Everything Oregon State Head Coach Trent Bray Said Pre-Oregon
With the Oregon State football team (0-3) gearing up for a matchup against No. 6 Oregon (3-0) on Saturday, BeaversEdge recaps everything head coach Trent Bray said at his Monday press conference.
Opening Statement
“Yeah, just looking ahead to Oregon, you know, extremely talented team, well coached. They do do a lot of good stuff and, you know, in a hostile environment. So got to be got to be ready to go. No doubt.”
Coach, after the game we were talking and you were not happy with the effort of your team. What have you guys talked about?After watching the game film, your thoughts about the game and getting them to be more physical this week?
“Yeah, there were some particular plays that I’d mentioned the third and extra longs, the two that really broke our back in the game. They threw the ball behind the line of scrimmage and got not only a first down, but a touchdown. And we had guys that weren’t running to the ball that could have been a factor, and got the guy on the ground. So that was the biggest thing that we talked about is you don’t know when you’re going to have an impact on the play. You have no idea. And so you’ve got to chase the ball every single play like you’re going to be the factor in our success on that play. And so, again, continuing to drill that into these guys’ heads and because it wasn’t something we’d seen. You know, Fresno, we took a huge step forward in the physicality, the effort, and we kind of took a step back, which wasn’t good to see.”
This week’s game, obviously, the state of Oregon loves this contest between the two schools. It’s different now. No conference, no chance to do what happened in 2009 when they were playing for a Rose Bowl. And with NIL on the portal, there’s a lot of new players. Is it harder to convince the players how big a game this is?
“No, I mean, it’s a big game because you’re playing, you know, a team in the top ten. That resonates with every player. You know, the Oregon versus Oregon state for a player, yeah, it’s not what it used to be. Conference alignment, guys are moving from here to there. So that part of it for the players, now the fans are different, but for the players, it’s a game against a top-level opponent, and that’s the exciting thing in an environment that’s going to be great.”
Last thing for me, in this rivalry series, when you were a player, is there a moment or a game that stands out in your mind that you were involved in?
“Yeah, there was the, what year would that have been? 2004, I think, up here was a big one and a fun one. That’s the one that stands out to me, probably.”
Do you believe you’re still the right person to lead this program? Why?
Yeah. Well, I think for the same reason when I took it over. That’s love this place, love this program. I think we’ve got good coaches. We’ve got good players. We’ve got to continue to get better and continue to, you know, get the best out of these guys.”
When you look at the fact that you guys are at risk of having lost ten of your last eleven games over the two seasons, you’re talking about effort. There have been preparedness issues with false starts and the 12-man penalty and the defense looks like it’s taken a step back. How do you reconcile that with what you’re talking about with the direction of the program?
“Yeah, the penalties are something that’s got to get cleaned up. You know, I don’t look at what happened on Saturday and judge the whole, you know, when you talk about the defense because in the first two games, they were much better than they’d been the year before. So, I don’t let one game encapsulate who we are.”
Why did you choose to stick with Jamie Christian after the Fresno State game?
“Well, it’s never a good idea to make changes second game of the season. When you talk about who’s leading your staff, all those things, it’s just not a good idea.”
Do you like being a head coach?
“Next question.”
When you’re heading into a game that has as much history and meaning to the people in Oregon as this rivalry game is, and then on top of that, hostile environment, top opponent, how do you get your team ready for that? And also, what are the keys to finding success and staying competitive in that game?
“Yeah, you’ve got to get them ready for a hostile environment. Learn from what you, you know, you’ve experienced at Texas Tech because that was another hostile environment. And then you’ve got to eliminate explosive plays, which is easier said than done against a team like that. But that’s really what these two offenses, Tech and Oregon, thrive on is big plays, chunks of 20 or more. So that’s what we’ve got to limit.”
What have your conversations with, like, Coach Akey and Coach Cavanaugh been as you’re going through a tough stretch? What are they telling you as a second-year head coach?
“Yeah, I mean, I’m not going to go into specifics, but it’s just advice and, you know, guys have been through these things before. And, you know, really motivation and perspective are the biggest things.”
Coach, I’m wondering if you can give me an insight into the emotional state of this team right now. Obviously, a difficult situation to be in early in the season, but, you know, do you see leaders on the team lifting others up? Do you see guys maybe down on the way things have been going? What’s your perspective?
“The leadership has taken a step up. Obviously, I haven’t seen them yesterday, day after the game. You know, everyone’s disappointed. The way that game went was not what we expected it to go. So there’s disappointment, there’s no question. But it has brought leadership and guys stepping up and being more vocal.”
Do you feel like the team is keeping together in a healthy way based on how?
“Oh, yeah. Any negativity is the outside noise. There’s no negativity in that team room. No one’s looking for anything. So as far as the players and what’s going on inside here, you know, I’m happy with what we’re doing and happy with what they’re doing.”
Thomas Collins had a good game on Saturday. What are you seeing from him and from that run defense, that front as a whole?
“Much better, much improved. I think the front’s playing at a much higher level this year. And I’m happy with, you know, guys like Thomas Collins. It was good to get Tevita (Pome’e) back, but there was still a lot of rust, and he’s working on getting back to game speed after missing the first two games. So we’re moving in the right direction.”
I doubt you put a ton of stock into what PFF is about your team, but, you know, they graded you as having more quarterback pressures this week than you did in Weeks 1 and 2 combined. I’m curious what’s really changed for the front.
“I think just attacking more. You know, the way we play up front, it’s not a natural thing for some guys, especially if they come from a program that sits at the line of scrimmage. And so it takes time because we’re getting a lot of new and young players to understand what that takeoff feels like and looks like. And I think they’re starting to buy in, and it’s going to create more pressure. There’s still a lot of plays where we need to create more pressure.”
I know you’re never a fan of talking player availability. Anyone you anticipate coming back this week? Do you have a number of how many of those starters you anticipate coming back this week?
“We’ll see. I mean, you know, midway through the second quarter we were down, you know, as a whole five starting defensive backs. So we should be able to get some guys back that didn’t finish the game in the second quarter, I hope. We were (down five starters) in the second quarter of the Texas Tech game, yeah. Well, it all depends on there check in the day, you know, but we should hopefully get at least a couple.”
Trent, I completely acknowledge that I’m very much on the outside of this, but can you explain just how you got to where you got with the decision of how to respond to the long snapping issues you had against Fresno State in the Texas Tech game? It seems inconceivable that you wouldn’t have somebody on your roster capable of long snapping.
“Well, that’s – so you come in with two long snappers, Dylan Black, who’s done it for a long time. He gets hurt against Cal. Then Jackson was our backup long snapper, who had started for us all last year and did a nice job and then ran into a situation at Fresno where, you know, from a mental standpoint it just, you know, he couldn’t snap the ball back there. And that kind of was what happened in practice as well. So you got a young guy in Will Haverland who’s a true freshman. That’s the other guy that is long snapping, your third long snapper. And so when you’re down to your third long snapper, it can create some issues no matter what program you’re in.”
The catch by David Wells, the deep ball, I’ve seen a lot of great catches. You have. But one-handed being face smacked at the same time, it’s going to take us through not only about him, but you’ve got to feel good about the young receivers you have.
“Yeah. I mean, David Wells, we talked about David, Eddie, guys that have to step up, you know, and be productive. And it’s good to see them have some production. And there’s still a lot more out there for those guys.”
Your offensive line, just how would you assess kind of where they are right now and what improvements that group specifically needs to make in order to find more success, give Maalik more time this week, and really growing the run game a little bit more?
“Yeah. I think the biggest issue on Saturday running the football was, you know, identifying and making the point, right, because that’s who everyone’s working to. And then there were times where we tried to change it in mid-play. Like you’ve got to make your point and follow your rules and go to your guy. That’s one big way where you can improve right off the bat by just trusting, you know, what you see, what they’re in, and staying on your track. And then pass protection, you know, we’ve got to give Malik more time, and there’s things you can do to help them out, but also schematically things you can do, chip and do some stuff when you’ve got, you know, guys like on the edge like Texas Tech had.”
Coach, as tough as the circumstances were, still a special moment for Karson Boschma. Tell me a little bit about him, his play, what he did on that play that was impressive. But how big of a moment for a kid like that, as hard as he’s worked, to have a touchdown?
“Yeah, I mean, another guy, you know, walk on, worked his way into a position where he can get on the field. And it was great to see him have, you know, some success like a touchdown.”
Coach, this will be probably the best front seven you’ll face all year at Oregon. I’m curious, with the struggles the run game had, how do you set about really improving that? And, you know, kind of, again, player availability, do you anticipate being able to add anyone to that offensive line mix right now?
“Availability, we hope so. Again, we’ll find all that out later today after they’ve checked in and heard from the doctors. But I think it’s back to it, we’re playing another talented front. So hopefully they can draw on the experience they just had playing an extremely talented front. And they’re going to play another one this week. And it goes back to what I just said about just improving the run game in general, you know, staying on your point and trusting your technique and being more, you know, attack more, right, instead of worrying about all the things that can happen, go attack and knock someone off the ball.”
And just staying with the offensive line again, I know you’ve been rotating a lot of different guys, and do you feel like Texas Tech was just a little bit closer? Do you feel like even without, you know, all of your players available, like finding a closer rotation that you think can find success?
“Yeah, I think, you know, we’re always looking for what’s the best five to get the job done. And we’ve been able to, you know, we’ve had to at times rotate a bunch of guys, and you want to too, and find out who those guys are and who plays the best together.”
What gives you confidence or hope that your team can compete given the state of these two programs?
“I think just, one, we’ve got good players. And so I feel confident about our players and what they can do. And I feel confident in our coaches to get them ready to play and go out there and execute.And that’s really what it’s going to be about is our guys playing fast and executing the scheme and what we’re trying to do.”
And with that Oregon offense specifically, with the challenges that you guys had in giving up the big plays and effort in the Texas Tech game, what’s it going to take to really dial that up and be able to slow down an offense of that caliber?
“Yeah, I think I’ve mentioned it. You know, it’s staying on top of the receiver, you know, in coverage. I’m not letting them get behind you. It’s being on the right keys. And when you’re supposed to be over the top to help the corner at times, we’ve got to be there. You know, and then the talent is the talent. But, again, I feel good about the guys that we got going out and doing the jobs we’re asking them to do.”
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