Jamarcus Shephard: Oregon State Quarterback Race is Extremely Tight

Opening Statement

-"You have to be persistent in what we do each and every day. I ask our guys often 'do you have a practice mindset, a game mindset or a daily mindset?' And it should be a daily mindset every single day."

"Next thing we talk about, attitude and gratitude. Our guys have to display that every single day. We have more than enough. The guy next to you, he's enough. We have more than enough food to eat. We have great facilities. So we have to show gratitude for what we have."

"And then the last part, just makin' sure that...we get everyone in the stands. Winning is just a one-time event, alright? But becoming a winner is a daily approach to how you do things. So the consistency that we have as a program has to be on display each and every day."

On the scrimmage that was held on Saturday

"Really proud of our guys, had an outstanding scrimmage, lot of guys just showed up at various times, I think we have a ball team that is really gelling."

On the Quarterback Battle

"I'll tell you what, they're all....Brady Jones, over the last couple of days, has really taken a leap forward, because of how he's just owning the offense. Maalik has his moments where he's really taken command of the offense...I'll tell you what guys- it's a really tight race right now, and so I'm looking forward to seeing who emerges over this next week and a half."

How does Mercer transfer Braden Atkinson fit into the QB equation right now?

"Braden is right there at the front of the pack with all of them. He's havin' a great camp, he is responsive to the different stressors that we're putting on him each and every day, so I'd say he's right there in the trenches with them. It is really a three-man race right now, I'm not trying to pull your guys' leg or any of those things. It is truly a three-man race, and it could be anybody's opportunity."

Coach Dahlen has said that the O-line will come down to who the five best up front are. As of now, who are the best five up front?

"I'm not one hundred percent sure on that. We've probably got about eight guys or so that really...are showing that they can be out there together, and so you're just mixing and matching a little bit every practice. I can tell you what, Tyler Voltin is gonna be out there. So you don't have to worry about that one."

What has Teko Shoats done, to go from the guy you saw on tape, to a guy who might be your starter at right tackle?

"Teko has put on I think 40 pounds since he got here, he has been a spark plug for our team. He pushes and challenges other guys every single play. His communication is off the chart, he's battling and finishing plays, just emptying the tank."

On the status of Jaheim Patterson and Van Wells

"They've been cleared to practice, and are practicing. Jaheim, man, he is a smart football player. He's put a lot of pressure on that room already, and he just got here. I sat in that safety meeting, he's puttin' a lot of pressure on those guys to know exactly each and every alignment and detail of their position. And then Van, a lot of playing experience and another really smart football player. We're just trying to help him get his conditioning going, but he's already picking up the offense at a very rapid pace."

Less than three weeks to opening day, what's the feeling?

"You know what, there's a lot of work that can be done over the next three weeks. We're installing plays, I mean this is the heart of camp, so we're installing new defense, we had five new calls go in on defense today. And we're not slowin' down right now, we're trying to see what their capacity is, where their breaking point is. And it's great to see, they're not breaking right now. I told them today 'we're going to get it out of you one way or another,' and right now we've been getting it through intensity."

Add us as a preferred source on Google