11/30/2020 football Edit

Notes & Quotes From Jonathan Smith's Press Conference

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

Publisher

With Oregon State (2-2) head coach Jonathan Smith meeting the media on Monday afternoon to recap the 41-38 win over Oregon and look ahead to this Saturday's matchup with Utah (0-2), BeaversEdge.com gives you the complete breakdown in another edition of notes & quotes...

MORE: 2022 Recruit Big Board | Snap Counts + Takeaways vs Oregon

Notes

- The latest on quarterback Tristan Gebbia and his status HERE. Gebbia's injury is more serious than originally thought and his status is definitely in question. Head coach Jonathan Smith said that Gebbia's hamstring injury just may just give backup Chance Nolan the chance to start his first career contest.

- In terms of other injuries, the Beavers came out of the Oregon contest relatively healthy. Obviously, Gebbia is the big one, but per Smith, there's no one else who suffered anything that is expected to keep them out moving forward.

- In terms of safety David Morris, it appears that he's either still recovering from the contact-tracing protocols or has come down with a non-COVID sickness. Smith said that he's been under the weather post-COVID, but wouldn't elaborate much beyond that other to say it's not a football injury reason why he's not listed on the depth chart.

- Linebacker Addison Gumbs, who still hasn't played or practiced recently due to an injured hamstring suffered during fall camp, won't play against Utah. I asked Smith if he was ready to rule out Gumbs for the season, and while he wouldn't that far, he said his outlook is bleak. His body just hasn't responded in the time frame they were hoping for and it's more likely we see him back next season.

- Smith said that Oregon State's four players who missed the Oregon game due to COVID-19 tracing protocols are not likely to play against Utah. Cade Brownholtz, Kyrei Fisher, Nous Keobounnam, Luke Leonnig, and Tanner Miller missed the Cal game and Smith isn't optimistic that they'll have them this weekend. That means that senior offensive lineman Keli'i Montibon is likely primed for another start in place of Keobounnam.

Quotes

Smith on how big the Oregon win was the program

"This is a huge win for us. It's been a rivalry that's been one-sided and that's a good football team over there. Time will tell how big it is if it's a continued positive trajectory from here. But, it's really tough to win in this league and we've got to be ready to go again this weekend."

Smith on not having a letdown following UO win

"We've got a mature group that really understands things. We spoke to them yesterday about that, and so we went back to our normal approach. There are things to clean up like any game, and there were some really good things we point out. Then we flush everything and we move forward. We've got great leadership on this team and I'd be shocked if we didn't have a great week of practice leading up to Utah."

Smith on what he believes this teams' identity is

"We're a team that if we're going to win games, we're going to need all three phases. I don't see us being dramatically better on one side of the ball where we're scoring a ton of points or shutting someone down. And we've got to have contributions on special teams. That's how we're going to win games, playing great in all three phases."

Smith on Utah

"We wish they played more, but because it's Utah, you know what they're going to do on defense because they've been doing it for 10 years. They've got a big-time staff with good players over there and it's going to be a real challenge for us."