Depth aplenty in secondary

Editor’s note: This is the eighth of nine position outlooks on the 2008 Washington State Cougars. Today we examine the defensive backs. Coming Thursday: special teams.

PULLMAN – Thus far this fall, there are five Cs that define Washington State University’s defensive backfield play: Competition, change, confidence, contact and chance.

The competition for the starting spots has been intense, leading to an almost daily change in the two-deeps. Such depth has led to a confidence among the group that, as long as you can keep in contact with the receivers and make solid contact after they catch it, you’ve got a chance to play.

“We’ve got a good mix this year,” said Chima Nwachukwu, who, as a sophomore, has taken over the mantle of leadership in the secondary. “We’re a lot deeper. … It’s really looking up for us.”

Partially because there was nowhere to go but up.

Last season the Cougars started three newcomers alongside senior safety Husain Abdullah. The inexperience showed, with WSU ranking eighth in the Pac-10 in pass defense and pass efficiency defense. The secondary yielded 256 yards a game through the air, picked off just 14 passes and played a part in WSU giving up 32.4 points a game, last in the conference.

Changes had to be made.

“Spots are never guaranteed out here,” said Nwachukwu, who made a big change in the off-season, moving from cornerback to safety. “Guys are definitely working harder and still proving themselves every single practice.

“That’s what you need to get better.”

The starters: Because of the constant change, plus an injury or two and an early season suspension, the starters are still not defined – with the possible exception of Nwachukwu.

“This is a good young group and they’re competing hard,” coach Paul Wulff said, “and they should, because they are going to have a lot of opportunities to play.

“Nothing is set in stone and it’s our job as coaches to play the players who are playing the best and doing the best. Just because somebody was a starter a year ago doesn’t make him the best player today. That’s just the way it is, in the sports world, it’s competition.”

So far Nwachukwu has mostly teamed with junior college transfer Myron Beck, who graduated from Ingraham High in Seattle before attending Glendale College in Arizona, at the safeties. But Xavier Hicks, Jr., who will sit out the first three games of the season after a series of off-season incidents that led to jail time, is waiting in the wings.

The battle at the corners has been intense. Co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach Jody Sears is looking for players who can play the Cougars’ new, more aggressive style.

“It’s a philosophy,” said Sears of the corners’ physical play. “At the same time we’re not just going to live in it, we’ve got to be able to give them some help and be able to change things up.

“We’ve got to go with where we feel out strengths are. Being able to play a little press and get color on color, I think that really helps our front in being able to stop the run.”

Sophomore Romeo Pellum, who saw limited action last year, and Alfonso Jackson, who switched last spring from safety, where he started 10 games last season, have been getting the majority of snaps with the starters, but even they have watched the ones play from time-to-time.

The reserves: As many as five cornerbacks could see extended action, with Pellum and Jackson joined by last year’s starter Devin Giles, redshirt freshman Tyrone Justin and senior Markus Dawes, granted another year of eligibility after shoulder injuries last season.

In the middle, until Hicks returns, Easton Johnson, another Seattle-area high school player (Hazen High) who played his JC ball down south (Feather River Junior College in California), is the main backup, though redshirt freshman Eric Block was making progress until sidelined with a sore knee

“We would love to have (Hicks and Dawes) back, but the guys who we have coming in, they’ve stepped up,” Nwachukwu said. “I believe in those guys 100 percent right now.”

The outlook: Confidence is something Sears and Chris Ball, who has responsibility for the safeties, have tried to instill.

“We’re going to demand excellence, our expectations are high,” Sears said. “And hopefully, by our coaching style, by coaching them hard, and at the same time loving them up all the same, hopefully that’s going to foster some confidence.”

Nwachukwu believes the confidence is there, and it’s showing.

“Last year, we were just trying to get a feel for the game, to be comfortable in our own skin,” he said. “This year we have a lot more confidence in what we can do and we have guys coming in who are big-time players, so we’re definitely going to compete.”

One area the staff is trying to instill confidence is in each player’s tackling ability. It’s the one fundamental covered every day.

“It’s the one thing we work on the most,” said Sears of the daily tackling drills. “I would like to think it’s improved since the spring. I think it’s improved to this point in camp. At the same time, we have to continue to push and push, demand and demand.

“Obviously, we’ll find out where we are on (Aug.) 30th,” in the opener against Oklahoma State.

All the pushing, all the demanding, it all comes with one purpose in mind.

“We want to put them in a position to make plays,” Sears said.