Oregon State football coach Trent Bray took to the podium Monday for his weekly news conference. Bray discussed the preventable Fresno State loss, Texas Tech, and more.

On the offense and defense, Bray was beyond proud of the growth and efficiency on display against Fresno State. Players such as new quarterback Maalik Murphy looked comfortably adjusted in their roles, and plays were being executed on both sides of the ball.

Bray was critical, but optimistic, of his special teams after a few days to collect his thoughts and watch film — a special teams unit that botched five snaps, left numerous points on the board, and consistently put Fresno State in good positions.

Here’s what Bray had to say.

Oregon State Flashed Positives Against Fresno State

“After watching the film from Saturday, it was what I thought it was,” Bray said. “I was very pleased with, offensively and defensively, how they responded and played. A lot of really good stuff, played hard, made plays, there was encouraging things.”

The efficiency with which his guys played was especially notable, he said.

“That’s something we didn’t have the week before against California,” Bray said. “To see that improvement and be able to sustain a drive is very hard to do just in general. For them to be able to do that, go down and put six points on the board was huge.”

On defense, he praised the entire unit’s adaptability to less-than-ideal scenarios. For example, a fumbled snap from the special teams unit on the punt meant that the Fresno State offense marched onto the field already near the red zone.

The Beavers escaped the drive with just a field goal given up.

On the following offensive drive, Murphy and company delivered an efficient drive that gave Oregon State the lead. It was a proud moment for Bray.

“The proof is on the tape of what they are capable of being,” Bray said. “I became more encouraged about this team after watching the tape. As disappointed as I was with the result and what happened, when you watch the offense, when you watch the defense and what they did, it is very encouraging.

“We’re the team we think we can be if we can eliminate the self-inflicted things that took place on Saturday.”

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Landon Bartlett covers high school sports and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at lbartlett@salem.gannett.com or on X or Instagram @bartlelo.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: What OSU football coach Trent Bray said about Fresno State loss, game vs. Texas Tech

Reporting by Landon Bartlett, Salem Statesman Journal / Salem Statesman Journal

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