8/26/2019 football Edit

Notes and Quotes from Jonathan Smith's Monday Press Conference

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

Publisher

With Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith officially kicking off the season-opening week with his Monday press conference, BeaversEdge.com Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter recaps the most important pieces of information with the first edition of notes and quotes.

Quotes

Jonathan Smith on how much further the team is compared to a season ago

"We've made some huge strides. It starts with our strength staff as they did a great job this offseason and our chemistry continues to grow as a team. I like the way that we're working and building it and we're much further along than a year ago."

Smith on how the Beavers matchup on defense against a high-powered OSU offense

"It's going to be a great challenge for us. They're explosive throwing the ball and they've got some playmakers who can make a lot of plays in space. I like the way we've been working and we feel good about the group we're putting out there, so we'll learn a lot on Friday night."

Smith on the emergence of Champ Flemings and BJ Baylor

"BJ had an awesome spring ball and then had a really strong fall camp. He's earned playing time on offense and special teams. Champ has always been a hard worker and I think he's taken a step in his game. The detail in his route running and getting to the proper depths has been very good."

Smith on the state of the offensive line

"We feel good about those guys. We've got some veterans on the left side, but, on the right side, I really like Clay (Cordasco). He had a really strong camp. And then (Brandon) Kipper gives us an athletic presence on the outside. We feel good about both centers (Nathan Eldridge and Nous Keobounnam), and we're going to let them continue to compete for the next few days to see. We haven't decided anything, but we haven't yet ruled out playing both."

Smith on Addison Gumbs and Matthew Tago being named starters at OLB

"(Matthew) Tago and (Addison) Gumbs will be the first ones you see out there against Oklahoma State. You're going to see a bunch of Ham (Hamilcar Rashed) and (John) McCartan. Those four guys are really going to rotate every game.

Notes

- Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith's press conference was that senior outside linebacker Andrzej Hughes-Murray would miss the foreseeable future with a foot injury suffered late last week. While Oregon State is reasonably equipped to handle his absence thanks to solid depth on the outside, losing your only defensive captain before the season even starts is a crushing blow. Hughes-Murray was having one of the better camps of his career and his leadership and team-first mindset were on display all August... OSU has guys that can step up, but this is tough. Smith wouldn't go as far to say that Hughes-Murray's injury was season-ending, but that it would be long-term.

- Senior receiver Trevon Bradford, who missed all of spring and fall camp with a foot injury isn't going to be ready for the opener per Smith. While it appeared that Bradford was getting close to a return in the final practices open to the media, it's clear that he's going to need some more time. While it's a blow to not have Bradford against the Cowboys, he's a crucial piece to the receiving corps and I imagine the team is taking the long term approach to keeping him healthy for the entire year.

- Defensive end Simon Sandberg won't play for a few weeks as he suffered a knee injury recently per Smith. Look for an update on him in the coming weeks...

- Despite being listed as a starting safety on the depth chart, Smith noted that senior Jalen Moore will likely be a game-time decision on Friday. However, Smith noted that Moore was able to practice in a limited capacity on Monday.

- Smith was rather coy when asked about QB/ILB Jack Colletto's role for the upcoming season, but based on his limited response, I'd say the Beavers have big and semi-secret plans for the multi-purpose athlete. Smith noted that they feel he can operate at QB, can provide depth at ILB, and will serve as a valuable member of the special teams' rotation.