Cougs try to fill spots at corner

PULLMAN – Muddling an already messy battle for the starting cornerback job, it appears that Tyron Brackenridge’s hamstring issues could be serious enough to keep him out of action through the season opener at Auburn more than three weeks from now.

Brackenridge, who had been given the starting job on one side of the field while a host of players duke it out on the opposite side, has had hamstring injuries in the past. Now it appears that – for the time being, at least – Washington State secondary coach Ken Greene is trying to track down two cornerbacks who can play a significant number of snaps, not just one.

“It bothered him over the spring, and it bothered him over the summer again,” Greene said of Brackenridge’s right hamstring. “We had hoped that it had calmed down enough that he could get going. So he concerns me. We’re taking the approach (where) he doesn’t have to be ready for Auburn. If he’s not ready for Auburn, let’s at least get him ready for the next week because we need him for the Pac-10 season at the very least. Optimistically, we’d have him ready for Auburn.”

Meanwhile, the sextet of players challenging for the job opposite Brackenridge is also having itshealth issues.

Markus Dawes, a junior college transfer who has made a strong impression during the week, has been helped off the field on multiple occasions with leg muscle strains. That problem could keep him off the practice field for at least a day or two.

Freshman Kerry Maddox has had problems with both heels, with WSU saying he will be held out of practice after limping off the field Thursday as well. Senior Don Turner of University, while able to play, is still nagged by back soreness that requires near-daily physical therapy.

Maybe it’s too early to sound the alarm, but a caution flag doesn’t seem completely out of line.

“As long as we have somebody to work with, I know we’re going to get better,” said Greene, who is still gushing about the Cougars’ physical talent at cornerback this season when compared to recent years. “There’s no doubt we’re raw. But we’re getting better every day, and that’s a good sign.”

In addition to Dawes, Maddox and Turner, junior college transfers Brian Williams and B.T. Walker – who was just cleared to practice – and sophomore Courtney Williams are all in the mix.

Dawes and Turner appear to be leading that group currently, although Greene has good things to say about all of the players involved. And with the Cougars putting pads on for the first time this fall Thursday morning – the first scrimmage is Saturday afternoon – it’s still too early to tell who will be tabbed when WSU travels to Auburn.

“It’s fun because everybody’s fighting for positions, which means everybody gets better,” Walker said.

Coming into the fall, head coach Bill Doba tabbed the cornerback spot as a primary position of concern. Of all the positional battles in camp, none figured to be as wide open, and as significant, as this one.

With the remaining players essentially gunning for two spots as Brackenridge recuperates, the big question going into camp has become bigger.

“I feel like we’ve got a group of young men this year that can provide some depth, as well as get it done with the first unit,” Greene said. “It’s just a matter of how much time we have to get them ready.”