Spring was a good start, but Beavers still must solve secondary mystery

By kerry eggers

The Portland Tribune, May 3, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (3 Reader comments)

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CORVALLIS – Spring football is about competition and maturation and growth and filling holes. Plenty of the latter, it seems, occurs on an annual basis at Oregon State.

And so, as he reflects on his ninth year of spring practice, Mike Riley focuses squarely on the nut graph.

“I like this group a lot, but it’s still a real mystery,” the OSU coach says. “Can you overcome the loss of an entire secondary, like we did the whole front seven last year?”

Starting cornerbacks Brandon Hughes and Keenan Lewis and safeties Al Afalava and Greg Laybourn will soon be in NFL training camps, so replacing them is the No. 1 priority for Riley and defensive coordinator Mark Banker as they head into next season.

A year ago, the Beavers were looking at the loss of their entire front four and linebacking corps as they headed into the 2008 season. After some turbulence in early season, they finished 10-4, third in the Pac-10 team, won the Sun Bowl and ranked 18th in the nation.

A new season, a new challenge. There are other areas of concern, notably two positions on the offensive line and three on the defensive line. But the loss of an entire secondary takes center stage in a program that now expects to have a winning season and reach a bowl game every year.

The Beavers faced a similar situation in 2005, when Hughes and Lewis started as freshmen on a team that gave up 40 or more points four times during a 5-6 season – the only losing campaign of six during the Riley II era.

This time, senior Tim Clark has plenty of experience and one career start, and junior James Dockery and sophomore Brandon Hardin have the inside track to get playing time at the other cornerback spot. At safety, there are junior Suaesi Tuimaunei and sophomores Lance Mitchell and Cameron Collins, with no career starts between them but plenty of promise and talent.

The secondary had been burned long and often in Oregon State’s first two spring scrimmages. On Saturday, the defense turned the table on the OSU offense in the spring game, and the coverage seemed for the most part solid.

“Until the lights go on (for the Sept. 5 opener against Portland State), you just don’t know,” Banker says. “We’re not complete back there. We’re still not tightened down, and chemistry and communication will be the big things.

“There’s no doubt we made a lot of progress this spring. Suaesi stepped up with his play and leadership. Clark looks more consistent. Dockery took his lumps, but he competed his ass off. We have some guys back there who can play.”

Still, it’s a good bet Mouse Davis will be taking plenty of shots downfield when the Vikings come to Reser Stadium with their run-and-shoot offense in September.

“The secondary will progress,” OSU quarterback Sean Canfield says. “That’s the best way to say it. They’ve come a long way since the first scrimmage.”

But really, linebacker Keaton Kristick says, the onus is on the guys up front.

“The key for us will be getting pressure on the quarterback,” Kristick says. “Once that happens, the backs will be a lot more comfortable. We lost a couple of important guys on the D-line. We have to get that pressure back. Once we get that, everything’s going to be good.”

Oregon State loses 22 combined sacks from ends Victor Butler and Slade Norris. OSU coaches liked what they saw this spring from starters Ben Terry and Kevin Frahm and backups Gabe Miller and Taylor Henry, and salivate over the addition of injured transfer Matt LaGrone (6-6, 250) in August.

At tackle, there is honors candidate Stephen Paea and a host of rotation players, among them Latu Moala, Mitchel Hunt, Sioeli Nau and Brennan Olander.

“I’m going to make a prediction,” Riley says. “The D-line is going to be a strong point next season.”

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