Will The Oregon State Secondary Pass The Test In 2009??

The experience OSU loses at the safety position could prove detrimental to the success of the 2009 Beaver defense, however with upgrades in athleticism, is it too crazy to think OSU could be better at the position?

OSU's glaring weakness in '08 was the inability to cover the slot receiver with safeties Laybourn and Afalava.  Now with more speed, will that concern lessen?

Again, what tools do Riley and Co. have to work with in 2009?

No. 10 Lance Mitchell - Soph. 6'2" 205lbs

Mitchell is bigger and faster than his predecessor Laybourn, but the intelligence that Laybourn played with is what Mitchell hopes to harness in what most likely will be his first year starting at the safety position.

Mitchell has opened eyes this spring while running with the first team defense. He shows good ability to cover on top as well as fill holes in run support. With Mitchell,  closing speed is improved and with the extra three inches he has on Laybourn it should equate to more pass break ups. Should.

If Mitchell is able to play smart and within himself, he should thrive at the safety position and OSU could be seeing production both in run support as well as down field coverage.

No. 28 Suaesi Tuimaunei - Jr. 6'1" 205lbs

As the only upperclassman in the group, Tuimaunei has two starts under his belt, but has also seen quality playing time in Mark Banker's never ending defensive rotation.

Tuimaunei recorded 15 tackles as a reserve in 2008.  As is common place in Riley's system, he has been on the field since his second year at OSU as a special teams stand out.

Tuimaunei started the first half of the Stanford game for then-suspended Afalava and was exposed by a strong running Toby Gerhart. 

The sophomore didn't posses the physicality needed at the safety position and with an offseason of workouts, Tuimaunei will need to flex his muscles and be a force in the run game if he wants to hold his (believed to be) starting spot.

No. 5 Cameron Collins - Soph. 6'2" 220lbs

Cameron Collins is the starter if you're going by looks.  Collins is a slightly smaller version of Taylor Mays, however he certainly has a ways to go if he wants to equal the success of Mays.

Scout.com ranked Collins the 47th best recruit out of California in 2006.  Along with his size, Collins stands out in the classroom. He earned Pac-10 All Academic first team in his freshman year.

Once the pieces fall into place, Collins will be a beast at the safety position, until then, he must work on aggressiveness and quickness to the ball. 2009 should be a great introduction for Collins.

Outlook: Collins, Tuimaunei, and Mitchell look to be the favorites for the three man rotation.  Depth is a concern for the Beavers, if any of those three were to go down, behind them are two red-shirt freshman.

OSU should be very good at the safety position, unfortunately it might take mid-way through the 2009 season or even into the 2010 season before everything starts clicking.

Players to watch: Anthony Watkins, Josh LaGrone

The 2009 Beaver secondary has tremendous potential, however we all know that potential means nothing until things play out on the field.

One thing in OSU's favor is the non conference line up this year.  Portland State and UNLV are two teams that OSU should handle and both like to throw the ball. 

Given two "warm up" games to get acclimated, the secondary will then get its biggest test in their non-conference finale at home versus the 2008 Big East Champs and pass happy Cincinnati Bearcats. This schedule progresses perfectly for the 2009 squad to learn as they go.

There will certainly be reason for concern from the orange faithful, as history often has a strange way of repeating itself.  But for what it's worth, the 2009 version of the secondary has quality experience when comparing it to the 2005 group; the last time OSU had to replace quality starters in the secondary.

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