Start or Sit? The case for Oregon State's three quarterbacks
Oregon State has quite the quarterback battle on their hands as fall camp for the Beavers opens up at the end of July, and BeaversEdge.com will have the live coverage of camp from Bend and Corvallis.
Today's article focuses on the three quarterbacks and gives a case for why they should start as well as why they should not start.
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The case for Darell Garretson as starting quarterback
Garretson was the guy for the Beavs during the spring of 2016 and into fall camp. The Utah State transfer sat out the 2015 season due to transfer rules and came out sharp against Minnesota in the season opener. Garretson completed 25-of-40 passes for 228 yards and most impressive were his three touchdown passes compared to zero interceptions.
There's no way to sugar coat this - Garretson was not very good the rest of the season. He threw for just 172 yards against lowly Idaho State and didn't throw for more than 100 yards in the next four contests. Garretson was replaced by true freshman walk on Conor Blount a couple of times too.
However, Garretson played behind an offensive line that really struggled to protect the passer early on in the season, and he was banged up. He never was the Garretson of the Minnesota game again, and if Garretson shows the coaching staff that he is back to that level, then Garretson is probably the best quarterback on the roster.
I can't really put my finger on it, but Garretson has an "it" factor about him. He is a great leader and his mobility is excellent. In the Beavs big win over Cal last season, he rushed 10 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns - including the game winner in overtime.
Garretson is the most dual-threat of the three quarterbacks, and he could do some serious damage in the read-option game with defenses focusing on Oregon State's talented stable of running backs.
The case against Garretson as starting quarterback
After Garretson struggled to get anything going in the passing game for five straight weeks, why go back to that when you have McMaryion and Luton? Going with Garretson as the starting quarterback is risky, but it could reap big rewards.
But the Beavers like their tall quarterbacks, and Garretson at 6-feet tall does not represent that.
The case for Jake Luton as starting quarterback
The day Jake Luton committed to Oregon State last fall, I pegged him to start the 2017 season. I listened to every single word Gary Andersen spoke to the media during the 2016 season, and he always harped on how he wanted to improve the "throw game." It almost seemed like he was jealous of air raid offenses that other Pac-12 schools had.
Andersen went out and got Luton, a 6-foot-7, 230-pound gunslinger from the junior college ranks, and Luton instantly became the favorite for the starting job in the spring. He was very impressive to BeaversEdge.com senior writer Brenden Slaughter during the portion of practices available to the media.
Luton had an up and down spring game, but considering that he was fighting illness and was going through his first 15 practices with the team, he had a pretty good spring.
Oregon State is moving towards having tall, strong armed passers at quarterback, and Luton is the prototype.
The case against Luton as starting quarterback
Oregon State has four very capable running backs, so having a quarterback that has an early reputation for throwing interceptions is not a good move. Oregon State needs a quarterback that is the most familiar with the system and takes care of the ball.
For Oregon State to move towards throwing the ball more, they need the receivers to step up, and after seeing how they performed in 2016, it might be wise to stick to a run heavy offense with more mobile quarterbacks in McMaryion or Garretson.
The case for McMaryion as starting quarterback
McMaryion led the Beavers to a 2016 Civil War win.
We could stop there, but we will go on.
McMaryion had some really great moments in the 2016 season. The Beavers were up big against Washington State early last year, and McMaryion was solid - throwing for 327 yards (career high) and two touchdowns on 23-of-39 passing.
The Arizona performance was incredible by McMaryion with his five touchdown passes compared just three incompletions. He got the job on the ground against Oregon in rainy weather with 81 yards on 11 rushing attempts.
Not only is McMaryion is the safest choice of the three quarterbacks, he's probably the guy that the locker room wants too.
Heck, McMaryion is the only one of OSU's three quarterbacks fighting for the starting spot that signed with the Beavs out of high school. McMaryion has been with the program for a few years already and is ready to take this team to a bowl game.
The case against McMaryion as starting quarterback
Washington State and Arizona weren't exactly tough defenses that McMaryion shredded, and McMaryion had just 79 passing yards in the second half as the Cougars outscored OSU 29-7 in that half.
With McMaryion, you know what you're getting - a guy that is a great leader and one that is really, really hard not to like, but he has probably already reached his ceiling. Can he throw the ball with enough consistency to lead Oregon State to a bowl game?
He had his moments in 2016, but overall, there is more to be desired with McMaryion's game.
Remember this: Andersen went to Conor Blount last year before he went to McMaryion when Garretson was struggling/hurt. If Blount didn't suffer a leg injury in the Utah, he might have got the nod over McMaryion. Who knows?
The Bottom Line
Just because I said those good and bad things about the three quarterbacks does not mean I believe all of it.
The Beavers are in a good spot here. Start Luton, and if he does not pan out, you go to McMaryion, who is more than capable to start games in the Pac-12 for Oregon State.
Luton has all of the tools and is exactly what OSU is looking for at quarterback. Garretson and McMaryion are shorter guys with arms that are not as strong as Luton's. I see Luton as the starter for the CSU game come August 26.