Oregon State Beavers Football: Wednesday Notebook

With the Oregon State defense and head coach Jonathan Smith meeting the media on Wednesday in advance of the Beavers' upcoming bye, BeaversEdge.com Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter gives you the complete rundown from Valley Football Center.

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RELATED: WATCH: Tibesar, Sharp, and Morris | WATCH: Smith meets the media

With the Oregon State football team leaning into its second and final bye week of the season, there wasn't a lot of breaking news coming from Valley Football Center. With the bye on the horizon, head coach Jonathan Smith noted that this week has been key for the team in terms of getting healed up.

"It's a little different from the first one, but it comes at a really opportune time," Smith said. "We've been able to get a lot of the younger guys reps because we've been holding back some the vets in practice, so it's been a productive week from that standpoint."

Defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar, who's a group led an inspired effort against the Golden Bears, is very happy with the timing of the bye, noting that there's a couple of players that should be able to return against the Wildcats.

"This bye comes at a really good time for us to get guys healthy," Tibesar said. "We've got guys that are trying to power through little bumps and bruises, so this extra week will hopefully get them over the hump and back."

In a move that surprised those who follow the Oregon State football team, safety David Morris made his season debut as a starter alongside Jalen Moore after spending the first half of the season on special teams.

Morris, who had been dealing with reoccurring foot pain that had been flaring up after extended periods of activity, simply made the decision that being with his teammates was more important than minor discomfort.

"We've gotten to the point where my foot is forever going to be messed up," Morris said. "I'm going to have pain no matter what. I actually said to sit out one of the practices leading up to Cal, but I told the coaches that I was playing and that the pain didn't matter. After the game, I definitely felt it, but the pain meds helped me get through it."

The road back for Morris has been bumpy... to say the least...

After playing in all 12 games and cementing himself as an anchor of the defense in his true-freshman season in 2017, Morris missed all but two games in 2018 as he recovered from a broken foot suffered earlier that year. Then, coming into this season, just when things were starting to look up, Morris found himself dealing with reoccurring foot pain after playing snaps that the training and coaching staff were cautious about.

With former starting safety Omar Hicks-Onu announcing his intent to transfer prior to the start of the Cal game, there was a thought that maybe Morris was fully healthy and ready to take the reins, but as it turns out, Hicks-Onu leaving was just a coincidence was allowed Morris to reclaim his starting job.

"Omar left and I was always trying to get that starting spot," Morris said. "It was all about bidding my time and being patient. It's definitely manageable and I had some adrenaline too. I wasn't too focused on it during the game, but after we won and I settled down, I felt it."

The good news for Beaver fans? The Morris-Moore combination in the secondary is a duo that is capable of doing big things...

"We do work really well together," Morris said of his camaraderie with Moore. "We have a connection and experience back there, so we're able to get our guys in the right spot and not allow any big plays. He's got my back and I've got him, plus the linebackers and defensive line played really well too, so that's a big plus too. If we can continue to get that kind of production (on defense) we'll be a dangerous team."

"That's just scratching the surface of what Morris can do," Tibesar said. "I expect him to get better each game now that he's on the field more."

While playing through pain might make some Beaver fans cringe as Morris is one of the most talented and valuable players on the defense, he feels that the pain is manageable to the point where it's more important to be out there with his teammates helping the Beavers win.

"It's been mentally tough, but I've been fighting through it... Thank god I got the opportunity at Cal."