Mannion and Mariota are great, but who’s catching their throws?

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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Jeffrey Martin, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Brandin Cooks is hauling in tight spirals from Drew Brees. Bralon Addison is rehabbing his torn left ACL but apparently eyeing an in-season return.

Sean Mannion and Marcus Mariota need to find new targets, but you knew that already.

At a recent Oregon State open “scrimmage,” Mannion looked early and often for sophomore Victor Bolden, who acknowledges his lineage as the heir apparent to Cooks, Markus Wheaton and James Rodgers. There was also ample attention placed on sophomore Malik Gilmore, who was encouraged by players and coaches alike whenever he did anything positive.

Expect the tight ends, especially senior Connor Hamlett, to be featured a ton, but this offense isn’t as potent without a dominant receiver. Just ask former Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti, who spent time in Corvallis and Eugene recently as preparation for his fall duties as a studio analyst for the Pac-12 Network.

“The Beavers, in my opinion, don’t have that dynamic big-play receiver like they’ve always had,” he said. “They’re missing that. But (Oregon State coach) Mike (Riley) does a great job with the vertical passing game, and it’s the best in this conference.

"But they don’t have that dynamic guy, and that could hurt them. They’ll find a way to distribute the ball, sure, but that’s missing.”

He has no such concerns with the Ducks, even though the only returning wideout with significant experience is senior Keanon Lowe.

 

This is why Mannion, who has started at times during all three of his years, and Mariota, a two-year starter, are so valuable, Aliotti explained.

“A great quarterback can play smart within the system and teach guys on the move, help guys through stuff because they’ve been there so long,” he said. “They understand the system so well. They’re like coaches on the field, which is a great thing to have. They’ll make guys better, but at some point - and I say this about both teams without being negative - the receiving corps on both teams are a question.

“Now, I saw more talent at Oregon from my vantage point, with guys that can step up and just need to grow into it whereas I didn’t see that push-it-down-the-field and go guy, the dig-route guy in Oregon State’s system. Maybe he’s there and I missed him.”

He isn’t there - yet. Asked where the issues were on the roster at the moment, Riley mentioned offensive line and “the development of the receivers.”

“We have to be better than we are there,” he added.

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