Oregon State Football: Tibesar updates Rashed's status, talks Oregon
With the Oregon State football team underway in its preparations for the Civil War, BeaversEdge.com gives you the latest on the Beavers' defense as they prepare for a tough matchup against Justin Herbert and the Oregon offense.
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If there was one thing noticeably absent from the Oregon State defense against Washington State, it was the defensive playmaking and offensive disruption that outside linebacker Hamilcar Rashed always provides.
The Pac-12's sack and tackle for loss leader suffered a left-hand injury prior to the Washington State game and wasn't his usual self against the Cougars as he was noticeably hampered by the cast.
Defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar provided an update on Rashed following Wednesday's practice, noting that the increased practice reps will likely help bring him back up to speed, albeit still in a limited fashion.
"It certainly affected him against Washington State," Tibesar said. "He's got a hand issue, but he's going to try to give it his best and do what he can for us. He'll be able to get more practice with the (club) than he did last week."
If there was perhaps a reason as to why Rashed wasn't comfortable against the Cougars, it was because, in the week of practice leading up, he wearing on a bevy of casts, trying to find one that he could get comfortable with using.
"Last week was extremely experimental because he tried a different cast each practice until he found something that he thinks works. He's now settled into his new cast and should be able to get more used to it."
Despite Rashed figuring to be more-effective this week due to the fact that he's had more time to get acclimated to his new situation, Tibesar gave the hard-truth when he noted that without being able to fully use that left hand, Rashed wouldn't be his usual self.
"Every good pass rusher uses their hands. It's what separates good pass rushers from average guys. It's a huge liability to not being able to use your hands."
In terms of the Oregon offense, Tibesar was very complimentary of the Ducks' new offensive wrinkles this season, noting that Justin Herbert has become very comfortable in the system and that they've got a great amount of balance within their offense.
"They've got a fantastic QB who can make all the throws. They've done a great job offensively in blending their RPO's with play-action and drop back stuff. We're not changing the way we prepare for Oregon, but they're a really good offense. We've got to play one of our best games of the season."
While oddsmakers have Oregon as a 19-point favorite heading into the Civil War, Tibesar is confident in his group and believes that anything can happen.
"Our guys have confidence and believe that if we go down there and play well, we'll win. Every single week in college football, NFL football, you see some underdog come out and beat somebody they're not supposed to beat. It happens every week at every level, so why not us this week?"