Abdullah’s return won’t derail Patterson

PULLMAN – Husain Abdullah entered this season, his sophomore year, expecting to slide into a starting safety spot occupied by his older brother Hamza last season.

But a high ankle sprain derailed those plans in fall camp, and Abdullah watched as junior college transfer DeWayne Patterson started the first two games of the season in his place.

Now, however, it appears Abdullah is back and ready to go. The sophomore first saw time this season off the bench at Nevada and then as a starter last weekend against Grambling State.

In that game, Washington State University coaches apparently saw the potential they have raved about in the past.

“I think Husain asserted himself in this last game, and he’s the guy right now,” secondary coach Ken Greene said.

But that doesn’t mean Patterson, who also impressed coaches in his time on the field this fall, won’t play. Far from it, in fact.

“The speed is a little different from junior college. That’s about it,” Patterson said of the transition this season. “It’s just about what I expected. But I wasn’t expecting to get put in right away.”

The Cougars have already used Patterson, Abdullah and free safety Eric Frampton in a three-man rotation, and that’s likely to continue. Both Frampton and Abdullah are capable of playing both strong and free safety effectively, giving WSU more options.

Perhaps the biggest improvement over the course of the year could come from Abdullah, despite the injury. As a redshirt freshman in 2004, the safety sometimes looked lost – but not badly enough to mask his impressive athletic talent.

“At the end of last year I asked them for all the game film,” Abdullah said. “I watched the way I played and it looked like I was just out there running wild. I wasn’t looking at nothing. Now I read as I play. I still play like me, but I’m making my reads. Where last year they hiked the ball and I was just looking for the ball, this year I’m doing what they’re telling me to do, and it’s helping a lot.”

Coming back from the high ankle sprain, an injury notorious for lingering long after most normal ankle sprains heal, was difficult for the sophomore.

“You just think the world’s crashing down on you,” Abdullah said. “But we have positive people on the team, and they said, ‘Don’t rush it. Just wait. It’ll be all right.’

“When I first got into the Nevada game, I had to catch back up to speed fast. I was behind the first two series I was in – I was a step slow.”

Greene said he’ll make sure that Patterson isn’t spending too much time on the bench. Safety is one of the most demanding positions in WSU’s defensive scheme, so having the extra depth gives the coach an opportunity to keep players fresh as the season progresses.

“I’m still going to keep them moving and let everybody have the opportunity to play,” Greene said. “I feel good about those three guys. They can all play, and the experience they’ve got has been awesome.”

Notes

Wide receiver Jason Hill had his wisdom teeth out and missed practice. Head coach Bill Doba wasn’t sure when the junior would return. … As Doba had planned, much of the practice was spent with the first-team offense and first-team defense squaring off in drills. … WSU will practice again this afternoon and Saturday morning before taking Sunday off. … Middle linebacker Will Derting was on the practice field but is still fighting off the effects of a flu that kept him sidelined for much of the Grambling game.