he was able to turn into a big gain and a nice conversion. John Miller made some nice plays on special teams. Both young tight ends Jake Overman and Tommy Spencer did some good things too."

With one scrimmage down, Smith says that the Beavers will conduct their second and final official scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday. Beyond that, he noted that they'll likely add in a mock-game situation next week to give them a final run-through for the sake of practicing live-situations, conducting substitutions, and making sure the teams' attention to detail is on point.