Oregon State HC Trent Bray Previews Oregon

On Monday Oregon State head coach Trent Bray talked with media about the upcoming Civil War. Oregon will host Oregon State on Saturday and will be a heavy favorite entering the contest.

This is one of the longest standing series in college football. Even with the conference realignment the two schools have found a way to keep the rivalry together.

Oregon State has not had a great start to the season. Trent Bray has already faced several questions today on his ability to lead the team. Here are some of his comments on this game and more.

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Opening Statement:

“Yeah, just looking ahead to Oregon. You know, extremely talented team, well coached. They do a lot of good stuff, you know, in the hostile environment. So, got to be ready to go, no doubt.”

On Teams Effort:

“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 be the 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 how the physicality, the effort, and we kind of took a step back, which wasn’t good to see.”

On the Rivalry Game:

“No, I mean, 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.”

On if he’s the right guy to be HC:

“Yeah. Why? Well, I think for the same reason when I took it over. That’s love this place, love this program. I think we got good coaches. We got good players. We 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 10 of your last 11 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.”

On Getting Ready for a Hostile Environment:

“Yeah, you’ve got to get them ready for a hostile environment, learn from what 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.”

On Offensive Line Issues:

“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 in a lot – there were times where we tried to change it in mid-play. Like, you 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 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 got, you know, guys like on the edge, like Texas Tech had.”

On Oregon’s Defensive Front:

“Availability, (on injured OL returning) 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, 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.”

On Disparity of Talent Between the 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, and, and I feel confident in, 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.”