Tag: Oregon State

Taliese Fuaga credits teammates for preparing him for preseason debut

Taliese Fuaga says lining up against Carl Granderson and Chase Young in practice made him more comfortable for taking on the Cardinals:

The Arizona Cardinals may have held their starters out of the preseason opener, but the New Orleans Saints wanted to get their first team some live game action. Taliese Fuaga walked out with the starting offensive line at his new position, left tackle, and looked like a starting offensive lineman.

It was his first professional game, but the rookie looked comfortable and expressed he felt comfortable after the game. He credited Carl Granderson and Chase Young after the game.

Being able to practice against players of their caliber made this preseason game feel easier. That’s what happens when you practice against quality teammates. They’re supposed to prepare you so these moments don’t feel overwhelming

Veteran blockers Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz left with the rest of the starters after the first two drives. Fuaga was one of three offensive linemen who stayed in the game. It makes sense because Ruiz and McCoy are the only solidified starters on the unit. Fuaga is on his way to joining them, if he isn’t already. Still, as a rookie, those extra reps are invaluable.

Fuaga said he was able to “get a better feel of how defenses are playing, how different guys are playing the game” by staying in longer on Saturday. More time on the field gave Fuaga to see a multitude of pass rush moves and styles from professional players. Absorbing this information can aid in planning for them when the games count.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Rejzohn Wright is the Saints Player of Day 28

Countdown to Kickoff: Rejzohn Wright is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 28. He’s fighting for snaps at the team’s best position group.

We’re continuing our countdown to kickoff with the current owner of the No. 28 jersey. Rejzohn Wright is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 28, and he could have an opportunity to play against the team that brought him to the NFL when the Saints square off with the Carolina Panthers in a month.

But Smith is fighting for snaps at the team’s best position group. Here’s his story:

  • Name (Age): Rejzohn Wright (23)
  • Position: Defensive back
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-2, 193 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: N/A
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $795,000
  • College: Oregon State
  • Drafted: Undrafted in 2023 (Carolina Panthers)
  • NFL experience: 1 season

Wright is from the San Francisco Bay Area, having grown up in East Palo Alto and gone to high school in Union City. His college football career started at Laney College in Oakland before he transferred to Oregon State. The Panthers signed him as an undrafted free agent after the 2023 NFL draft but waived him during roster cuts that August. He spent a week on the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad last October and signed with the Saints in January.

And he’s done well for himself this summer. Wright has fought hard to establish himself at a crowded position group that only got deeper when the Saints drafted Kool-Aid McKinstry. He’s in the hunt for a spot on the practice squad since the Saints typically roster just four corners and they already have their four best options. It’s vital that Wright continue to use his size to his advantage and compete with receivers at the catch point. Pro Football Focus charting found that he was targeted four times in Saturday night’s preseason  game but yielded just one catch for 22 yards. He needs to keep it up and prove to his coaches that he’s deserving of more time to develop his craft.

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Many Oregon State fans do not want Jonathan Smith to succeed at Michigan State

It might surprise people outside Corvallis, but Oregon State fans remain unhappy with Jonathan Smith.

The Pac-12 essentially (if not technically) died this year. Jonathan Smith made an understandable decision to leave the Beavers for Michigan State. Everyone can appreciate why Smith felt the need to leave Corvallis. You might think Oregon State fans would be sympathetic to Smith. Yet, that’s not entirely the case. Some fans get it, but a lot of OSU fans are not going to cheer for Smith at Michigan State in the Big Ten.

John Canzano wrote this at his Substack (subscription required):

Jonathan Smith is a good football coach. I like the guy and understand the professional reasons why he left Oregon State. But I don’t think he handled his exit in Corvallis as smoothly as he could have.

Canzano pointed to a reader comment he received about Smith’s departure:

The comment section of that column is an entertaining and informative read. One reader referenced an episode of the TV show “The Office” in which Dwight Schrute professed his undying loyalty to Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

“Would I ever leave this company?” Schrute said. “Look, I’m all about loyalty. In fact, I feel like part of what I’m being paid for here is my loyalty. But if there were somewhere else that valued loyalty more highly, I’m going wherever they value loyalty the most.”

Ain’t it the truth.

We talked about Jonathan Smith and the bitter taste his departure created for Oregon State fans on a podcast we did with Don Smalley and Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire. That podcast is below:

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Ranking the Saints’ five best offseason additions: No. 2, Taliese Fuaga

Taliese Fuaga fits well into the New Orleans Saints’ new scheme and has the potential to be a cornerstone at a premier position:

The New Orleans Saints picked up their biggest addition to the offense of the offseason in the first round of the NFL draft by selecting Taliese Fuaga. Yes, that is a double entendre.

The Saints needed to address offensive tackle coming into the draft. When the Las Vegas Raiders selected Brock Bowers, that took the temptation of picking a playmaker down a few notches. Who knows if it forced the Saints hand or not, but it did set them up to make the right pick.

Fuaga comes out of Oregon State with a good blend of athleticism and power. This allows him to make a strong initial move and also react to counter moves from defensive ends. His mean streak on the field is best showcased when he’s able to move and deliver contact with a full head of steam.

The rookie out steps into a scheme he’s familiar with from his collegiate career. Oregon State running a wide zone-heavy run scheme will help Fuaga get acclimated to Klint Kubiak’s scheme quicker. He’s been moved to left tackle after being a career right tackle in college. Reports have been positive thus far, but it’s difficult to truly judge a rookie offensive lineman before the pads are strapped on at training camp.

If he can deliver upon his promise, New Orleans just drafted a cornerstone at a premier position in the NFL.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Taliese Fuaga is the Saints Player of Day 75

Countdown to Kickoff: Taliese Fuaga is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 75. What does a successful rookie year for him look like?

We’re down to Day 75 in our countdown to the New Orleans Saints’ regular season opener, making the current owner of the No. 75 jersey our Saints Player of the Day: Taliese Fuaga. This year’s first-round draft pick has joined the team with high expectations, so let’s recap his background and what his goal should be in 2024:

  • Name (Age): Taliese Fuaga (22)
  • Position: Offensive tackle
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-6, 324 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 9.63
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $3,154,210
  • College: Oregon State
  • Drafted: First round in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: Rookie

Fuaga played right tackle in college but the Saints have converted him to the left side, and it’s a challenge he’s embracing. They’re banking on a smooth transition in his rookie year to better protect Derek Carr’s blind side. While he’s best known for his work moving opponents in the run game, Fuaga was clean in pass protection at Oregon State and won his battles against some of this year’s most-hyped pass rushers (like former UCLA star Laiatu Latu, who was drafted immediately after Fuaga in Round 1).

So what does a successful rookie year look like for Fuaga? The Saints want to see him stay healthy and productive while anchoring the offensive line from the left tackle spot. A Pro Bowl nod or All-Pro attention in his first year in the NFL is a lot to ask, so we won’t set the bar that high. As long as Fuaga isn’t giving up many sacks or drawing a ton of penalties while Carr is staying upright and getting the ball out, Saints fans and coaches should be left feeling positive.

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Nevada’s Jarod Lucas in OKC for presumed predraft workout with Thunder

Nevada’s Jarod Lucas in OKC for presumed predraft workout with Thunder.

The calendar has flipped to June, which means NBA teams are intensifying their predraft process and hosting players for workouts and visits. The 2024 NBA draft will take place from June 26-27.

The Oklahoma City Thunder enter this year’s class with a sole draft pick of the No. 12 selection. OKC was gifted the free lottery pick via the Houston Rockets.

The Thunder will host several meetings with draft prospects in the coming weeks. This includes players outside the lottery range as OKC will likely seek to add undrafted free agents or even buy back into the second round if it likes someone enough.

One possibility is Nevada guard Jarod Lucas. He posted on social media he was in OKC for a presumed predraft workout with the Thunder.

The 24-year-old played five college seasons from 2019-24. He spent his first three seasons at Oregon State before transferring to Nevada for his final two seasons.

In 34 games last season, Lucas averaged 17.8 points on 42.1% shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He shot 39.4% from 3 on six attempts. At 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, he has good size for a combo guard.

Lucas will likely be an undrafted free agent target. He has a shot to join the Thunder’s summer league squad and possibly be added to the G League’s OKC Blue for next season if he impresses enough.

A full list of 2024 NBA draft prospects that have worked out or visited the Thunder in the predraft process can be viewed here.

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The last Pac-12 game of any kind has ended — it’s all over

The last Pac-12 game ended in Lexington, Kentucky, at 9:33 p.m. Pacific time on June 9, 2024.

The Pac-12 has officially played its last game in any sport. The conference’s sporting existence ended — at least for the next several years — on Sunday night at 9:33 p.m. Pacific time. That was the time of death for the conference. It was the moment when the last game of the Pac-12 college baseball season ended. Oregon State’s 3-2 loss to Kentucky in the NCAA baseball super regionals was the final Pac-12 sporting event of the 2023-2024 college sports cycle, before realignment officially takes effect this summer and the 2024-2025 cycle begins.

UK Wildcats Wire has more on the super regional.

The game which ended the Pac-12 on Sunday night was a tense pitching duel. Controversy emerged in the bottom of the ninth with Oregon State trailing 3-2 and trying to tie the score. A Kentucky infielder impeded an Oregon State baserunner’s attempt to reach second base after making the turn around first. Yet, the umpires did not award second base to the runner. With the tying run at third, Oregon State could have — and probably should have — had the winning run at second base, which might have applied more game pressure to Kentucky’s pitcher. With runners on first and third and two outs, UK was able to get the final out and end the Beavers’ — and the Pac-12’s — hopes of making one last journey to Omaha for the College World Series.

It is now all over for the Pac-12. Farewell, Conference of Champions.

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Oregon, Oregon State lose as Pac-12 gets bullied in NCAA baseball

The Pac-12 took a hit on Saturday in the NCAA baseball super regionals.

It was not a good day for the Pac-12 in the NCAA baseball super regionals on Saturday. Oregon State got blasted by Kentucky, and Oregon fell to Texas A&M. The Beavers and Ducks both allowed 10 runs. That will almost always lead to a loss.

Ducks Wire had more on Oregon’s loss to Texas A&M:

“The Oregon Ducks baseball team won the Santa Barbara Regional with pitching and defense and they were hoping for much of the same this weekend in the Bryan-College Station Super Regional. Neither was present in Game 1 Saturday afternoon as the Ducks dropped the opener to Texas A&M 10-6.

“Starting pitcher RJ Gordon, who was brilliant last week against San Diego, didn’t have his best stuff on the mound and he struggled to get through four innings. The Aggies hit him around for seven runs, six earned, nine hits and most importantly, four walks that all came around to score.”

There’s more coverage of these super regionals from Aggies Wire and Wildcats Wire. Oregon and Oregon State try to stay alive in Game 2 of the supers on Sunday.

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Former Bears RB Ryan Nall announces retirement

The former Bears preseason legend is hanging up his cleats.

A former Chicago Bears running back is calling it quits when it comes to his football career. On Monday, Ryan Nall announced on social media that he was retiring from the game of football. “You never think it’s time until it is. I’m retiring from the game of football,” he said in a post on X/Twitter. “Thank you all for the love and support over the years.”

Nall had plenty of that support when he was a member of the Bears. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon State in 2018 and quickly became a fan favorite during the preseason. In his rookie year, Nall rushed for 223 yards and one touchdown during the preseason and stuck around on the practice squad for the season.

The 2019 preseason was much of the same for Nall. He totaled 135 rushing yards in four games, including a 70-yard run against the Colts. It was plays like those that endeared him to Bears fans and made coaches keep him around. Those plays eventually paid off for Nall.

From 2019 to 2021, Nall saw action during the regular season, becoming a staple on special teams and as a reserve running back. His best career game came in 2020, when he rushed four times for 35 yards and a touchdown in a 17-24 loss against the Tennessee Titans.

Nall never played another down in the NFL after the 2021 season. He signed with the Cowboys in the 2022 offseason but didn’t make the team. Then, in 2024, he signed with the Houston Roughnecks of the United Football League but was released before the season started.

Though he never made much of an impact in the regular season, Nall will go down as one of the more notable preseason standouts the Bears have had over the last 20 years.

WATCH: Brandin Cooks’ 98-yard touchdown catch is the Saints Play of the Day

Brandin Cooks’ 98-yard touchdown catch is the Saints Play of the Day. His field-crossing score broke a team record that stood since the Saints’ inaugural season:

There are 98 days to go until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2024 season, which means Brandin Cooks’ franchise-record 98-yard touchdown catch is our Saints Play of the Day.

Cooks got a step on Raiders cornerback Sean Smith that gave Drew Brees enough room to fit the pass in over the coverage; Cooks caught it in stride and used his straight-line speed to cross the field for a score. Talk about a great way to build some momentum in the 2016 season-opener.

It was a historic play, breaking a Saints record that had stood since 1967. Walter Roberts only caught 17 passes for the Saints in their inaugural season but he gained 384 yards on them, including a 96-yarder that remained the longest gain in franchise history for decades.

As for Cooks? He was traded after the 2016 season and spent time with a couple of different Super Bowl contenders including the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, and most recently, the Dallas Cowboys. But he’s still chasing that championship ring. Cooks appeared in more games for the Houston Texans (44) than any team but the Saints (42), who drafted him back in 2014 out of Oregon State.

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