Cougars running back Williams benefits from on-field coaching

PULLMAN – When watching a Washington State football practice, one is quick to notice that the running back making the most explosive plays also seems to be getting the most corrections from his position coach.

James Williams routinely slips past an initial tackler and breaks outside for a big run, and running backs coach Jim Mastro just as often gets in his ear to tell him what he did wrong.

There are a couple reasons for this.

The most obvious is that Williams, who is still academically a college freshman, has had the least amount of coaching up to this point, and so he has the most learning to do of the finer points of playing running back before next season begins.

“If we had a game today, we couldn’t play him,” Mastro said. “He’s just not ready yet.”

But it is also true that the extra instruction Williams receives on the field is also given to his colleagues, just behind the scenes. WSU’s trio of running backs who played last season – Gerard Wicks, Jamal Morrow and Keith Harington – earned notoriety for their different styles, as well as the nickname “Earth, Wind and Fire.”

But what’s also true of WSU’s now-four capable running backs is that they all learn in different ways, and Williams just happens to be the most receptive to on-field coaching.

“Some people are visual learners and need to see it drawn on a board,” Mastro said. “James needs to hear it. I could show him all the video in the world, but when he hears it, he responds to that.”

Of the other running backs, Mastro said, “Morrow just needs to see it. Wicks needs to draw it. Harrington is also visual.”

In fact, one of the biggest reasons Williams redshirted was so Mastro could have a year to learn how best to coach him. To learn how he reacted to positive and negative reinforcement, how demanding he could be and whether or not a softer touch might bring more favorable results.

Now that Mastro knows how, he can spend this spring coaching Williams more effectively.

“Last year I had a hard time because it was confusing me, the whole time,” Williams said. “Now, I’m getting it down before the season starts.”

Williams also stands out during spring practices simply because he’s getting the most reps, because the coaches are urgent to get him ready for next year. Mastro insists that the four will be whittled to three who receive regular playing time.

It is unfortunate for Harrington that he is missing the spring for health reasons, although he is expected to be ready at the start of preseason camp in August.

But the coaches also aren’t opposed to having a feature back should one play so well as to necessitate it, and there are times Williams looks good enough in practice to bust up the committee.

Even though he’s compactly built at 5-foot-11, 195-pounds, Williams is quick and has enough speed to turn a small opening into a long run. Most impressive is his balance, mostly innate but honed during the winter by strength coach Jason Loscalzo’s workouts, which allows him to keep his speed when he jukes defenders.

Often, Mastro is telling him to spend less time making every player on the defense miss, and to get upfield, already.

“He talks to me about reading defenses and going downhill, mostly, not going east and west,” Williams said.

After practice, Williams will watch film on his own, and send a text message to Mastro telling the coach what he thought he did wrong. On Monday, during the position meetings, Mastro will tell him how to fix it.

And once Williams has finally heard what to do, instead of seeing it, he can play most effectively.