At last, Willis’ wait over at WSU
PULLMAN – It’s been more than a few months since Washington State could step into Martin Stadium for a scrimmage of any kind, so the eagerness around training camp this week is no surprise.
For one Cougar, though, today’s 2:30 p.m. scrimmage – the first of three this fall as the team preps for Idaho and the 2005 season – is the culmination of a much longer wait than he ever imagined.
Safety Michael Willis out of Tacoma is just another freshman on the roster, but he’s been on the verge of joining WSU for more than a year. Unable to qualify academically in the fall of 2004, Willis opted to grayshirt, shooting for a January enrollment that would allow him to play spring football with the Cougars. But a snafu with official acceptance of his improved test scores put those plans on hold, forcing Willis – already in Pullman and ready to go – to wait that much longer.
Now, more than seven months after first arriving in Pullman, Willis finally gets his shot to show what he can do in a live scrimmage.
“This is like a big relief after the whole ordeal and what not, having to take the test so many times,” he said this week. “It was a frustrating little time period but in the end it all turned out well so I’m just happy to put on the crimson and gray.”
Even though he is a true freshman playing college football for the first time, most everyone at WSU camp has penciled Willis in for a significant and perhaps even starting role in a depleted secondary. But the Cougar coaching staff finds itself trying to temper its excitement about Willis with the cold, hard facts.
“It’s all built on what he did two years ago in a camp, in our high school camp,” head coach Bill Doba said. “But you don’t lose that athleticism, so he’s just a little rusty.
“He’s got a chance. He’s got a long way to go, and he’s not ready yet. But he’s got pretty good skills.”
Still, it appears that Willis’ face-off with Husain Abdullah for a starting spot at safety could be one of the best in camp.
“We’ve been anxious to get him on the field,” defensive coordinator Robb Akey said. “It’s been a long time coming, it feels like. We have real big expectations for him, and I think he’s starting to figure it out a little bit. … I think we’re going to see him grow and do things pretty well as we get rolling.”
Of course, Willis and Abdullah aren’t the only players fighting for playing time this August. Quarterbacks Josh Swogger and Alex Brink are vying for the top spot (expect each to get about the same number of reps with the first offense). Loren Langley and Graham Siderius are also repeating last year’s duel for the kicking duties (both usually get the same number of kicks as well).
Doba said the scrimmage should look a lot like those from the spring, which portends a structured format with lots of situational work for both offense and defense. But unlike his prolonged stint as WSU’s defensive guru, Doba knows he’ll come out of today with plenty to work on and worry about regardless of the outcome.
“I can never come out happy,” he joked. “If the defense looks good I worry about the offense and vice versa. You can’t … this is a terrible job, this head coaching stuff. Used to be as a coordinator, you’d come off and, ‘Oh boy, we kicked their butts,’ or I knew what to do to fix it.”
Notes
Marty Martin was on the practice field in street clothes, just 24 hours after being taken away in an ambulance with a neck sprain and concussion. “It feels like the day after. My neck is a little stiff, head’s kind of sore,” he said. “I didn’t know what was going on. It was really scary.” … Wide receiver Michael Bumpus (hip flexor) returned to practice after missing a day. … Defensive end Mike Graise also has a sore hip flexor, and he missed Friday’s first session. … Linebacker Lamar Brumfield remains day-to-day with a thigh bruise. … Friday evening’s session was cut short by lightning. Wide receiver Jason Hill sat out that session in a planned rest and wide receiver Chris Jordan returned from a minor knee sprain.