On Day 1 of WSU spring ball under Kirby Moore, DBs make plays and TEs get chances to shine
Mar. 26—PULLMAN — Brandyn Thompson was barely done with one celebration before he had to jump into another. Washington State's cornerbacks coach was hyping up safety Jeremiah Bernard, who had just picked off a pass during Thursday's spring practice opener, prompting a host of teammates to mob him along the sideline.
Then, just as the hooting and hollering and swarming under the Taylor Sports Complex roof began to dissipate, another pass came whirring down the field. This time, third-year sophomore safety Kayo Patu won his 1-on-1 drill and picked it off. Thompson turned away from Bernard and embraced Patu.
Several of his teammates did, too. "I thought those guys in 1-on-1s did a really good job competing, really sticky in terms of playing on the tight ends in the slots, and that's what we want to see," WSU head coach Kirby Moore said, moments after his first practice at the program's helm wrapped up. "Coach Brandyn does a really good job of designing opportunities for our defensive backs to challenge guys.
" On the first day of WSU's spring practice slate, which took place indoors because of the chilly morning temperatures in Pullman, that kind of scene best described things. It was something of a wobbly day for the Cougars' offense, which experienced a handful of drops in 1-on-1 drills and team periods, while their defense took control with plays like those from Bernard and Patu. Otherwise, the rest of the Cougs' spring opener went about as expected.
UC Davis transfer quarterback Caden Pinnick took reps with what appeared to be WSU's first-team offense, which included expected faces like running back Kirby Vorhees, wide receiver Tony Freeman and offensive linemen Ashton Tripp, Johnny Lester, Kyle Martin, Noah Dunham and Washington transfer Maximus McCree. This spring (and potentially fall) Pinnick is competing for the starting job with returners Owen Eshelman and Julian Dugger. Asked what he saw from that group, one word came to Moore's mind immediately: "Efficiency.
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