Oregon State Practice Report: Tyner and Johnson show potential
The Oregon State football team just wrapped up their 13th practice on Wednesday amidst another hazy day in Corvallis. The Beavers are set to hold their second scrimmage of 2017 fall camp on Saturday and are looking to fine tune all aspects of their game in preparation for the final days of practice before Colorado State.
Practice Nuggets
- Thomas Tyner took reps with the 1st unit for the majority of practice that the media saw today. His ability to shift and bounce between tackles is truly a gift that OSU hasn’t had since Jacquizz Rodgers. Ryan Nall is very elusive too, but in a different way. Nall does it with footwork, while Tyner is able to do it with spin moves, and jukes in addition to footwork. His ability to break tackles and run through guys is something that Beaver fans will be impressed with when they see him on display in the scrimmage this Saturday.
-Speaking of Tyner, it’s very clear at this point that even if he has to share carries with the other running backs, he is going to be very involved in the offense. Jake Luton hit Tyner with a little swing pass that he took to the house. His ability as a pass-catcher out of the backfield might be his biggest weapon that nobody is talking about.
-What a day for Wesley Payne! Payne was extremely impressive from the first moment that I saw him today. Marcus Greaves and I have been high on him for several weeks, but today was the first day that I really saw him make a couple big time plays. The best example was on a goal line play. Luton handed the ball off to Tyner who only needed about three yards to score, and out of nowhere Payne came into the picture and blasted Tyner backwards to keep him out of the endzone. Tyner is a strong player, and seeing him fall backwards by way of Payne was extremely impressive.
-Trevorris Johnson broke out today as he had several nice runs. He was primarily running with the second team with Darell Garretson, and he didn’t disappoint. He ripped off several big runs, including one for 20 plus. One of his impressive strengths is his ability to run through players. During his time at TCU, Johnson developed a reputation as a run through you type of player, and that was on display today as he just ran through Omar Hicks Onu on a stretch run. In addition to his power, Johnson also follows his blockers very well. He is an extremely patient runner and waits for the holes to open up before bursting through with above-average speed and raw power.