Oregon State Football: Fall Camp Notebook Day 6

With the Oregon State football team now having two full-pad practices under their belt and having defensive coaches and players available, BeaversEdge.com senior writer Brenden Slaughter gives you the latest on the team with this in-depth notebook.

Miss any camp content? Head over to our FALL CAMP Headquarters

Linebackers drawing praise

If there's a position group where the Beavers are primed to make a big leap on defense this season, it's the linebackers.

Thanks to key veterans returning that are a year wiser and more experienced in the system and the addition of two high-impact transfers in Avery Roberts and Addison Gumbs, the Beavers have the potential to boast a very sound linebacking corps.

"We've certainly improved from where we were a year ago," defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar said. "The guys that are back in the second year of the system are looking a lot more comfortable and are executing at a higher level. Then you add in some of the new guys like Addison and Avery and we've really bolstered the quality and quantity of the (linebacker) room."

With Roberts and Shemar Smith penciled in as the starters on the inside, there's a really high ceiling for what the two hard-hitting 'backers can do. Roberts has been lauded for his playmaking and instincts since his arrival from Nebraska and the Beavers are really excited about what he brings to the table.

"Avery has a great instinct for the inside 'backer position," Tibesar said. "When he arrives, he arrives with a lot of stopping power, and he's doing a really good job in the middle of our defense."

"Shemar is a thumper," Roberts said with a smile. "He likes to hit and I see myself the same way, so I think we work well together," Roberts said.

Linebackers coach Trent Bray noted that the inside linebackers, specifically Roberts and Smith, have had really good chemistry in fall camp and have taken big leaps over the summer.

"We've seen a lot of growth since just last spring," Bray said. "The physicality at the point of attack has been a big emphasis for us and we've really seen that jump in fall camp thus far."

As far as the outside linebackers go, the Beavers have a strong unit headlined by Hamilcar Rashed, Addison Gumbs, and Andrezj Hughes-Murray, while John McCartan and Matthew Tago will provide key depth off the bench.

Bray noted that the outside 'backers have really put in the work in the weight room in the offseason and that it has helped the unit be more physical at the point of attack.

"We're bigger, we're stronger, and that really helps us set those edges better," Bray said. "The understanding of where to drop and where to be in the pass rush has been better in year two and we're seeing that growth happen on all levels for us."

Defensive line searching for consistency

Heading into fall camp, there was one position group that absolutely needed to take a step forward in order for the Beavers to be better this season, and it was the defensive line.

Simply put, the Beavers were dominated at the point of attack all too often last season and that's where the majority of the defensive improvement needed to come from. Several practices into fall camp, it's clear that the Beavers have made strides on the line and that they'll be much better equipped for the rigors of the Pac-12.

While the loss of Jeromy Reichner has hurt from a depth perspective, Tibesar noted that he's been pleased with how the newcomers and returnees have handled fall camp thus far and where they stand several practices in.

"We've got some new faces that are helping out and our returning guys are a lot more comfortable and familiar with the techniques were asking them to do and they're executing at a higher level than they were a year ago."

Despite Tibesar being pleased with the progress the group has made, he's still wanting to see more. Even though the Beavers have shown glimpses of being a good defensive line, it hasn't been at the level of consistency needed just yet.

"We've got to get more consistent," Tibesar said. "We're not as consistent as we need to be controlling the line of scrimmage and getting some knockback at the line of scrimmage. We see flashes of it, but we need to be more consistent at it."