Putting the D in OSU: 'We're going to keep that rolling'
Senior cornerback Tim Clark comes in as Oregon State's most experienced defensive back having played in all 13 games each of the past two seasons. He will be counted on to be the leader of the rebuilt OSU secondary. By Brian Elder KVAL Sports and KVAL.com staffCORVALLIS, Ore. -- After proving the skeptics wrong the past three seasons, the Oregon State Beavers football team is finally getting some preseason respect. Whether or not the Beavers can live up to those expectations will hinge on the performance of four new starters who have some big shoes to fill. For the last four seasons, Brandon Hughes, Keenan Lewis, Al Afalava and Greg Laybourn roamed the defensive backfield for OSU, punishing opposing wide outs while ranking 22nd in the country in pass defense last year.
But with all four of those players lost to graduation, the Beavers have a giant hole to fill on defense. Enter Tim Clark: The senior cornerback comes in as Oregon State's most experienced defensive back having played in all 13 games each of the past two seasons. He will be counted on to be the leader of the rebuilt OSU secondary. "We're going to take our lumps because every secondary does take their lumps but we're not going to be the weakness of this defense," Clark said. There is plenty of concern about the secondary after watching the offense go bombs away on the unit during the early portion of spring practice. "For me, it's going to be more of me putting these young guys up, getting them game ready," Clark said. "I've got to keep them folks like them old guys kept me focused in my younger days." But as soon as the defenders were allowed to rush the quarterback during the spring game, the pass "d" was back to it's stingy ways. "It all comes down to us meshing well as a secondary," Clark said. How quickly the new starters in the defensive backfield come together will go a long way in determining just how successful the Beavers can be in 2009. And Clark said that he is ready to carry the unit on his shoulders to ensure that there won't be any let down. "I as a senior will not let that happen," Clark said. "We started rolling at the end of spring and we're going to keep that rolling."
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