OREGON STATE FOOTBALL | NCAA FOOTBALL
MY WAY
QB Porter Jr plays the game on his terms
By John Severs Sep 16th, 2017, 1:11pm
COLBY PORTER JR DELIVERS A TD PASS IN OREGON STATE'S WIN OVER COLORADO STATE
Colby Porter Jr. wasn't heavily recruited out of high school. At least not as a quarterback. After relocating before his senior season he racked up 23 total touchdowns in just eight games at Martinsburg High School in West Virginia. He led the team to a playoff win and nearly brought them back to win a second one. Considered an "athlete" by most programs Porter Jr elected to forego a number of scholarship offers from schools that wanted him to be a runningback, slot receiver, or defensive back and enrolled at Blinn Junior College in Texas, where Cam Newton lit it up before leading Auburn to a national championship.
After taking over the starting job after two games Porter Jr. led the team to a 5-2 record and contributed 19 touchdowns. Still the offers to play quarterback were few and far between. Oregon State was one of the few.
"It felt right." Porter Jr. said. "It felt like a good fit and it felt like a way I could keep doing things my way."
Doing things his way has been important to Porter Jr. for a long time.
"My Gramps loves Sinatra. That's his favorite song. It's his jam. It's my jam too."
When he was little Porter Jr. asked his grandfather why he liked that song so much.
"He told me you gotta do things your way, be true to yourself. he'd done some things in his life that weren't the popular choice and ultimately they led him to a lot of success and really built the foundation for our family so we're all grateful that he adopted that sort of theme song. I feel like if I don't do thing my way, if I bend to some of those outside influences, I'd feel like I'm letting him down. He's not afraid to let me know about it either."
Porter Jr. said he had a conversation with his grandfather about taking a scholarship offer from West Virginia, staying close to home and playing runningback.
"That was what a lot of people were pushing me toward. It was the easy, safe choice. I had some close family members pushing me that way but it didn't feel right so me and Gramps went fishing and sorted it out."
The conversation came up last November after Porter Jr. had suffered an injury to the ulnar nerve in his left arm, making it almost impossible to grip the football.
"A lot of people told me to switch positions again, it was a question if I'd be able to throw the ball right. Three people, myself, coach and Gramps, knew I could come back."
Porter Jr. finished his sophomore season with 2,244 yards passing, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He ran for 1,269 and 15 scores.
He played nine full games, including the New Mexico Bowl in which he did not throw the ball aside from three forward pitches. Oregon State beat Nevada in that game.
Since being cleared medically in late May of this year Porter Jr. has been on a tear.
"He made a huge leap in the mental aspect of the game." Head Coach Gary Andersen explained. "He was seeing things that we as a coaching staff weren't always picking up on tape or in practice."
Porter Jr. has led the Beavers to three wins to start the season. He's put up incredible numbers so far, 1,062 yards passing with 11 touchdowns and no turnovers. He's also ran for 540 yards and seven more scores. He has been named the nation's offensive player of the week in each of the first three weeks of the season. He set a school record with five passing touchdowns in a 56-17 win over Minnesota. He ran for over 200 yards in last Saturday's 76-10 win over Portland State. In a 38-30 win over Colorado State to open the season he totalled 469 yards of total offense and four total touchdowns, his least impressive game thus far.
Next weekend's showdown with USC will give Porter Jr. the opportunity to show off his abilities to a national audience.
PORTER JR RUNS FOR A TOUCHDOWN AGAINST COLORADO STATE
PORTER JR FINDS THE ENDZONE AGAINST MINNESOTA
PORTER JR SCORES A RUSHING TOUCHDOWN IN A BLOWOUT WIN OVER PORTLAND STATE
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