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The Oregon State football team is hurting for linebackers. Two weeks ago the program likely lost part-time starter Keith Pankey and his 44 tackles to an achilles tendon injury. This week news is breaking that starting middle linebacker David Pa'aluhi has decided to leave the team. The Oregonian says he is considering joining the military and has a wife and child.This is terrible news for a program that has experienced a bit of a renaissance from its linebacker position in recent years. Making up for meager local talent, the Beavers have somehow managed to send five linebackers to the NFL draft since 2003.
The dilemma for a program like Oregon State is finding quality depth when a position group loses two proven starters. Oregon is not a fertile recruiting territory and the Beavers tend to grab players out of Hawaii or scoop up whoever is left in California after conference powers USC, UCLA, Cal, Oregon and Washington have made off with their hauls.
The Oregonian's listing of potential replacements for Pa'aluhi reads a bit worrisome: an unsung senior, a 209 pound sophomore and a guy 'who could get a look at [middle linebacker]'. Meh.
Of some small irony, this is an issue Beavers coach Mike Riley would not likely have had to deal with if he'd joined forces with USC when it came a-courting after Pete Carroll left them. Their talent and depth at present is ahead of Oregon State and there's little structurally a coach at Oregon State can ever do to even things out besides simply outcoaching the other guy. To Riley's credit he's done that two of the last three years.
But, that starts with having as many fresh, capable bodies possible and losing a pair of linebackers so early in the offseason does not help.
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