WR Kevin Cummings and LB Michael Doctor are the only scheduled true freshmen to play for the Oregon State football team, coach Mike Riley said.
They earned that distinction because they got a jump on the playbook and training since greyshirted and joined the team for spring practice and offseason training. They’ll help the Beavers on special teams.
Others in consideration are true freshman DE Scott Crichton, a 6-foot-3, 233-pounder, and 6-5 greyshirt freshman WR Obum Gwacham. The coaches are meeting today for a final decision.
Crichton impressed the coaches and may be in the rotation for playing time, and not just a special teams player.
“It’s a depth deal playing defensive end,” Riley said. “I think he’s doing fine. We are looking for more people in that spot playing in the game.”
Riley considered Gwacham a project because he doesn’t have much experience, but he has performed well since he arrived.
“I don’t want exclude him, yet,” Riley said. “He can do some stuff. A redshirt year would be awesome. But he’s doing enough stuff. We could streamline a package and he make some plays for us. He has stepped up big time in this fall camp. It’s a matter of where we are with Darrell (Catchings) and Geno (Munoz and their injuries). I’m not going to play him and not play him a lot.”
Scrimmage today
The Beavers will conduct their final scrimmage before the season starts with officials this afternoon as part of the 2-5 p.m. practice in Reser Stadium.
“It won’t be much different than the last one,” Riley said. “We’ll scrimmage the young guys longer and older guys 30ish plays or so.”
Links
Here’s a link to the news side story the GT ran in Tuesday’s edition on the OL Tyler Thomas incident that’s making national news, but in a bad way. Here’s a link to the main sports story on RB Jordan Jenkins moving up the depth chart. Here’s a link to the notebook that expands on RB Jovan Stevenson getting surgery.
2 comments
maffub says:
May 18, 2012
I would think Riley would be stoked if Gwacham plays this year. If for no other reason than to have a pair of high jumpers available on goal line sets (Bishop being the other) for fade routes to the corner. Now if Gwacham is too raw to finesse his way past the DB without drawing an offensive PI penalty, that's another story.
But can you imagine the possibilities on the goal line? "Joe the Tank" & Camp at the TE/H-Back spots, Bishop/Gwacham at one WR and James at the other? James goes in motion… you've got the fly sweep or quick slant, the give to Quizz, two great pass catchers in "Tank" and Camp running any combination of routes, plus a high-jumping stud bee-lining for the corner. Not to mention a QB in Katz with plenty speed on a bootleg to the goal line.
Doesn't seem fair to a defense, does it?
What do you think?
Ted0 says:
May 18, 2012
What is Cummings going to do on Special Teams? Cover kicks or maybe return punts? Is he going to play at all at WR? Just seems like a waste of a year if he's going to takle punt and kick returners.