4 Oregon State Football Players to Watch Against Texas Tech
In this story:
The Beavers had quite a few players show out in their week one loss to top 25 Houston, and some of these guys could be considered a bit of a surprise. For instance WR Jesse Legree, the true freshman who had hardly been mentioned at all in fall camp, dazzled last Saturday with a five-catch, 136-yard performance in his first ever collegiate football game. Xayvion Noland, the 5'6" speedster from UTRGV, made a couple of first-down receptions and proved that he's already developed chemistry with Braden Atkinson. Cynai Thomas, a well-recruited freshman from Palo Alto, had over 30 receiving yards in his first collegiate game.
On the defensive side returners like Takari Hickle and Aiden Sullivan stood out, along with defensive backs Jaheim Patterson and Sailasa Vadrawale. Against a top-15 ball club in Texas Tech, Oregon State will need their impact players to play to their full ability. Here are just some of the names to watch for on Saturday against the Red Raiders.
Sailasa Vadrawale III - Nickel
The junior defensive back has made some big strides during his time in Corvallis, and some of this was on display in week one. Particularly in the second half, Vadrawale made some really nice plays. This included open field tackles, good reads in pass coverage, and an interception early in the fourth quarter. One of the more experienced and talented Oregon State defensive backs, the Beavers are going to need him against an elite Texas Tech team this weekend.
Kourdey Glass - Halfback
The true freshman was Oregon State's most efficient halfback in their opening game, despite not getting the start. Glass averaged 4.2 yards on six carries, and he also proved a pass-catching threat out of the backfield with three receptions. Though Texas Tech rolled to a victory in week one against FCS Abilene Christian, they did struggle at times to contain ACU's multi-threat running back. Glass could see an increased workload this Saturday against the Red Raiders, and could be an important part of OSU's offensive attack.
Takari Hickle - EDGE
The senior lived up the preseason hype in week one with a great showing against #23 Houston. Hickle was able to generate penetration fairly consistently against the Cougar defensive front, garnering 1.5 TFLs and overall being a big part of a solid Beaver run defense in the second half. This weekend against a Texas Tech team that has a very good offensive line, coach Macintyre will need Hickle to be disruptive and help OSU's front seven pressure the young Will Hammond.
Eric Olsen - Tight End
The Utah Tech transfer demonstrated just how much of an impact a pass-catching tight end can make. Olsen caught four passes for 54 yards, but his impact went far beyond these stats. With all the attention that needed to be paid to the 6'5" senior every time he was on the field, Olsen was instrumental in opening up so many more targets. Perhaps Olsen's presence is what allowed so many OSU receivers to get in on the action last Saturday. Given his ability to either run a deeper route or peel off of what looks like a block to get out into the flat, Olsen could be a nightmare for the Red Raiders to try and deal with.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Ben Pahl is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in Portland, Oregon. His work covering college and professional sports has been featured by the Orange Media Network at Oregon State University as well as KBVR.fm. His other career stops in sports include the Portland Pickles baseball club and the NBA G-League's Rip City Remix.