Riley, Beavers await big year

Published 12:00 am Friday, July 6, 2012

Returnees cause for hope, but commitments lagging

First, there is a wedding — on Saturday, graduate assistant Mitch Meeuwsen ties the knot.

Then there is the Bridge program for incoming freshmen; it opens Monday on the Oregon State campus.

Finally, on Tuesday, Mike Riley heads for his family’s summer retreat in San Antonio, where he’ll relax, recharge and plan for the Aug. 6 start of training camp, as his 12th season as OSU’s coach swings into action.

Every year is important, but there is a crucial nature to the 2012 campaign for the Beavers, who have experienced back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since Riley came on board back in 1997.

The competition has ramped up, with firebrand coaches such as Mike Leach (Washington State), Rich Rodriguez (Arizona) and Jim Mora (UCLA) joining the already-killer Pac-12 Conference.

Riley’s contract runs through 2019, so maybe another losing season doesn’t mean his departure from Corvallis. But everyone knows that for the good of the coach and for the future of the program it is critical to take a step forward this season.

How does Riley feel about where the program stands as summer vacation looms?

“Real good,” he says. “We’re light years ahead of where we usually are at this point.”

Plenty of veteran talent is on board, starting with quarterback Sean Mannion, who showed promise and unusual poise in starting through his freshman season in 2011.

The receiver corps is among the strongest in the league, with Markus Wheaton, Brandin Cooks and Obum Gwacham leading the way. The experienced secondary is a team strength, and enough talent is available on the front seven that the defense should be more consistent than it was a year ago.

Running back is a question mark, but with at least a half-dozen candidates sparring for playing time, it would seem the position will be in better hands than it was last season.

That leaves the offensive line — not the only reason, but the biggest reason the Beavers ranked 118th of 120 FBS teams last season in rushing offense, at 86.9 yards per game.

Four players with starting experience — Josh Andrews, Grant Enger, Colin Kelly and Michael Philipp — return and seem likely to earn starting jobs for 2012. Riley, offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf and offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh are still working out details, but it appears Andrews and Enger will play guard while Kelly and Philipp and will be used at tackle.

Recruit Stan Hasiak, who began his college career at UCLA and wound up at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., was to vie for a starting berth at guard or tackle. He remains at work on academic deficiencies, however. It will be a couple of weeks before OSU coaches know if he will be eligible to join the Beavers for camp — or make it to Corvallis at all.

Blue-chip recruit Isaac Seumalo, son of D-line coach Joe Seumalo, could wind up at any position on the O-line but seems most likely to start at center. His biggest competition could be sophomore Michael Beaton, with sophomore holdover Derek Nielsen also in the mix.

Besides Seumalo, five other freshmen are arriving this summer, including Garrett Weinrich, who could figure immediately into the picture at tackle.

“In short time, we’ll decide where we’re going to place guys” on the O-line, Riley says.

The Beavers made changes in their pass offense during spring ball.

“We’ve always tweaked some stuff from year to year,” Riley says. “We want to improve some things that we didn’t do well for the last two years. One of them is run the ball. We’re looking at the right plays for our team. We had a package for the spring and we talked about it. I’ll finalize it during the summer. We have to do better with our bootleg game, which has been good for us in the past.”

Last season, Oregon State was 12th in the Pac-12 and 102nd nationally in red-zone efficiency.

“Just a few years ago, we led the league in that category,” Riley says. Finishing last “can’t happen again. Of course, that gets better when you run the ball more effectively, so they go hand in hand.”

When training camp convenes, several veterans won’t return, including quarterback Jack Lomax, receivers Tyler Trosin and Geno Munoz, linebackers Cade Cowdin and Will Storey, cornerback Keynan Parker and safety Zeke Sanders. None made enough progress as a player to continue on scholarship.

OSU also will be without veteran receiver Jordan Bishop, who has retired from football after dealing with assorted leg injuries through his career. Bishop has graduated from school and was not going to be ready for action until November.

Four players have had run-ins with the law since last season, but only one — linebacker Josh Williams — will miss a game, the opener against Nicholls State.

“If he does everything that is expected to him, he’ll be reinstated after that,” Riley says.

Jordan Poyer, Sean Martin and Malcolm Marable all face community service but are not expected to miss game time.

The Beavers have added at least one player — 6-foot, 170-pound cornerback Steve Christian, a transfer from Hawaii.

“He’s a good athlete who has been around the block a little bit,” Riley says. “We’re excited about him.”

Mannion is heading up the summer voluntary workouts for the players. Few absentees are expected.

Coaches “are not allowed to observe at all,” Riley says. “But I’m not aware of any of the veterans who won’t be in Corvallis this summer, taking some classes and being part of workout sessions.”

Two of OSU’s freshman recruits, Chris Miller and Tyler Hasty, will go before an academic committee before they can be admitted to school and take part in the Bridge Program.

Recruiting commitments are coming earlier than ever in the Pac-12, and the Beavers are lagging in that department compared to their rivals, with only one verbal — cornerback Terin Solomon from Murietta, Calif.

According to Rivals.com, Arizona leads the way with 22 commits, followed by Washington with 16, Colorado with 12, Southern Cal with 11, Washington State and UCLA with nine apiece, Oregon with eight, California with six and Stanford, Utah and Arizona State with five each.

OSU lost out on two of the three in-state athletes it had offered scholarships to this week. Wilsonville receiver/safety Tanner Shipley committed to Brigham Young, while Crater linebacker Derek Turituri is headed to Arizona. The Beavers also have made an offer to Jesuit center Doug Brenner.

Riley says he expects the Beavers will be able to sign “about 20 players” in the 2013 class.

“It’s still early,” he says. “We have more than 100 active offers out there. There are a lot of good players looking at us, and we’re going to get some of them. We feel pretty good about that part of it.

“We’d like to have more commitments, but we also are trying to be selective and get the right guys for our program. We’re not concerned.”