CORVALLIS — That Jay Irvine was able to work into a starting spot at cornerback for Oregon State’s game at Colorado last season as a redshirt freshman was not surprising to his teammates.

Receiver Jordan Villamin has had his share of tough matchups against Irvine in practice.

Even though Villamin is 6 feet 5 and 222 pounds, Irvine would not back down.

“It’s always fun and physical when we go at each other,” Villamin said.

At 6-1, 199, Irvine has good size himself and does not hesitate to use it. The sophomore from Jacksonville, Florida, is physical and likes to press up on the receivers.

“He’s aggressive and long,” Villamin said. “Not a lot of people are just as long and he can get his hands on you quick and drive people around and stuff like that. So that’s really effective for a corner. Especially with his size and speed, it helps him out a lot.”

Unfortunately for Irvine, his coaches and teammates have seen much more of him than the crowds at Reser Stadium.

Irvine played in four games last season and got his first start against the Buffaloes, but he suffered a season-ending left shoulder injury in that game.

He admitted that it was tough to watch from the sidelines after the injury.

“But I got to the point now I just feel comfortable I can go out there and play,” Irvine said. “I’m more humble now. I got humbled a lot so now I’m just ready.

“It was being able to start and always something always coming up, something happening. And now I just know how to stay humble and just keep pushing through.”

While sitting out was hard to take, Irvine said he is happy it happened.

He was determined to make the best of the situation and evaluate where he was as a player.

“I got a lot of chances to play since I’ve been here and just not being overly focused, just trying to play the role,” Irvine said. “But now I know I’ve got to be a step ahead of the role. I’ve got to actually make plays. I’ve got to be on my role. I’ve got to do it. This is the year to do it, and I feel like I can.”

The Beavers have some solid depth at cornerback with Irvine, Xavier Crawford, Shawn Wilson, Dwayne Williams, Kyle White, Christian Wallace and a few true freshmen, including Isaiah Dunn, all looking for playing time.

The competition and the presence of cornerbacks coach Cory Hall keeps everyone sharp.

“It just pushes everybody every day,” Irvine said. “Having that NFL experience with coach Hall just amps it up. It makes you work harder. Even if you’re doing good, he still makes you feel like you’re not doing good. So you’ve got to keep going every day, just keep working on the little things that matter.”

Irvine is strong in the press game, has enough speed and is adept at the physical aspects of playing cornerback.

He wants to use his eyes more efficiently.

“I think most of us just need to keep our eyes out of the backfield and when it’s run, make sure we stay on outside containment and when it’s pass make sure we lock our eyes back on the receiver,” he said. “Just eye discipline.”

Irvine likes what he sees in the Oregon State defense as a whole this season.

He said the Beavers have grown greatly on that side of the ball in his time at OSU.

“I think this is the best defense we’ve had since I’ve been here. Everybody matured, everybody understands their place,” Irvine said. “Everybody’s got to play up to another level, so everybody’s actually pushing each other this year and we’re just trying to go bowling.”

The Beavers begin pursuit of a postseason bowl bid in their season opener Aug. 26 at Colorado State.