Smith feels optimistic about future of Oregon State Beavers Football
JuCo OT Rob Vanderlaan commits to Oregon State
WATCH: Jonathan Smith talks Civil War loss
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Jonathan Smith is one of the best quarterbacks in Oregon State history, and no one knows the Civil War as a player better than him.
But Friday was Smith's first taste of the matchup between the Beavers and Ducks as Oregon State's head coach. It didn't go very well to say the least, as OSU fell 55-15 and allowed 510 yards.
"Well, obviously that was rough," Smith said in his opening comments following the game. "I told the guys after the game in the locker room that I appreciate everyone in the room. I knew we had a lot of work to do, and they battled throughout the year. I thought (we) were consistent in regards to our work ethic and trying to do it together and laying a foundation, standards, expectations, and effort. So I appreciated them for that.
"The game itself, you can look at a lot of different reasons for it not going our way. The run game -- both sides of the ball -- rough. (We had) the opportunity to finish some drives, couldn't do it. Momentum never really came on our side. That's not the standard. We're going to continue to work and look forward to building on this thing."
Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert appeared to be injured late in the second quarter and did not return to the game. It didn't matter though, as the Ducks threw just two passes in the second half but dominated on the ground, running for 251 second half yards and scoring 34 second half points.
"I thought we did (load up on the run). We thought they'd run the ball either way with the lead," Smith said. "We made an emphasis of being aware of the run game ... I've been looking at the staff the whole season and I know the work that's getting done there. We definitely have to improve; we all know that. I feel confident that we have the guys to do that."
Oregon State finished the 2018 with a record of 2-10 in the first year under Smith, who feels good about where his program is headed into the offseason.
"I think we have some optimism. I think we have a lot work to do," he said. "It's just what I knew I was coming in to; this staff knew it, and these kids knew it. We have to improve. We're building something. We weren't going to go the route of the quick fix -- regards to that, quick answers or transfers that were only going to be here for a year ... I think this year is disappointing for sure, but there will be some positives if we continue to work."
There are just 26 days (as of Friday) until the December 19 National Signing Day, when the Beavers will sign a majority of its 2019 recrutiing class. Smith notes that recruiting the line of scrimmage -- both on the offensive and defensive lines -- is the most important focus for the Beavers.
"You can see it out there that we weren't able to match up at times," he said about OSU's line play.
Stay tuned to BeaversEdge.com for more coverage of OSU's recruiting efforts. The Beavs added a new offensive line commitment on Friday morning in Rob Vanderlaan. Read up on him here.