Trent, other WSU linebackers come together as intact group
PULLMAN – The players behind them on the depth chart and the ones in front of them on the defensive line aren’t healthy, but at least Washington State University’s starting linebackers can say that they are intact.
Middle linebacker Greg Trent missed much of the first half of the spring with a lingering ankle injury. Now he is working again with his two senior teammates on the outside, Scott Davis and Steve Dildine.
“It makes all the difference in the world,” linebackers coach Leon Burtnett said of the sophomore’s return. “Greg needs practice. He’s come back really strong. He’s such a load.”
Trent is no stranger to the starting unit, even if the Cougars never intended that to be the case. When Will Derting went down with a knee injury at Oregon State last season, Trent, a true freshman out of Keller, Texas, was forced onto the field and ended up starting five games – and seeing significant action in the final two games after a hobbled Derting returned to action.
At times Trent’s youth was obvious, as the then-18-year-old fought to try and catch up with everything around him.
“College is faster, a lot faster than high school for one thing,” Trent said with a laugh. “It starts to slow down once you start practicing.”
Even though he missed part of the spring, Burtnett said it’s obvious that the experience of last season and another off-season of learning have been a boon to the Cougars’ man in the middle.
“I think he’s a lot more confident,” Burtnett said. “If he screws up now, at least he knows what he’s doing. In the past they had to tell him everything. They don’t tell him much now. I watch them, and he knows what he’s doing.”
Trent hasn’t been the only linebacker hurt this spring – reserves Chris Baltzer, Jason Stripling and Alex Hamill have all missed time, and Cory Evans is out for the rest of the spring with an ankle injury – but with the sophomore starter back in the fold, WSU hopes to finish out the spring with the first unit getting plenty of chances to play together. (All of those injuries to the reserves might mean more reps for the starters, too.)
“We can get a foundation (this spring),” said Davis, who could well be a captain of this year’s team and one of its biggest stars on the field. “I think we’ll do a lot. We’ll improve our blitzes, improve our tackling. And communication is the biggest thing.”
Last year’s Cougars defense was a disappointment, giving up 36.5 points a game in the conference. Given that, Trent and the linebackers weren’t alone in their 2005 struggles. But if the defense is to have a resurgence in 2006, they’ll need to play a starring role – and freshman mistakes need not apply.
“We wanted him to play, but we didn’t want him to be a seven-game starter,” Burtnett said of Trent. “It’s a team defense and we have to improve all the way around. The linebackers can’t carry the whole team. They’ve got to have help in that respect, keeping us clean so we can get to the ball.”
Notes
Wide receiver Jason Hill missed another practice, stricken with a nasty flu bug that had him hunched over in a hooded sweatshirt for part of practice. … The Cougars had been scheduled to take the day off, but canceled Wednesday’s session to hold out for better weather, which they ended up getting.