Shephard To Beaver Fans: "This is Only the First Step"

Jamarcus Shephard spoke with reporters following his first ever win as a head coach on Saturday night. He not only reflected on what the moment meant for him and his team, but also about the program as a whole and the product they are putting out there on the field. Namely, the victory over Montana was a strong step in the right direction as they continue to flip the culture.

"When you talk about players like Jesse [Legree] that had never been to the state of Oregon, or Dylan and Eric who wanted to come back, and then Sal Vardrawale who didn’t want to leave…these players really wanted to fight for this game for our fans and our community," Shephard said. "There’s a lot of players I want to thank and talk about, but if I did that we’d be here all day. I’m proud of the first step we’ve taken, it’s the first of many, and I can’t wait to get ready for the next one…I’ll tell you what, everyone needs to start payin’ attention, because there’s somethin’ going on here in Corvallis.”

WIth his team up 35-3 at the half, Shephard encouraged his team not to let off the gas against the Grizzlies. Quarterback Braden Atkinson and the offense responded with a quick three-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to extend the lead, capped by a 27-yard touchdown catch by sophomore Aaron Butler.

“It’s really at halftime, I told our players that the second half of this game would speak towards the culture of our football team. So I was really excited about our offense going on the first drive of the second half, we were still trying to be explosive. Really was happy with Aaron Butler making that play down on the goal line, then our defense came right back and kept scrapping till the end. I couldn’t be more happy with how we came out in the second half being up like that, we hadn’t been in that situation before, and I thought they passed that test really well.”

Atkinson finished with an impressive stat line in his first win for the Beavers, completing 22 of his 30 passes for 333 yards and five touchdowns.

"That kid is playing really unafraid and I love that about him, he’s not afraid to take the chances and push the ball vertically," Shephard said of his signal caller. "He has a tremendous grasp of what we’re trying to do each and every week. We’re changing the plays every week, when they show up on Tuesday there will be a new install that they have to learn. And he handles it like it’s written on the back of his hand. And so he’s continued to let the guys know that they can be confident in what they’re doin,’ because he’s confident that he’s gonna get them the ball in the right position."

Nine different receivers caught a pass in the win for Oregon State, while seven different players picked up a rushing attempt. While inflated in a blowout against an FCS team (albeit a good one), Shephard noted the impact of getting many different hands involved on their offensive success on a day where they compiled 510 yards.

"The ball was gettin’ distributed around to a lot of folks, that is a sign of an offense that can continue to be productive throughout the year. I thought that Newberry was running the ball a little bit tougher, and then in the second half Tre Garrison was running the ball really hard and driving for extra yards. Certainly we gotta keep cleaning things up in the run game, but I know that our guys are dedicated to it. "

If the Beavers can pick up a few more of these kind of performances throughout his first year, Shephard hinted the impact that their current offensive distribution model could have on recruiting in the future.

"If you wanna touch the football, come to Oregon State. We’ll find a way to get the ball in your hands. That’s what we do."

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