Turner turns cornerback into his domain
PULLMAN – The biggest question going into Washington State University’s fall camp appears to have its answer.
Oddly enough, that answer at cornerback was staring everyone in the face the whole time.
Fifth-year senior Don Turner of University High, listed as a starter going into camp while multiple newcomers battled to take over the job, will almost certainly get the nod when WSU takes the field at Auburn in eight days.
“Slim,” secondary coach Ken Greene said, asked about the likelihood of another player getting the spot. “He’s done a good enough job to earn that position. It’s going to take someone playing very well in the game to unseat him right now.”
Turner, who was beaten on many occasions early in camp, responded with better play in the last week. Meanwhile, Greene said Markus Dawes’ play slipped a bit, although the junior college transfer will serve as the Cougars’ third corner and should see a fair amount of time.
“It looks like the cards are starting to play out,” Turner said. “This is how I’ve seen my future early on when I first came here. It’s all starting to play in line.”
Behind Turner and Dawes – Tyron Brackenridge was given the other starting spot before camp – the situation remains muddled. The Cougars brought in four new cornerbacks this fall, including Dawes, and with returners thrown in, the race for starting jobs has been chaotic from the start.
So much attention was needed for the position that Greene worked almost exclusively with cornerbacks while graduate assistant Patrick Libey coached the safeties.
The depth chart is almost guaranteed to change in the coming weeks, but it appears that Ryan Kensok, a walk-on sophomore from Gonzaga Prep, is fourth on the list of corners. After that, junior college transfers B.T. Walker and Brian Williams are waiting in line.
WSU will bring eight cornerbacks and 13 defensive backs to Auburn on a 64-man travel squad.
“That’s an extraordinary amount. That’s not normal,” Greene said, adding that many of those 13 are coming along to play on special teams, not in the secondary.
Still, he said he wouldn’t mind getting some of the new faces on the field to see how they react under the lights.
“We’ve got some situational players that will get experience and play and give us time to get the first group rested up.”
As might be expected, the cornerbacks competing for time behind Turner have all shown different skill sets. Dawes is a physical player who uses size to his advantage. Kensok is a classic walk-on – too small, too slow, but determined enough to stay in the picture. Walker is perhaps the most natural corner of the backups, but didn’t get into camp for the first week because of transcript issues. Williams has the best straight-line speed, but needs polish.
From any angle, it’s been a busy month for Greene, and September may be as hectic.
“We’ve got some guys who can play,” he said. “But they just need time. They need experience. We’re not going to build Rome in a night, but we’d sure like to build a sand castle to get us through a few days.”
Notes
Defensive end Matt Mullennix, on the verge of starting his first career game, suffered a torn ACL in practice this week. Though no timeline for recovery is known, the nature of the injury would suggest that most if not all of Mullennix’s season is over. More details should be available today when WSU issues an official injury report. … It appears four true freshmen will travel to Auburn, and at least three of them will play this season instead of using their redshirt. Linebacker Andy Mattingly of Mead, defensive end Kevin Kooyman and running back Christopher Ivory are expected to at least see time on special teams, and cornerback Kerry Maddox is on the bubble to play. … Punter Fritz Brayton, having watched Darryl Blunt take the starting job, has decided to transfer. It appears the redshirt sophomore is probably headed for Eastern Washington. “He’d be eligible right away,” head coach Bill Doba said of a transfer to EWU. “He’s a good kid, and we wish him the best.”