The offense runs smooth with backup QB Cody Vaz in control.
Oregon State football coach Mike Riley nearly set off an unintended QB controversy after the first spring practice Tuesday afternoon.
He was asked about starter Sean Mannion‘s play, and quickly complimented him. However, Riley then raved about backup Cody Vaz by name dropping him a few times.
“I thought Cody Vaz had a good day,” Riley said. “I’m just going to let those guys play.”
Something similar happened last year when questions were asked about then first-stringer Ryan Katz. The praise about Mannion was considered coach-speak.
This year, Riley was probed about Vaz making a move on Mannion since he was talking so highly of him. Riley caught on, and quickly defused the situation.
“Sean is our starting quarterback,” Riley said. “As you know, I want that other guy elevating all the time. Cody has. I just want to make note of that.”
Mannion took it in stride when asked about competition from Vaz. “That’s how I look at it every day,” Mannion said. “I tried to get better every day, win each day to be better than I was yesterday.”
The second practice of the spring is officially 2:45-5:15 p.m. today, but it always starts early and runs late. Follow me at twitter.com/cliffgt and friend me on Facebook for faster updates.
23 comments
OSU4Life says:
Apr 5, 2012
Who is our starting Offensive Coordinator? Oh, wait.
I will always cheer for my Beavs, but I’m not getting my hopes up, only to be let down again. Prove me wrong Beavs, you too Danny!
bone says:
Apr 5, 2012
Danny just needs to find the guy who was calling plays in 09, that offense could move the ball a lot of different ways. Maybe we don’t have the players? but the past seasons have been way to predictable.
mike says:
Apr 5, 2012
Competition at every spot should not only be welcomed, but expected. Mannion threw a ton of int’s last year-if he’s not a LOT better, the next guy should step in.
Controversial or not, our players need to be better or replaced. Same with coaches. And with Athletic Directors.
sparkyd73 says:
Apr 5, 2012
Always a tight rope that a coach walks when under the media and fan microscope. He wants to encourage the 2nd string and let the fans know that if Mannion were to go down the season would not be 100% lost. But, then it becomes a controversy. Tough room.
Evan says:
Apr 5, 2012
exactly how I read in to it. Some people were complaining about depth behind him with Katz gone. I see this as Riley just reassuring a restless fan base.
oneoldbeav says:
Apr 5, 2012
My take as well.
Themorgan503 says:
Apr 5, 2012
Vaz looked good in the spring game last year also, he deserves to be recognized for the work he has put in…
OS_Beaver says:
Apr 5, 2012
Possible 2013 Reser design:
http://beaverbyte.com
Benny B. says:
Apr 5, 2012
“Sean is our starting quarterback,” Riley said. Until a few plays into the second game. Your a joke Riley. Time to retire.
bone says:
Apr 5, 2012
yeah but but we are in our second practice of spring. so right now Sean is our starting quarterback, doubt he gets pulled though he is solid.
bbb says:
Apr 5, 2012
the mike riley qb endorsement now holds as much water as an ower of a pro team giving the “vote of confidence” to the head coach 3 days before he is fired.
Lomax in 2012. lol.
bone says:
Apr 5, 2012
could you possibly be referring to a certain NBA team located in Oregon? haha
And also, Riley has put out a few of good quarterbacks in his time here.
Tagup says:
Apr 5, 2012
I think Matt Moore would say Riley had his back…..
bone says:
Apr 5, 2012
He had better, Riley took a lot of heat for leaving him as the starter his junior year, I remember when Reser Stadium cheered when was injured and was taken out of the game….Then turned around and led the team to one of the more successful seasons.
CBvr says:
Apr 5, 2012
C’mon Cliff. I’m one of your ardent supporters, but this article headline is a bit over the top. Competition is good.., just as it was last year and the year before that. Just like it will be next year. Recruits as well as returnees need to know that playing time will be based on performance.
Cliff Kirkpatrick says:
Apr 5, 2012
At the QB position with Riley, it’s different. He usually picks his guy and sticks with him. That’s what make last year such a shock. And that’s why he had to clarify himself talking about the backup QB this year.
This post was just showing what’s going on with the QB situation, and show that it’s still a sensitive topic. Don’t believe me, scroll through the comments of my blog in the last week or two.
It’s still a hot topic, even though it’s old news.
Rick says:
Apr 5, 2012
Cliff, I think this is the exception that proves the rule. Riley has a long history of supporting his starting QB when they’re not performing up to par. The boo birds in the DA years were loud and proud when expressing their displeasure. But in this case, it was pretty cut and dry: Mannion emerged as the better QB, enough so to catapult him into a starting position. I think Riley’s quote was simply “we couldn’t keep him off the field.” Loyalty is one thing. A good coaching move is another.
All that said, I don’t believe that Vaz will move into the starting role. I believe that this is mostly coach speak to keep the competition up. Mannion is a returning starter as a sophomore, so it’s important to not let me rest on his laurels.
Beavergopher says:
Apr 5, 2012
Scandal is not having enough O-line bodies for a spring game. Coaching/recruiting malpractice. This
is not a “neat deal.”
Rick says:
Apr 5, 2012
Wrong. Scandal is your athletic department environment allowing a suspected pedophile to roam your facilities for years on end. Keep things in perspective. This is not a scandal. It’s concerning, but hardly a scandal.
Kenny says:
Apr 5, 2012
Last year’s situation was this: Ryan Katz had a solid Sophomore campaign, but had a lot to work on (as every 1st year starting QB does). For whatever reason, he had not improved over the off season, and still had the same issues as he did the year before: holding on to the ball too long was a huge issue.
I think the coaching staff knew that Mannion was a better QB the whole time. But can you imagine the fan base uproar if Katz never starts from game 1? Everyone would think Riley is an idiot, putting in an unproven Frosh QB over a RS Junior with a year under his belt. I don’t think Riley handled it well, but it was a tough situation, and don’t know how it could have been handled any better.
Tagup says:
Apr 5, 2012
I think Riley’s mistake came in the Wisc game last year. He seemed to know that Mannion was the guy at that time so he should not have started Katz for 2 plays. That was embarrasing for both player and coach on national TV. I’m sure it was a hard decision with Katz because MR is big on loyalty, but it was one that had to be made.
bone says:
Apr 5, 2012
In the end I strongly believe the best quarterback was the one that played the entire season. However the Wisconsin game was very mishandled, which Riley has admitted. If both quarterbacks were given close to equal snaps then it would all be good.
What hurt Katz last season was the fact that he was hurt for much of the off-season and Mannion (as well as Vaz) took a lot more snaps and the coaches were taking notes.
blacktie says:
Apr 8, 2012
Langs called the plays in 09. Goes to show you how important execution really is.