Defense shines during annual Spring Game

A drizzly May day, ushered in Oregon State's finale to Spring Camp. 5,086 fans huddled under the cover to watch the defense shine during the 110 play scrimmage at Reser Stadium.

While Sean Canfield and Darrell Catchings were the story during the first two scrimmages of camp, today Canfield completed 20 of 32 passes for 182 yards, three interceptions and a touchdown.

"Too many turnovers today, I think Sean had more today than the other two scrimmages combined," Beaver head coach Mike Riley said. "But, there were reasons for those interceptions too. It wasn't a great way for Sean to finish; he's had an outstanding spring."

Back-up quarterback Ryan Katz completed 10 of 21 passes for 101 yards, while Virginia transfer, Peter Lalich completed 10 of 17 passes for 214 yards and tacked on two touchdowns. This was Lalich's first action at quarterback during a scrimmage and he hit Kevan Walker for a 20 yard TD pass and Jordan Bishop for a 45 yard score.

While the offense looked good in the previous two scrimmages, it was the defenses day in the spotlight. The defense looked sharp in coverage, including interceptions by Lance Mitchell, Dwight Roberson, James Dockery, Anthony Watkins, and Taylor Henry. Fumbles were also caused by Mitchell and Roberson.

As a whole, the defense looked solid, even with many members of the first team seeing limited action. With the strong performances by Dockery and Mitchell, the Oregon State secondary may surprise some people this fall. The young secondary will also benefit greatly from the solid athletes on the defensive line and the linebackers, who all showed their speed today.

This years spring camp was marked by a large number of injuries. Timi Oshinowo was the latest to go down with a knee injury. The extent of the injury is not known at this time, but Oshinowo was helped off the field.

While quarterback Lyle Moevao, James Rodgers, and Jacquizz Rodgers continue their healing process, Riley announced after the scrimmage that running back Ryan McCants, linebacker Tony Wilson, and wide receiver Kaulin Krebs would all undergo surgery on their knees during the off-season.

It is now time to focus on finishing up the academic year and staying in condition for the start of fall camp, which will kick-off on August 10. Stay tuned to BeaverBlitz.com for exclusive photos from the Spring Game and continuing coverage of summer conditioning, which will kick-off in July.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING (No-Yds-TD)

Jovan Stevenson, 6-40; Jordan Jenkins, 9-10; Damola Adeniji, 1-1; Clayton York, 2-(-2),; Justin Engstrom, 2-(-3); Sean Canfield, 1-(-5); Peter Lalich, 3-(-13); Ryan Katz, 3-(-19).

PASSING (Att-Comp-Int-Yds-TD)

Sean Canfield, 32-20-3-182-1; Peter Lalich, 17-10-1-214-2; Ryan Katz, 21-10-0-101-0; Justin Engstrom, 15-8-1-48-0

RECEIVING (No-Yds-TD)

Jordan Bishop, 5-95-1; Aaron Nichols, 5-63; Casey Kjos, 4-50; Darrell Catchings, 3-47; Geno Munoz, 2-47; Kevan Walker, 4-42-1; Colby Prince, 5-33; Jovan Stevenson, 4-31; Jordan Jenkins, 4-23; Joe Halahuni, 3-21; John Reese, 2-21; Damola Adeniji, 2-20; Chris Roth, 1-16; Shawn McGarity, 1-13; Clayton York, 1-10; Brady Camp, 1-2-1.