Johnson needs all his strength
PULLMAN – Walking around campus isn’t usually a chore for a college football player. People recognize you, pat you on the back, wish you luck in advance of that week’s game.
So Aaron Johnson wasn’t sure what to think when, at the end of August, people were anything but kind.
On the 25th of that month, the starting defensive tackle for Washington State had fallen – been pushed, actually – in the middle of a practice drill. No big deal, at least until that fall landed on the right leg of fellow defensive tackle Ropati Pitoitua.
Pitoitua, a sophomore just like Johnson, was slated to be the Cougars’ other starting defensive tackle and expected to be a standout on defense. But Johnson’s 310 pounds didn’t land lightly, and Pitoitua’s right fibula snapped under the weight.
Suddenly, Johnson felt responsible for injuring his teammate. And plenty of people at WSU were willing to reinforce that notion.
“People would come up to me, people I didn’t even know, and say, ‘Hey, why did you break Ropati’s leg?’ ” Johnson recalled. “I had to deal with that every day.”
And everyone around him had to make sure the baby-faced 20-year-old didn’t take it too personally.
“As soon as it happened, I knew everybody was going to start saying that,” defensive line coach Mike Walker said. “A lot of people don’t realize in the trenches anybody can fall on anybody. That’s just football, it happens. It was unfortunate that Aaron did it, because he and Ropati are really good friends. He didn’t mean to do it.”
Added Pitoitua: “He thought it was his fault. … I told him not to worry about it. Things happen.”
Pitoitua is still out because of that broken leg, though it’s possible he could return for a handful of snaps against Stanford eight days from now.
The injury that Johnson felt he caused has affected no one on the field more than himself. Where Pitoitua would have played, a true freshman, Fevaea’i Ahmu, and a fifth-year senior with little game experience, Bryan Olson, had to step in. So Johnson has been the focus of every offensive line the Cougars have seen so far – something that probably won’t change Saturday in the team’s Pac-10 opener at Oregon State.
Instead of sharing the attention with Pitoitua, Johnson has seen nothing but double- and triple-team blocking this season. His numbers – seven tackles through three games – aren’t spectacular, but his impact on the WSU defense has been just that at times.
“Double or triple (teams), one of the two,” said middle linebacker Will Derting, who leads the Cougars with 19 tackles playing right behind Johnson. “I thank him a lot for that.”
And Olson and Ahmu have combined for three sacks and five tackles in the backfield, never seeing more than one blocker on their way to the ballcarrier.
“He knew he was going to be the only veteran in the trenches, and he’s taken care of business,” Walker said. “He’s playing the double team really well. He’s getting upfield and getting to the quarterback. He’s a very responsible player.”
It hasn’t hurt the sophomore in taking on all the double teams that he’s become one of the strongest Cougars on the field. In the off-season Johnson “lived in the weight room,” as Walker said, and by the end of the summer he was able to bench press four sets of five each at 380 pounds.
“I don’t like people benching or squatting more than me, so I try to put more weight on,” Johnson said. “Before each play I envision where I want to be after they hike the ball. I want to push that guy back there. If you get one guy back there and it’s a run play, there’s guys pulling, there’s guys moving. If you push that guy into all those guys it breaks up everything. Just like this week against Oregon State, the trap – there’s one guy. If you beat that one guy it breaks up the whole play.”
And in a couple of weeks, when Pitoitua is able to make his full return, Johnson figures opposing offenses will have no good way to keep the middle of the WSU defense at bay.
Plus, he knows that the two will be watching out for each other.
“That’s my right-hand man, and I don’t want anything to happen to him again,” Johnson said. “When Ropati comes back, they can’t double-team both of us.”
Notes
As expected, starting wide receiver Chris Jordan was back in practice Thursday after taking a day off to rest a sore hip flexor. … Defensive ends Adam West (concussion) and Lance Broadus (groin) won’t make the trip, forcing WSU to dig into its pool of reserves at the position. Behind starters Mkristo Bruce and Adam Braidwood, Matt Mullenix, Mike Graise and most likely Paul Stevens will travel to Corvallis. … Cornerback Don Turner, held out earlier this week by back spasms, will make the trip, but his playing status will be a game-time decision.