Oregon State Spring Game Notebook: Smith expecting a big offseason

With the Oregon State Football team wrapping up its 2019 Spring Session with the Spring Game, BeaversEdge.com senior writer Brenden Slaughter breaks down the most important storylines surrounding the Beavers as they head into the offseason.

MORE: WATCH: Oregon State Spring Game Interviews | 5 Takeaways from Oregon State's Spring Game

With spring practices now in the rearview mirror, the real work starts now for the Oregon State football team.

Coming off a 2-10 campaign in Jonathan Smith's first year, the Beavers knew that they needed to make drastic improvements on both sides of the ball in order to compete for four quarters for an entire season.

Given that it's going to be a slow, but steady climb back to prominence for OSU, seeing the Beavers accomplish a lot and grow in numerous ways over the past few weeks has really been impressive to Smith.

"We're really pleased with what our guys showed us and what we were able to accomplish in 15 practices," Smith said. "We've grown and developed and played really physical on both sides of the ball today. Today was a great wrap up."

After having a mini-spring game/scrimmage at Mountainside High School in Beaverton last Saturday, Smith was pleased with how the team responded in practice this week leading up to the spring game.

"There were a couple things that we really wanted to clean up (from last Saturday) and they did that on Tuesday and Thursday this week. It was a really good finish because we pushed these guys pretty hard in our 15 practices and they responded."

The Oregon State quarterback derby between Jake Luton and Tristan Gebbia will continue into fall camp as Smith announced after the Beavers' spring game that he wasn't ready to name a starter post-spring.

"We're not ready to name a starter at this point," Smith said. "We feel that we've got two guys who can win us games and we want to keep that working."

This isn't a new look from Smith as he and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren kept their cards close to the vest last season when it came to the QB battle between Luton and Conor Blount and it appears they're looking to keep their options open as they sort through spring film and prepare for fall camp.

Smith on Luton: "Luton continues to be sharp and showed today with some movement plays that he's in really good physical shape. It helps Jake a ton to have a year of experience in the system."

Just like last week at Mountainside, Luton's favorite target was once again sophomore wideout Jesiah Irish. Irish made a spectacular catch early in the scrimmage and was arguably the highlight of day with five receptions for 81 yards, including a 42-yard pass connection with Luton.

"He continues to make great plays," Luton said of Irish. "He was able to body the cornerback and go make a play. It's what he's been doing all spring."

Here's Smith's thoughts on the two QB's...

Smith on Gebbia: "Tristan operated very well today...it's a little tougher offensively when you have a lot of guys rotating in with various teams, but I was happy with how he played today.

Gebbia and Luton peached touched on their relationship with each other and what the offseason competition will look like.

"Jake is a great guy to be around all the time and he's got a lot of experience," Gebbia said. "He gives me some pointers, and I do when I can, but he's been around the game for awhile so he's a professional."

Added Luton: "Tristan is a great player...to already be where he's at mentally and physically, it's fantastic."

Regardless of whomever the Beavers decide to tab as their starting quarterback come fall camp, it's no secret that OSU wants to be able to stretch the field vertically on a consistent basis. There were flashes of it last season, but in order for the Beavers to be a more balanced and dynamic offensive team, there has to be the threat of the deep ball.

"Anytime you can push the ball down the field, it really helps out everything," Smith said. "It helps out underneath, and we're making strides offensively to create more (vertical oppurutntuies)."

Following the conclusion of the spring game, Smith didn't mince words when he was asked about the most important thing the team needs to do in the offseason.

"They need to have the best summer of their lives," Smith said. "As a team, individually, and in the weight room. It's going to be an exciting season, and you want to put the work in to do it and the expectation is that they will."

With Smith putting a high-standard up on the shelf for the summer, it will be interesting to see how the Beavers return in August. Smith is clearly looking for the Beavers to put in a lot of work this summer and it should give us a good gauge just how far the team has come from a year ago.

Added Gebbia: "100 percent... The good news is that we've got a lot of guys that know what they're doing around here. Coach (Mike) McDonald is going to get us right in the weight room and when they can with the NCAA rules, Lindgren and Smith will spend time with us as well. We have to go out there as hard as we can everyday with a championship mindset and the sky will be the limit for us."

"The summer is going to be huge for us," Luton said. "For a team that needs to take the next step, accountability is a big thing for us and we have to continue to work hard and treat the summer with the same mindset as spring."

There was much more than just a spring game at Reser Stadium on Saturday as Oregon State and Nike announced a new set of uniforms for the Beavers starting this season. The Beavers will have an all-black uniform, an all-orange, and a all-white as Nike rebranded the team in Smith's image.

Here's a few reactions on the new uniforms...

Gebbia: "Everyone was going crazy... we love them. We can't wait to put them on."

Irish: "The new uniforms are really really cool. A bunch of the players came out and were wearing them when we saw them on Friday and they look really good."

The Beavers will be debuting their new uniforms on Friday August 30th in Reser Stadium when OSU welcomes Oklahoma State and the mullet of Mike Gundy to Corvallis