A few days into fall camp, Oregon State’s offense is talking about the same thing from every angle: this group believes it’s different. The tone coming out of Friday’s media day at Reser Stadium was steady and unified, with veterans across the tight ends, running backs and offensive line pointing to a summer centered on accountability and a locker room standard they say stands apart from what they’ve known in Corvallis.
At tight end, Gabe Milbourn described a room built on experience and competition. “It's a very veteran room.
These guys know what they're doing, they've played football, been around football for a long time. It's really nice to just have that, and then also just being able to compete with one another as well, 'cause it's making each one of us better.”
He also had high praise for new offensive coordinator Mitch Dahlen: “He's big on being tough and just basically, yeah, just winning. He wants to win so bad, he's very competitive, and I love it.”
For Milbourn, the focus is simple heading into the season: “We've just got to be the most consistent group, most detailed. We've got to be able to block, run routes, all that stuff.
Know all the plays basically, pass protection as well.”
Eric Olsen sees the tight ends as a bigger part of the offense than just a receiving outlet. “I think the tight ends are going to be a really explosive group in this offense.
It's not just pass catching. It's about being good blockers as well, because an explosive play - YAC - it can be a 20-yard pickup, a good catch, but it's also the block downfield that makes a 5-yard run turn into a 25-yard run.”
Olsen also said the physical change he’s made since arriving in January has paid off: “Funny enough, I actually got faster. I put on 26 pounds, and I got faster by two miles an hour.
So if anything, it actually kind of helped me, a little bit of extra muscle.” What’s stood out most to him is the usage of the position: “I've never been in an offense where tight ends are so utilized, so it's a lot of fun.”
In the backfield, Cornell Hatcher Jr. said the reason he stayed was tied directly to his first conversation with Coach Shephard. “What really made me stay was the first conversation I had with Coach Shephard.
I was sold on his idea and his goal on where he wanted to take this team, and it was something that I wanted to be a part of. I felt like it was going to be very special, and I just needed to be a part of that.”
He said Shephard’s style is defined by structure and pressure to keep climbing: “He's a very hands-on coach who really sets the standard and doesn't let anybody fall underneath it. He keeps us above that, and then once we can handle that, he raises the bar for us to achieve even higher.”
And with Anthony Hankerson’s back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons setting the bar, Hatcher said he’s not chasing noise. “When I hear about expectations, I just think the best thing I can do is just stay true to my process and what works for me, and keep going on that path.
If I can stay true to my process and be able to say that I worked at 100 percent at what I wanted, that's great.”
The offensive line’s message was just as clear. Tyler Voltin said the group feels more connected than it has at any point this year.
“I truly feel the most connected with this team. I can go hang out with whoever on the team.
I can go talk to whoever I need to on the team, and that kind of helps with the connection - holding each other accountable out on the field, too.” He also pointed to the response after Shephard called out the line following the spring game: “Anytime your head coach calls you out, you've got to respond.
That just speaks to the competitors that we are and who we are as a team.” Voltin added that the work has continued on its own since spring: “Can we work this much harder?
Can we meet a little longer? Can we meet as a group without the coaches?
Communication's been amazing out here the first couple days of fall camp.”
Nathan Elu said the difference from spring to now is obvious. “Compared to spring to now, I think it's night and day.
The last two practices we've definitely seen the communication piece, the effort piece, the violent side of the game. We've seen that increase, but we've just got to keep hammering it.”
He also said teammates on the other side of the ball have noticed the progress. “I had guys come up to us, say, 'Hey, from the other side of the ball, you guys look like you're a way better unit out there,' which is good.
It makes me feel good that other teammates are noticing that.” For Elu, the summer work came with a real edge.
“We definitely took it personal. We took it really personal.
We worked very hard in the summer and we did get better.”