CORVALLIS — Sitting at 0-7 on the season, having lost 13 of his last 14 games as head coach, Trent Bray faced an intense line of questioning after Oregon State’s blowout loss to Wake Forest on Saturday.
Here is a transcript of Bray’s remarks:
Opening statement:
Just not good. Not good on any front. Congrats to Wake Forest. They played well and we didn’t.
On Anthony Hankerson’s performance:
He is a little bit healthier than he’s been, so back to his normal juice a little bit in his legs. He did a nice job.
On the long touchdown plays:
I’m with you. The first one, the coverage, we should have had the guy doubled. It’s hard. It’s tough, it is.
On whether players have quit on the staff:
I don’t think so. Just by going through the week. I’ve got to watch the film to have a better evaluation of what that looked like. It didn’t feel like it on the field, but I’ve got to evaluate that.
On what he can attribute to the big plays over the top:
Just coverage. Guys busting. Very simple stuff. Guys busting loose with no one near. Disappointing.
On how the program can climb out of this situation:
The only way is to keep working. I know that gets old and tired, probably, hearing it from me, but that’s really the only way to get through things.
On whether he is considering a quarterback change:
We’re not considering a full-blown change. We talked about it earlier in the week that we wanted to get (Gabarri Johnson) in more. He’s a really good player. He’s dynamic. We saw some of that today with what he can do with his legs when things break down. Just want to play him in general more.
On why the team wasn’t going with snaps under center near the goal line:
Like anyone in the country, there is plays you can hit downhill from the gun. It gives you a little bit more option with the quarterback as a run threat to make that play 11-on-11.
On adjusting to the backup quarterback for Wake Forest:
I don’t think that affected anything. The quarterback that played is an athletic guy, too. Very similar run game, very similar plays, it’s just a lack of execution.
On what is left to play for:
You’re a competitor, so you show up to play because you get an opportunity to.
On the opportunity for a bounce back:
One, we get another opportunity. We talk about that a lot, being appreciative and grateful for that. That we get to play again. Because you never know when it’s over. You don’t get many of them in your life anyway. That’s one motivation that should be enough. But we’ve got to talk about we didn’t start fast, and that’s the second week that we buried ourselves early in the game with things we can control. We’ve got to get that fixed as a coaching staff, starting with me. I’ve got to get that fixed.
On the offensive line combinations:
It’s an effort to find the combination that works, and consistently can do the work. And we want to rotate. There probably isn’t a group of five that is the guys. We’re searching for that group, for sure.
On how he feels about the state of the program:
I’m frustrated. I’m disappointed. I look at myself, and I’ve got to fix it. It’s unacceptable to me where we’re at. That’s just how I look at it. What can I do? I’ve got to look at it. What can I do different to get these guys going?
On whether it’s a product of motivation or the state of the season:
I think to start the season the way we did, to lose, it can wear on you mentally. Just the last two weeks, you bury yourself early. All that self doubt starts creeping back in your head. At the beginning of the game, to start the game, they are fired up and ready to go. Bad things happen, and it’s natural to let those things creep in your head. That’s what you’ve got to fight against.
On whether his job security is up in the air right now:
I really don’t think about that. Those are out of my control, decisions that people make. I’m just going to show up until they tell me I can’t.
Next game: Oregon State (0-7) vs. Lafayette (5-2, FCS)
- When: Saturday, Oct. 18
- Time: 7 p.m. PT
- Where: Reser Stadium
- TV Channel: The CW (Channel 32 in Portland)
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