Tuesday Notebook: Beavers Aiming For More Offensive Consistency

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After a sluggish start in the loss to Washington State, the Oregon State offense was able to find a rhythm in the later stages of the second half and show glimpses of their potential. BeaversEdge.com had the Oregon State offense on deck Tuesday and here's the latest with the group as they prepare for the Washington Huskies.

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Among the many surprising revelations revealed in Oregon State's season-opening loss to Washington State was the lack of execution at critical times by the offense. The Beavers came out of both halves extremely slow and it ended up costing them.

The Beavers punted on their first four possessions to start the contest and then proceeded to punt the ball on their first two drives of the second half, costing them crucial chances to build momentum and establish an offensive rhythm.

"We started slow and it was really just a lack of execution and bad football," offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren said. "The first three drives of the game we couldn't get out of our own way. That ultimately ended up killing us and it's been a big point of emphasis this week."

While the offense was able to find a groove late in the third quarter and into the fourth, Washington State had built enough of an advantage thanks to its third-quarter burst that ultimately proved too much to overcome.

"We came out slow and just weren't executing on offense and a part of that is on me," receiver Trevon Bradford said. "They lean on me to be a playmaker and I really didn't step up until the second half. We'll be better..."

While some of the offensive inefficiency blame falls on quarterback Tristan Gebbia, it was a group effort that led to the poor performance and Lindgren feels that Gebbia was able to do some good things that will hopefully carry over while also acknowledging the issues that plagued him early.

"I thought he was able to do some really good things in the second half," Lindgren said. "There were things he missed early in the game whether it was a read or a bad decision, but overall, I thought there were a lot of things to build on. He took care of the football and we were pretty efficient in the red zone."

As far as the run game goes, the Beavers were able to have a nice day overall as Jermar Jefferson rumbled for 120 yards and three touchdowns, but it didn't come easy as he had to work for every yard against a determined WSU defense.

"It was very frustrating coming out starting slow and going three and out three times," Jefferson said. "That happened because our energy on the sidelines wasn't high enough. We have to bring more energy to the games."

While the first games always have their rough moments, this contest against Washington State was particularly tough for the offensive staff and players to watch because it told the tale of a team that didn't execute and took turns making mistakes.

"Collectively, we didn't execute at a high enough level consistently. We watched the film on Sunday and I could show a clip of each position group making a mistake in those first drives of the game. We didn't execute the stuff we do. We did show up late and ran the two-minute drill really well, and I credit those guys for pushing through and giving us a chance."

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Another area where the Beavers would like to get more consistent moving forward on offense is the offensive line.

The group of Joshua Gray at left tackle, Jake Levengood at left guard, Nathan Eldridge at center, Nous Keobounnam at right guard, and Brandon Kipper at right tackle didn't have the type of day they would have hoped for against Washington State and will be looking to get a lot of the little things corrected this week.

Until the late stages of the game where the group was able to find some consistency along with the rest of the offense, the line almost appeared on roller skates as Gebbia was constantly being harassed and under duress from the WSU pass rush.

"We gave up four sacks and that's something Coach (Jim Michalczik) and I were not pleased with," Lindgren said. "There was a lack of attention to detail at times and we really have to improve that position group."

While it was a rough first outing for the Beavers all considering, there's a good chance that overall it'll be an upward ascent from here as the Jim Michalczik coached lines always have a knack for getting stronger as the season goes.

"There was a lot of learning opportunities," Lindgren said. "There were some clips that we could point out that showed promise and some clips that showed we gotta keep getting better. We're a work in progress, but I like where we're headed."

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