Notes and Quotes: Jonathan Smith Updates Trevon Bradford's Status

With Oregon State (4-4, 3-2 Pac-12) head coach Jonathan Smith meeting the media on Monday to recap the Beavers' 56-38 win over Arizona and preview Friday's #Pac12AfterDark matchup with the Washington Huskies (5-4, 2-4), BeaversEdge.com Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter gives you the most important bits of information in another edition of notes and quotes.

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Notes

- With Jermar Jefferson healthy and back in the fold, head coach Jonathan Smith noted that the Beavers are going to move forward with the intent to split the workload between Jefferson and Artavis Pierce with the possibility of a third back (likely BJ Baylor) occasionally getting in the mix as well.

- In regards to senior receiver Trevon Bradford's redshirt status, Smith hasn't yet decided which game of the remaining four he'll sit out. With Bradford making his debut against the Wildcats, he can play in three of the Beavers' final four games and still claim a redshirt year, thus enabling him to return for the entire 2020 campaign. Smith said there are a few factors (depth, matchups, etc.) that will likely determine which game he'll sit, but that he anticipated Bradford playing against Washington.

- After playing one snap at fullback as a run-blocker near the goal-line against Arizona, Smith said there's a good chance we could see Isaac Hodgins in the same capacity if the situation calls for it moving forward as it's now a part of their goal-line package. He's really impressed with Hodgins' blocking instincts and says he brings a unique ability to move the pile.

- Simply put, there are two areas that Smith said the Beavers need to dramatically improved in, and that's penalties and tackling. A part of the tackling woes was in part to Arizona's playstyle according to Smith, but that good amount of the blame falls on the team for not executing. As far as penalties go, Smith said you don't go into a game expecting to get no penalties, but that having back-to-back games with double-digit penalties isn't a winning formula. Both are areas Smith has placed a high emphasis on this week in practice.

INJURY UPDATES

- Linebacker Shemar Smith, receiver Kolby Taylor, and cornerback Nashon Wright are all questionable for Saturday per Smith. All three were very limited in Monday's practice and are likely each a coin flip for Saturday depending on how they respond to treatment this week. It's worth noting that Smith emphasized none of these injuries are long term.

- While he didn't play against Arizona, center Nathan Eldridge is medically-cleared and will see his workload likely increase moving forward. Smith said that Nous Koubounnam has done a great job of filling in and that Eldridge didn't play against the Wildcats because he hadn't quite earned the reps after missing so much time.

Quotes

Jonathan Smith on having Jermar Jefferson back

"He ran the ball really well... A lot of his 2-3 yard runs were well-earned, which is his style as a runner. But, I still think he's got more to him. It's a bonus to have multiple backs with the style we play."

Smith on Omar Speights being named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week

"He's just grown and he works really hard... being here since January was big for him to be able to go through spring ball and he's improved each week. His understanding and speed of play from week one to now are off the charts. He's a physical kid that knows what he's doing and he brings it at practice every day. Credit also to (linebackers coach) Trent Bray who's really brought him along well."

Smith on his Washington connections

"I'm familiar with a bunch of the faces up there and I've got a ton of respect for that program. I'm very appreciative of what (Chris Petersen) did for my career and I still enjoy a lot of the relationships I have up there. But, once this game is kicked off, it's all about the players."

Smith on the bowl game chatter

"Our guys certainly know where we're at, but in reality, it's all about where we want to go and the task at hand. The mental energy of thinking about this or that (is out of our control), so we've got to focus on the game in front of us because that's what we can control."

Smith on the roughing the passer penalties

"I will say, they're trying to protect guys out there. If they're going to call it that way, we're going to have to play within the rules. I thought we got a pretty good call on Luton too, so it's definitely both ways, but we've got to be smarter on our end."