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Gabe Miller has 10 tackles in his first year on defense since he played at Lake Oswego. (Photo: Ethan Erickson)
Official Sports Report: October 23, 2009 Gabe Miller Shifts Over to the Dark Side Football Friday Feature Exclusive to Beavers OSR
by Casey Grogan, Associate Editor CORVALLIS, Ore. — After playing two seasons at tight end, junior Gabe Miller has gone over to the ‘Dark Side.' Miller is not lining up along side Darth Vader or in front of a storm trooper linebacking core, but he is now sporting a black shirt at practice — as a defensive end.
"We call ourselves the ‘Dark Side,'" Miller said. "We are more about having fun and running around."
That is not to say that defense is all fun and games and offense is not. Miller just looks at offense as a precise exercise, while the defense is just a little more... crazy.
"On offense you have to be sharp, step with this foot and do this, you have to be on beat," he continued. "On defense — we're just a bunch of crazy guys running around."
If that is the case, then Miller must've been a little crazy at Lake Oswego High School, because Miller looks back to his high school days when he thinks of his transition from tight end to defensive end.
Miller has played in all six of the Beavers' games this season and has 10 tackles to go along with a single sack. Oregon State has only four sacks on the season.
Miller's success doesn't surprise him one bit.
"I wouldn't say I'm surprised," Miller said. "When I started playing d-end during spring ball it felt natural and took me back to high school. I've always liked playing defense."
(Photo: Brock Ameele)
At Lake Oswego, Miller helped lead a Lakers squad coached by former Oregon State football player Steve Coury. Miller reflected on his time at Lake Oswego, remembering how Coury brought his players together.
Miller recalled that Coury did a good job at uniting his players which, when coupled with good athletes, produced very strong teams. It was the unity aspect of football that Miller learned at Lake Oswego which helped him down the road into Corvallis.
"Part of the reason I came here was because I got that same type of feeling from Coach Riley and the other coaches here," Miller said. "I came right in and everyone, like Joe Newton, took me in and gave me the same kind of feeling."
What Joe Newton probably didn't know, is the young tight end that he took under his wing wouldn't be a tight end for too long.
Miller dealt with injuries during his redshirt sophomore season and, while he saw time in most of the Beavers' games, he did not make a reception. He began to think of other ways he could help his team and went to talk to his head coach after the Sun Bowl game.
"I kind of felt it would be the right decision," Miller said. "I talked to Coach Riley in the winter of last year, and he said he liked the idea. He and Banker had already discussed it and agreed to make it happen."
Miller is feeling good with his decision and is "starting to feel natural and have fun" on the defensive side of the ball. While swapping positions could be a tough challenge for many football players, Miller truly believes that he gained a lot of his defensive ability from his offensive experience.
"Going against tight ends, I kind of know what to expect," Miller said. "If you are blocking a d-end as a tight end and they are shifty and try to use your weight against you, I've picked up things like that and can use them now."
Even with that experience from the other side of the ball, Miller is still working to pick things up from defensive players in the NFL, and even from Oregon State opponents.
"When I used to watch [NFL] football I always watched the offense, now I watch the defense," Miller said. "On the sidelines, I'm watching [the opponent's] d-ends and seeing how they are doing and what they are doing. If I see a move someone is doing and it works, then I'll be out here at practice to try it out and see if I can mimic it and make it work."
According to Miller the defense is really coming together, and no time is better for the defensive unit to gel than against USC this weekend. If, like Miller said, the Stanford game showed "we're starting to come together," then as he continued, "you've got to keep it going."
Miller is still re-learning the defensive side of the ball, but that is why football is not a one-man game.
"It's never Gabe Miller football," he said. "It's Beaver football and that's what everyone knows. It's not one man. It never could be and never will be. It's an 11-man game and we have to come out and do it right."
Brian Brooks is the Managing Editor of Oregon State OSR. Feel free to contact him with questions, comments or story ideas at osueditor@officialsportsreport.com.
