Injuries: Bryce Love is "100 percent good to go". A.T. Hall and Devery Hamilton are "day-to-day" but Shaw "anticipates them being up" for for the game, but "we'll see." Davis Mills also is day-to-day. Shaw thinks Hall, Hamilton and Mills will be available by the end of the week.
If Mills is out then Jack Richardson is the No. 2 quarterback.
Jesse Burkett "felt great" and felt better than the staff anticipated Saturday in his first game action. They thought of taking him out at halftime, but he was doing so well that they let him play into the third quarter.
Casey Toohill is out and Jordan Fox is expected to start at outside linebacker. Gabe Reid will rotate in as the No. 3 OLB.
Offense
Nate Herbig "played extremely well." Shaw liked the way the running backs ran the ball but penalties cost the team 65 yards rushing.
It was good to see Osiris St. Brown get a big catch. He's been working hard after coming back from injury. Michael Wilson did well and the staff is looking to get him more involved in the offense.
Red zone touchdown efficiency: "Good, not great. I think we've got great matchups to put the ball into end zone, particularly with JJ (Arcega-Whiteside) and our two tight ends. We haven't been as efficient running the ball. Once again because of the loaded boxes that we've seen we're getting one-on-one coverage on the outside. That's why JJ has five touchdowns. We had some other opportunities that we missed. We have to be able to take advantage of what defenses are doing. If JJ is getting double teamed, and guys are getting double teamed, we should be able to run the ball.
"I don't want to make it really complicated and I don't. We want to run the ball and find matchups."
Assessment of first-down play efficiency: "Better each week. Once again, the tree that I come from, the guys I've worked with, love to run the ball on first down. It's not a secret. If you can be efficient running the ball on first down it makes everything else easier.
"Starting with San Diego State, they just told us, 'No, you're not going to do it. We're going to put so many guys down it's going to be difficult for you.' So to be able to mix in some first-down passing to raise our efficiency, we've gotten better each week. But we love to run the ball better on first down than we have. We'd love to be able to be efficient. We're not where we want to be there. I don't think we're really close, but we're improving each week."
What grade would you give your run blocking this year?
"It's really hard to grade us harshly -- especially with two out of three games the defense saying we're going to put one more guy in the box than you can block. I'm stubborn enough to keep running it, trying to establish the running. Also, knowing that we have a running back who even if they do load the box if we get a crease he'll take it the distance. It's hard to grade us because we've been rolling a rock uphill to a certain degree.
"I think for what we've done as a whole in run blocking I'd say a B-. I think this past game the difficulty wasn't what the other two games were, which were really difficult. It was the fact that we were sloppy. In particular, some of the guys we are counting and some guys who came in later in the game -- there were holding penalties that were legitimate holding penalties. They were not ticky-tack. They were not bad calls. They were good calls.
"This past game was bothersome with the sloppiness (with technique)."
Shaw said Nate Herbig, Jesse Burkett and Walker Little are three guys who can play at a "really high level" and says Herbig has been consistently at that level this season. He added: "Hopefully A.T. gets healthy" and stay healthy at other positions.
"We're a work in progress to be as good as we can be by year's end."
"Won't choose someone just to choose someone" at left guard. The competition will continue at left guard. Shaw acknowledged this is longer into the season for a true, unsettled competition than he's had in the past.
Defense
"It is such a group project. They communicate so well and play so well together. It's hard to pick out a couple guys -- but the two corners I thought were outstanding. It's rare to give up 100 yards receiving to one guy but still look back and think your corners played really well.
"Dylan Jackson and Mike Williams have been our two most consistent guys up front. Those guys are doing a good job."
Has the defensive line developed faster than you anticipated?
"As a unit they're playing well. They're starting to play together. Dylan Jackson was one of our players of the game. Mike Williams has had a very good year. Jovan Swann has been good in flashes as he continues to improve. Mike and Jovan are still relatively inexperienced players who we think have bright futures. It's good to see some younger guys get in there and get in the mix. I think they're doing their jobs and doing them well. Hopefully they'll continue to improve and become difference makers.
"I think they're helped a lot by our linebacker play. I think it's exceptional right now. I don't know where it ranks in college football but I'd be surprised if there are many people playing better than our linebackers are playing. That helps our guys up front."
One player helping the linebacker group is Mustafa Branch. Now that he's healthy and consistently on the field, how do you evaluate his play?
"Mustafa has always been explosive. He's always been fast. My dad always talks about how young guys who are fast he wishes they were slower, because when they're fast and wrong they're way out of position. I think that was Mustafa at a young age. He was really good on special teams. I think he tried so hard on the defensive side. Now with age and experience he's right a lot. He's not guessing. He's seeing it and reacting and he's attacking. He is so quick, so explosive he catches the offensive linemen off guard sometime. They think they're about to get him but he can dip his shoulder and get around them. For him to come in and provide some relief to both Bobby and Sean I think has been outstanding. There is no drop off when he goes into the game.
"All three of those guys are playing at a high level. Joey Alfieri is playing at a high level. Sadly we'll miss Casey Toohill because he has been playing at a high level. But I'm excited about Jordan Fox because he has been playing at a high level. We got veteran guys who are athletic and physical and understand team guys. That's what's exciting."
Oregon
What is the challenge for the defense against Oregon?
"It starts with Justin (Herbert). It starts with him. He's a big, strong-armed, athletic quarterback. I don't know how many drops he's had over the course of the year, but he's throwing the ball extremely well. He has thrown a lot of touchdowns but there could be a lot more. This guys is throwing the ball on target. He has guys who can go out and get it. He has athletic running backs as well. He is the guy who makes it go. Just when you think you have everybody covered somehow the 6-6 guy runs around and outruns everybody for a first down. It's a very similar challenge to what Marcus Mariota posed in a similar offense. They'll spread you out and run it, they'll pack it in and run it. They do the gun runs. They'll spread it out and throw it. If no one is open you have to tackle the big guy in space. He presents a lot of challenges, which helps all their other positions be more efficient."
Oregon is allowing less than two yards a carry. How real is that based on what you've seen?
"It's real. I can see them tackling a whole bunch of people. They're long, they're athletic, they're physical. In those games, also, they've gotten out to leads. But when those games are tight they do a really good job of cancelling gaps. You think there's a lane and you see one of those big guys closes the lane with the other guy's body.
"For us, it's no secret we're going to try to run the ball. We're going to take advantage of what we can on the outside as well. It's a good challenge for us this week."
If Mills is out then Jack Richardson is the No. 2 quarterback.
Jesse Burkett "felt great" and felt better than the staff anticipated Saturday in his first game action. They thought of taking him out at halftime, but he was doing so well that they let him play into the third quarter.
Casey Toohill is out and Jordan Fox is expected to start at outside linebacker. Gabe Reid will rotate in as the No. 3 OLB.
Offense
Nate Herbig "played extremely well." Shaw liked the way the running backs ran the ball but penalties cost the team 65 yards rushing.
It was good to see Osiris St. Brown get a big catch. He's been working hard after coming back from injury. Michael Wilson did well and the staff is looking to get him more involved in the offense.
Red zone touchdown efficiency: "Good, not great. I think we've got great matchups to put the ball into end zone, particularly with JJ (Arcega-Whiteside) and our two tight ends. We haven't been as efficient running the ball. Once again because of the loaded boxes that we've seen we're getting one-on-one coverage on the outside. That's why JJ has five touchdowns. We had some other opportunities that we missed. We have to be able to take advantage of what defenses are doing. If JJ is getting double teamed, and guys are getting double teamed, we should be able to run the ball.
"I don't want to make it really complicated and I don't. We want to run the ball and find matchups."
Assessment of first-down play efficiency: "Better each week. Once again, the tree that I come from, the guys I've worked with, love to run the ball on first down. It's not a secret. If you can be efficient running the ball on first down it makes everything else easier.
"Starting with San Diego State, they just told us, 'No, you're not going to do it. We're going to put so many guys down it's going to be difficult for you.' So to be able to mix in some first-down passing to raise our efficiency, we've gotten better each week. But we love to run the ball better on first down than we have. We'd love to be able to be efficient. We're not where we want to be there. I don't think we're really close, but we're improving each week."
What grade would you give your run blocking this year?
"It's really hard to grade us harshly -- especially with two out of three games the defense saying we're going to put one more guy in the box than you can block. I'm stubborn enough to keep running it, trying to establish the running. Also, knowing that we have a running back who even if they do load the box if we get a crease he'll take it the distance. It's hard to grade us because we've been rolling a rock uphill to a certain degree.
"I think for what we've done as a whole in run blocking I'd say a B-. I think this past game the difficulty wasn't what the other two games were, which were really difficult. It was the fact that we were sloppy. In particular, some of the guys we are counting and some guys who came in later in the game -- there were holding penalties that were legitimate holding penalties. They were not ticky-tack. They were not bad calls. They were good calls.
"This past game was bothersome with the sloppiness (with technique)."
Shaw said Nate Herbig, Jesse Burkett and Walker Little are three guys who can play at a "really high level" and says Herbig has been consistently at that level this season. He added: "Hopefully A.T. gets healthy" and stay healthy at other positions.
"We're a work in progress to be as good as we can be by year's end."
"Won't choose someone just to choose someone" at left guard. The competition will continue at left guard. Shaw acknowledged this is longer into the season for a true, unsettled competition than he's had in the past.
Defense
"It is such a group project. They communicate so well and play so well together. It's hard to pick out a couple guys -- but the two corners I thought were outstanding. It's rare to give up 100 yards receiving to one guy but still look back and think your corners played really well.
"Dylan Jackson and Mike Williams have been our two most consistent guys up front. Those guys are doing a good job."
Has the defensive line developed faster than you anticipated?
"As a unit they're playing well. They're starting to play together. Dylan Jackson was one of our players of the game. Mike Williams has had a very good year. Jovan Swann has been good in flashes as he continues to improve. Mike and Jovan are still relatively inexperienced players who we think have bright futures. It's good to see some younger guys get in there and get in the mix. I think they're doing their jobs and doing them well. Hopefully they'll continue to improve and become difference makers.
"I think they're helped a lot by our linebacker play. I think it's exceptional right now. I don't know where it ranks in college football but I'd be surprised if there are many people playing better than our linebackers are playing. That helps our guys up front."
One player helping the linebacker group is Mustafa Branch. Now that he's healthy and consistently on the field, how do you evaluate his play?
"Mustafa has always been explosive. He's always been fast. My dad always talks about how young guys who are fast he wishes they were slower, because when they're fast and wrong they're way out of position. I think that was Mustafa at a young age. He was really good on special teams. I think he tried so hard on the defensive side. Now with age and experience he's right a lot. He's not guessing. He's seeing it and reacting and he's attacking. He is so quick, so explosive he catches the offensive linemen off guard sometime. They think they're about to get him but he can dip his shoulder and get around them. For him to come in and provide some relief to both Bobby and Sean I think has been outstanding. There is no drop off when he goes into the game.
"All three of those guys are playing at a high level. Joey Alfieri is playing at a high level. Sadly we'll miss Casey Toohill because he has been playing at a high level. But I'm excited about Jordan Fox because he has been playing at a high level. We got veteran guys who are athletic and physical and understand team guys. That's what's exciting."
Oregon
What is the challenge for the defense against Oregon?
"It starts with Justin (Herbert). It starts with him. He's a big, strong-armed, athletic quarterback. I don't know how many drops he's had over the course of the year, but he's throwing the ball extremely well. He has thrown a lot of touchdowns but there could be a lot more. This guys is throwing the ball on target. He has guys who can go out and get it. He has athletic running backs as well. He is the guy who makes it go. Just when you think you have everybody covered somehow the 6-6 guy runs around and outruns everybody for a first down. It's a very similar challenge to what Marcus Mariota posed in a similar offense. They'll spread you out and run it, they'll pack it in and run it. They do the gun runs. They'll spread it out and throw it. If no one is open you have to tackle the big guy in space. He presents a lot of challenges, which helps all their other positions be more efficient."
Oregon is allowing less than two yards a carry. How real is that based on what you've seen?
"It's real. I can see them tackling a whole bunch of people. They're long, they're athletic, they're physical. In those games, also, they've gotten out to leads. But when those games are tight they do a really good job of cancelling gaps. You think there's a lane and you see one of those big guys closes the lane with the other guy's body.
"For us, it's no secret we're going to try to run the ball. We're going to take advantage of what we can on the outside as well. It's a good challenge for us this week."
