11/12/2020 football Edit

Oregon State Football: Thursday Report

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

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While the biggest news of the day came from Oregon State Athletic Director Scott Barnes announcing that the Beavers would not have four players available against Washington due to COVID-19, there's still a game to be played and it's the next man up approach for head coach Jonathan Smith and Co.

Following the Beavers' 38-28 loss to Washington State, there's no question that they'll be itching to play better against the Huskies. The team had a forgettable performance, but the mindset throughout the week has been that it was just one game and that another opportunity was on the horizon.

That opportunity is nearly upon them as the Beavers (0-1) will be traveling north to face Washington (0-0) in what will be the Huskies' first game of the season after having their week one matchup with Cal postponed due to COVID-19.

While playing Washington in Seattle will always mean a little more to Smith given his time spent there on Chris Petersen's staff, this year will be right near the top as Smith has a close relationship with the new UW head coach Jimmy Lake.

"He's a really good coach and a really good family man," Smith said. "We spent six years together up there and we still keep in touch. He's a guy I've got a bunch of respect for and someone I really enjoyed coaching with. Our wives are friends and his youngest son used to play flag football with my oldest when we were in Seattle, so we're really close."

So what is Smith expecting from Lake? The unexpected...

When asked about whether or not there would be a game of poker going on between the two coaches this week and during the game, Smith didn't mince words.

"That's Jimmy no question," Smith said with a smile. "I mean, he won't even talk about his starting quarterback or what they're going to do on offense. That's totally Jimmy."