With Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith meeting the media on Monday to preview the Beavers' first Pac-12 road game of the season against UCLA, BeaversEdge.com Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter recaps the most important pieces of information with another edition of notes and quotes.

PROMO: Join BeaversEdge.com and get 30 DAYS FREE!

RELATED: Beavers make top-10 for 2020 DB Tyson McWilliams | Analytics: Oregon State's PFF grades vs Stanford

- Starting with injuries...

- Jordan Whittley got his ankle rolled up slightly late in the Stanford game per Smith, but that he doesn't see it as a long term injury. His status is TBD for the UCLA game.

- Jermar Jefferson, who tried to give it a go against Stanford but ultimately felt he didn't quite have it, is also TBD for the UCLA game. Smith added that he doesn't feel the injury is going to be long term.

- Jalen Moore, who was a scratch against Stanford, reaggravated his hamstring injury that he suffered in fall camp per Smith. It's unclear exactly when Moore suffered the setback, but Smith said he was nearly good to go against Stanford. If he continues his upward trend, Smith is confident he'll play against UCLA.

- Matthew Tago is getting closer to a return per Smith. While he isn't likely to return against UCLA, Smith said that he didn't want to yet rule him out at this point. Given that news on Tago has been limited since his injury against Hawaii, hearing from Smith that he's getting closer is a huge plus for the defense.

- Smith was asked if Jordan Choukair is still the Beavers' kicker following an 0-for-2 performance against Stanford, and he confidently said yes. The first miss from 50 yards Smith attributes to the weather and that it was just a little short. The blocked one wasn't on him as it was a missed protection by tight end Noah Togiai.

- In terms of the takeaways from the film of the Stanford game, head coach Jonathan Smith noted that he felt that the Beavers were just a play or two away from getting over the hump. Whether it was the offense being flat in the first half, the defense committing a costly penalty late in the game and giving up several third and long's or special teams struggling, there were correctable execution errors that proved too costly to overcome.

- While the first half was a bit of a dud offensively, the Beavers exploded in the second half, racking up 348 yards of total offense and 28 points. Smith lauded the offenses' response in the second half, noting that it was the best he's ever seen the offense roll under his command. With the Beavers managing to tally four scores with a second half time of possession of just 15:13, we're starting to see glimpses of an offense that might be as dangerous as they come if they can dial in the consistency for four quarters.

Jonathan Smith on progress

"Obviously we're getting closer... We lost to those guys (Stanford) by 30 last year. But, getting close and winning the game, that's another thing at hand. So, we're talking to our guys about tightening up the details and it that it's not easy to win, but that we have to keep working."

Smith on learning how to win means to him

"Obviously you have to get close to be able to win, just like we were against Stanford, but you've got to execute fundamentals at a high level when the pressure intensifies. You have to prepare for when that stage comes so that you just react rather than overthink when the game is on the line. That's exactly how it played out for us... we tied the game, we kickoff, and we've been solid all year on them, but we've got two guys doing something blatantly not their responsibility because of the moment and it leads to the big return. Then, on their first play, they run a play that we should have coverage on, but we didn't execute our responsibilities and it leads to an 18-yard gain. That's how you learn how to win, executing in the big moments."

Smith on Artavis Pierce's character and how he's handled an ever-changing role

"It shows a lot of his leadership. He's an unselfish kid... he's not worried about being the man, or the starter, or getting a certain number of carries. When he's called upon, he's always ready to go. I think it also says a lot that he never complained or took issue with being unseated by a true-freshman. He makes a ton out of the opportunities he's given."

Smith on offensive consistency issues

"It's frustrating because we're a good offense. We've got two losses by three points and both of those times we go silent in a half offensively. We're trying to get it figured out, but it is what it is. You have to keep on working so that we don't have drive-stallers like penalties and missed kicks. However, I will say this game is about momentum, and if this team gets a little momentum, we're a whole lot better. We can create momentum offensively and we've got to do it for two halves."

Smith on UCLA

"They're dangerous offensively. (Dorian Thompson-Robinson) is a really explosive quarterback and he's got a lot of really good skill-position guys around him. I've been studying Chip's offenses for a long time, so I've been watching these guys. We continue to steal a scheme or two from those guys. Chip knows offense and he's been doing it for a long time."