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football Edit

The 3-2-1: Oregon State Spring Football At The Two-Week Mark

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With the Oregon State football team two weeks into spring football 2021, BeaversEdge.com Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter gives three things we've learned, poses two questions, and gives one prediction.

MORE: 2022 Recruit Big Board | Notes & Quotes From Jonathan Smith

Three Things We Learned 

1. The Defense Has Taken A Step Forward

-> If there's been one constant for the Oregon State football team several weeks into spring, it's that the defense has improved in a big way from last season. Obviously, it's still early and a small sample size, so you're taking everything with a grain of salt, but being able to see these guys four times so far, the improvement is more than noticeable.

Whether its the secondary having the most depth and talent we've seen under Smith, the defensive line finally starting to show signs of life or the heady and steady play of the linebackers, the defense is finally starting to round into form and I'm very excited to see what comes in the coming weeks/months.

Jonathan Smith and defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar have both said that they feel this is the most talented and depth-heavy group they've had since they've been here, and now it's up to the defense to consistently show that.

The defense caught my eye midweek last week as you could tell that they had made some strides, but when you combine that with the fact that Smith said the defense was impressive during Saturday's scrimmage, it lends credence to the notion that this is a veteran group that is capable of making a sizable leap.

2. Chance Nolan & Ben Gulbranson Are Neck & Neck

-> Two weeks into spring and it's looking like it's going to be a close race between Chance Nolan & Ben Gulbranson in terms of being in the mix to push Tristan Gebbia for the starting job.

With Gebbia on the shelf for spring, that's opened up a ton of reps for Nolan, Gulbranson, and Sam Vidlak, but it appears as though the Beavers are forging ahead with Nolan & Gulbranson.

That's not to say that Vidlak isn't in the mix, he absolutely still is, but the Beavers have been giving him reps with the 2nd & 3rd teams recently while Gulbranson and Nolan have split time with the 1's.

With that being said, it's going to be very interesting to see which guy best puts himself in a position to seize the job. Smith & Co. have said Gebbia won't lose any ground by not playing this spring, so in my mind, it's about which guy is the most consistent through spring.

This debate is a tad moot given that the Beavers won't likely make a starting quarterback decision until the last week or two of fall camp, but still, spring is where the groundwork of success is laid and I think there's a good chance the strongest QB exiting spring will have the inside track heading into fall camp.

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