Notes & Quotes From Jonathan Smith's Press Conference

With Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith meeting with the media on Monday afternoon to recap the Washington loss and preview Cal BeaversEdge.com gives you the latest with the team in this edition of Notes & Quotes.

MORE: OSU QB Recruiting Under Jonathan Smith | Snap Counts + Takeaways: Who played the most?

Embed content not availableManage privacy settings

Notes

- Oregon State's four players who are currently in COVID-19 quarantine protocol (Sebastian Briski, Kyrei Fisher, David Morris and Junior Walling) are not expected to be available against Cal.

- Transfer running back Trey Lowe was officially given the same answer that Tre'Shaun Harrison was by the NCAA in regards to his eligibility. Neither player will be eligible until either Dec. 5th or 12th. Smith also said that Lowe has been dealing with a knee issue and hasn't been available, but should be by the time he's eligible and that Lowe is practicing now.

- The reason for the date variance is that Dec. 5th is when Oregon State's fall term ends and the Beavers' interpretation is that both guys would have been on campus for a full academic year, thus making them eligible for the game that day against Utah. However, this is the NCAA we're talking about, so Smith isn't ready to say it'll be December 5th for those two, it could possibly be the 12th. In either case, we're likely to see both guys at some point this season.

- Smith isn't quite ready to say defensive tackle Jordan Whittley's season is over but said it's not optimistic that he'll be back at any time.

- Running back Mikey Alferi hurt his hand against Washington and will miss some time per Smith.

- Despite not seeing action in the first two games, JUCO defensive lineman Tavis Shippen is available. Smith said that he's been working his way into the rotation, getting himself in shape, and has had a really strong last few weeks. Look for him to perhaps crack the rotation in the coming weeks.

- Smith also said that outside linebacker Addison Gumbs, who's yet to make his 2020 season debut recovering from a hamstring injury, is doubtful for Cal. Smith said he'll get a report on where he's at physically and whether or not he'd be able to practice this week later Monday, but that he wasn't too optimistic for this weekend.

Quotes

Jonathan Smith on

"Defensively, we're never pleased to give up that amount of rushing yards. I do feel like the defense kept us in the game. We settled in at halftime, made some adjustments, and played really good football, allowing just three points and keeping us in the game.

Smith on conversations with AD Scott Barnes about Jefferson runs

"Scott and I immediately had a conversation after the game because it was a critical play, but like I told the team, there were multiple chances to win that game. I've been coaching 20 years and I've never had a game where every single call was correct. We're always going to deal with disagreements and it is what is. There's nothing we can do to change it, so we've got to be focused on Cal."

Smith on offensive slow starts

"It's 11 man football. We've got to catch the ball, target correctly, finish a block, and can't be behind the sticks. When you're in third and long situations, you aren't going to stay on the field very long.

Smith on Cal

"I think they're one of the better teams in our league. They're as well-coached as anyone in the conference and have a lot of returners coming back. Defensively, they've been really good for years now and we're expecting a big challenge. We'll definitely have our work cut out for us on Saturday."