Interceptions, sacks aplenty as WSU defense shines on Day 7 of spring ball
Apr. 9—PULLMAN — Jaylen Thomas took off in a full sprint, the ball in his right hand and his sights set on whatever was on the opposite end of Rogers Practice Field. He had just snagged an interception in the opposite end zone during one team period in Thursday's Washington State practice, and as the morning sun beamed down, he had to celebrate.
So when he arrived on the other end of the field, a teammate trailed behind him, encouraging him to toss the ball in the air. Thomas obliged and hurled it toward the sky. He jumped in the air with another teammate.
They hooped and hollered and laughed. "He's very versatile," WSU defensive coordinator Trent Bray said of Thomas, a safety transfer from San Jose State. "He can play safety, nickel.
He can do a lot for us. He's really smart, so he can get guys lined up. He can make the correct communication, so guys around him play fast, which is great.
" Thomas' interception came at the hands of WSU quarterback Caden Pinnick, one of three signal-callers vying for starting duties this fall, but the story of Thursday's practice — the first outdoors in Pullman this spring — wasn't the Cougars' QBs. It was their defense, which produced a number of simulated tackles for loss, an interception, a handful of sacks, a general message that for as much might be made about their offensive counterparts, they can supply responses. They came by the bushel on Thursday, which was WSU's seventh of 15 spring practices.