Gabarri Johnson’s debut as the starting quarterback for Oregon State football was cut short.
A foot injury sidelined Johnson from the third quarter onward against Washington State, returning control of the offense to previous starter Maalik Murphy. The Beavers won, 10-7, but fans were left wondering about Johnson’s status going forward.
Johnson remains the starter despite a rough performance, interim coach Robb Akey said. Against the Cougars, he finished 10 of 15 passing for 33 yards and added four rushes for nine yards.
Akey shared the latest on Johnson at his weekly press conference on Monday.
“We’ve had our medical check ins since then, and he’s going to practice and go,” Akey said. “So as long as it goes well during the week, there should be no change there. And, obviously, we’ve got the youngster (Tristan Ti’a) ready, and he’s the third quarterback anyhow. But at this point in time we’d expect it to be just like you saw.”
If Johnson isn’t able to go, Murphy is the likely choice to start for OSU on Saturday against Sam Houston State. But the true freshman Ti’a’s name being mentioned is intriguing, particularly with the Beavers (2-7) favored by more than three scores against the struggling Bearkats (0-8).
Could Saturday finally be “Ti’a Time,” as some fans have put it? The former four-star recruit has played just once this season, going 1-1 for four yards late in the Lafayette game. The game state against Sam Houston could allow for an extended look at a young player the Beavers likely hope to retain even amid a coaching change.
Either way, there is much to improve on for the OSU offense after just 208 yards and 10 points in an ugly win over Washington State.
“We ran the ball really well,” Akey said. “That’s something I thought was a good thing. That contributes to the entire outfit making that work, and obviously the backs with the way they ran. (Anthony Hankerson) had another great game, and the dude’s a stud. The throwing game, we need to get more production out of that. And there’s a few things that go into that.”
Oregon State (2-7) vs. Sam Houston State (0-8)
When: Saturday, Nov. 8Time: 7:00 p.m. PTWhere: Reser StadiumTV Channel: The CWStream: DirecTV (free trial) or Fubo (promotional offers). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.
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