Cam's Journalism Blog

Jake Luton moments before rifling a pass on September 9th, 2017 against Minnesota (Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) CORVALLIS- Rubber pellets flying in the air, echoes of struggle engulf the building, it's a typical 7 a.m. for Quarterback Jake Luton and the Oregon State football team inside of the Martin Truax indoor center at Oregon State University.  "LET'S GO BOYS" echoes Luton, rallying his teammates to push through spring conditioning for the day, insisting the hard work is going to pay off come fall. Luton takes a snap from the center, squares his shoulders, adjusts his feet, aligns his eyes towards wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, and delivers a dime right to the Beaver logo in Isaiah's gloves. four months ago, this was a scene void from practice, and the thought of even throwing a pass was tough for Luton to swallow. In the span of 12 months, QB 1 Jake Luton has been through a rollercoaster with highs and lows. Arriving in December 2017, Luton was g...

Photo by Sean Meagher/The Oregonian A fan of Oregon State football can walk into the glass double doors of the brand new Valley Football Center and see former QB and head coach of the football team, Jonathan Smith, talking to coordinators Tim Tibesar & Brian Lindgren about revving up spring practice, but just four months ago, this was a very different, and uncertain, picture. previous head coach Gary Andersen agreed to mutually part ways with the program midway through the season, leaving $10 million on the table to help fund Oregon State's success. Left with the ruins was defensive backs coach Cory Hall, who accepted the interim role of head coach. After losing all remaining 6 games and ending the season 69-10 against in-state rival Oregon, it capped off a 1-11 season for the Beavers, after being predicted to secure almost six more wins than the overall result. Soon after, Hall and the rest of Andersen's staff leave Oregon State, and the team is left with no coachin...