Cliff Kirkpatrick

Oregon State LT Michael Philipp was named to the Phil Steele’s and College Football News.com Freshman All-America Teams.

Philipp is a 6-foot-3 313-pound native of San Bernardino, Calif. He started all 12 games for the Beavers this season, and is the first true freshman offensive lineman to start a game at OSU since Keith DiDomenico started against USC and Oregon in 1997.

Tweet This Post 

The offensive line gets instruction from coach Mike Cavanaugh during training camp.

As the Oregon State football team’s offense improved you noticed QB Sean Canfield having a career season, RB Jacquizz Rodgers doing what he usually does and WR James Rodgers becoming one of the top WRs in the nation.

However, during training camp it was a question if the offensive line would be able block enough to allow them to do their thing. Two new starters, true freshman LT Michael Philipp and walk-on LG Grant Johnson, had to get up to speed.

During early games it was questionable if it was going to happen. Canfield was sacked regularly and Quizz didn’t reach 100 yards three times.

As the Beavers turned the season around and are on the verge of bowl eligibility, it’s the line that made the difference. Philipp and Johnson grew up and work well with veterans C Alex Linnenkohl, RT Mike Remmers and RG Gregg Peat.

“We’ve improved, but we haven’t arrived, yet,” line coach Mike Cavanaugh said. “I’ve seen improvement and we are working hard every day, trying to develop our technique and get on the same page. We need that consistency and that chemistry you are looking for. We’ve had our moments where we’ve done some good things and some where we’ve done bad.”

Coaching the underclassmen was a big challenge for Cavanaugh, but he knew how important their play was for the team’s success. He credits their intelligence for understanding everything they needed, and the strength staff for getting them in good enough condition to compete.

“What I loved about the two guys there is they are smart guys,” Cavanaugh said. “For a true freshman to come in and learn everything he has, it’s a great tribute to him. And Grant Johnson, I put the pressure on him to make sure he knows what he is doing in case he has to help out Michael Philipp. It now comes downs to communication, and we can be better at that.”

Using young linemen can be a problem in communication because they are shy. Cavanaugh rarely hears Philipp speak. Philipp and Johnson usually defer to the other three to talk in games.

“We’ve gotten a lot better,” Remmers said. “Our communication has developed so much. With the left side being young guys, now they understand the offense and they know what to do on every play. And we are working well together.”

The good thing for the Beavers is they only lose Peat to graduation next year. They’ll have to break in either Michael Lamb or Burke Ellis to take his place, but they’ve been around for three years.

In theory, the line should be able to start faster. And that’s more important more than usual since the Beavers will have a new QB, Ryan Katz or Peter Lalich.

“Our potential, there’s no limit on it,” Remmers said. “We can go as far as we want to go this year and next.”

On the road
I’m traveling old school, meaning I’m leaving the afternoon before the game. I did my part of saving the company money in these tough economic times by leaving the day of the game the first three games.

However, I thought Saturday’s game at No. 23 Cal had the potential to be a midday start so I didn’t want to cut it that close. The good part about that is I’ll be awake when I get to Memorial Stadium, and not dragging.

Remember to check the blog throughout the day Saturday. There will be updates before, during and after the game. And of course there’s always twitter.com/cliffgt.

I usually leave you with how I updated the iPod, but not this time. Check out what people at OSU do for fun in Reser Stadium when the football team is not around.

Tweet This Post 

It easily topped 100 degrees in Corvallis on Tuesday, and you could feel every degree as it climbed throughout the day. So, while running errands around town I noticed it was the time in the afternoon when the Oregon State football players work out on their own.

With it being late in the summer and so blistering hot, I decided to swing by and see who the hardcore guys were. And there were a few.

Seven offensive linemen were doing their striking drills, led by C Alex Linnenkohl and OG Ryan Pohl. Young guys I recognized were Colin Kelly, Colin Lyons and Michael Philipp.

A group of six defensive players, who were influenced by DT Stephen Paea and his first love, were playing rugby. I noticed DT Latu Moala, CB Brandon Hardin and S Suaesi Tuimaunei. Former player Al Afalava was involved, too.

Players usually do this practice session after working out with the strength and conditioning coach earlier in the afternoon. So they deserve a shout out for their efforts as everything wilted around them.

Tweet This Post