Sumner Houston Takes Center Stage
March 06, 2017 | Football
Houston, we have a problem.
And we believe you can fix it.
That was the gist of the message delivered to Sumner Houston by Oregon State football coach Gary Andersen during his exit interview with the redshirt junior following the 2016 season.
The Beavers needed a center to succeed 2016 starter Gavin Andrews. The coaching staff thought Houston – a sturdy 6-foot-2, 294-pound construction engineering major who played on the defensive line his first three seasons – had the right mix of toughness, intelligence and football savvy to fill the giant hole created by the departure of Andrews, a four-year veteran who moved to center for the final nine games of the season.
Sumner had not played offensive line since high school, when he was a two-way tackle at perennial power De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif.
The transition began over the Christmas break, after Sumner and his older brother, former Wisconsin quarterback Bart Houston, returned to their Dublin, Calif., home following Wisconsin's victory over Western Michigan in the Cotton Bowl in Bart's college football finale.
"I went to Texas to watch him, and when we came home we just did snaps, all break," Sumner recalled. "He also helped me through the offense, because Wisconsin ran our offense when coach Andersen was there" in 2013 and 2014.
"Bart helped me through the calls, the schemes and some of the technique, but mainly we just spent time snapping," something they used to do frequently when they were in grade school, Sumner added.
"There obviously have been some changes in the offense," in the intervening two years, but after working with his older brother Sumner had a general grasp of what his new job entailed when he returned to campus for winter conditioning and spring practice.
"I'm really thankful they had the trust in me to make this move," Sumner said. "I told them, 'I'll do my best,' and I'm working to be the starter this year.
"I've been working a lot. The other centers and I are doing 50 snaps a day, trying to be perfect every time."
Halfway through spring practice, he is happy with the progress he has made but he knows there is ample room to polish his snapping, learn the line calls, and improve his technique.
"In the beginning, the biggest adjustments were the snap, getting off the ball the right way, and the mental side," Sumner said. "We were a running team (at De La Salle), so I never did any pass blocking. It is just different.
"But it's been a great move so far, just picking up the offense and learning technique. I'm trying to run the offensive line like we need to."
Oregon State is the midst of spring practice for the upcoming season with the annual Spring Game March 18 at Reser Stadium. Season tickets for a team that returns 55 lettermen are available for the six-game 2017 home season at BeaverTickets.com
FOOTBALL FUND FOR EXCELLENCE
The Football Fund for Excellence is a program essential to keeping Oregon State football on the cutting edge and prepared for success on and off the field. For more information please contact Our Beaver Nation at 541-737-2370 or ourbeavernation.com
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