Breakout Runner Cornell Hatcher Jr, and Refreshed Blocker Tyler Voltin, Propel Oregon State Run Game
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Oregon State is still winless, but morale is higher than ever after last Friday’s dominant performance from the Beavers run game.
Breakout tailback Cornell Hatcher Jr. averaged an impressive 5.5 yards per carry on 17 touches, including an emphatic fourth quarter touchdown run. During today’s media availability, Hatcher Jr.’s physicality elicited praise from Oregon State playcaller Ryan Gunderson: “Cornell’s one of those guys that you know what you're going to get. Like the guy plays hard. I think you guys saw it the other night. He runs extremely hard”.
For his part, the redshirt freshman credited a lesson from Oregon State running backs coach Ray Pickering: “Something Coach Pick tells us all the time is, you know, understand your role, like understand where you fit in and understand Hank [Anthony Hankerson]… Hank's the guy. Hank's a great running back and I felt like my role, something I just try to do is chase Hank constantly. Try to catch up to him: the way he works, the way he watches films, and prepares for games”.
Hatcher Jr. practices what he preaches. Following that story, he quickly offered up an example of just how closely he tries to watch established starter Anthony Hankerson, explaining that “I ended up being roommates with Hank before this game, and I'm sitting down, and we had a lot of time because it was a late game. I look over and Hank's opening out his playbook and he's looking through plays and notes and stuff like that, and I was just like, man, got to catch this guy. You got to keep working and try to beat him”.
Through five games, the Beavers rank a woeful 127th among FBS schools in Rushing Offense - averaging 2.97 yards per carry and only 93.8 total rushing yards per game - but last Friday’s effort felt like an engine finding a new gear. Beleaguered quarterback Maalik Murphy handed off 44 times, and Oregon State rushers combined for an impressive 189 yards (3.9 yards per carry) and 2 touchdowns.
One key factor in orange & black uptick was the return of redshirt senior guard Tyler Voltin. The native Oregonian (an alum of Regis St. Mary Catholic School in Stayton) suffered season-ending ACL & MCL tears last September, and saw his first action of the season Friday night.
Voltin’s coordinator Ryan Gunderson said it best: it felt good having a mauler back in the trenches. “I thought up until - I don't know - it was the second quarter or third quarter of the San Diego State game, I thought he was playing better than anybody else on our offensive line. So it really sucked that he had to go down. It's not an easy injury to come back from, but you know in those situations you just feel good for those guys who work so hard to come back and get on the field and have success.”
With Voltin leading the way for Hatcher Jr. and the rest of the Beavers backfield, the orange & black are poised for more success in the weeks ahead. Before too long, they’ll celebrate more than a successful ground game; they’ll celebrate their first win.
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Matt fell in love with radio during his college days at Oregon Tech, and pursued a nine year career in sports broadcasting with Klamath Falls' and Medford's highest-rated sports radio stations. He currently lives in McMinnville wine country and is excited to talk about the Beavers again.