Apr. 21—PULLMAN — The ball fluttered through the air like a leaf petal, changing direction by the millisecond, tipped at the line of scrimmage by one Washington State defender and headed in the direction of another.
After a few seconds, the wayward pass from quarterback Caden Pinnick settled into the hands of linebacker Keith Brown, who secured it and took off in the other direction. In this Tuesday morning practice, the Cougars were operating under touch-tackle rules, so Brown was whistled down after a short return at Gesa Field, where they were practicing late-game scenarios.
Still, that didn't stop Brown and teammates from celebrating so enthusiastically that students in nearby classes probably wondered what all the hullabaloo was about. He spiked the ball, which bounced around on the sideline. WSU's defense, which was charged with stopping its offensive counterparts from reaching field -goal range and tying the game in this simulated scenario, had done its job.
That was the story of the Cougars' first practice of their final week of spring ball, which is set to conclude with their annual Crimson and Gray spring game on Saturday afternoon. When things shifted back to Rogers Field, fellow linebacker Carsten Reynolds picked off a pass thrown by quarterback Owen Eshelman. Incoming redshirt freshman linebacker Isaiah Hung broke up a pass, and transfer linebacker Nylan Brown surged into the backfield for what would have been a tackle for loss, capping perhaps that position group's best day of practice yet.
"I think (it's) just Coach (Trent) Bray being the defensive coordinator, coaching the linebackers, just them having a great perspective of what the guys around him are doing," WSU head coach Kirby Moore said. "I think that really helps guys in coverage, obviously, playing to the strengths of whatever the coverage is called, and understanding the strengths of it and the weaknesses, I think, can really help them make plays on the ball."
For the Cougars, it matters because of the linebacker position group's outlook this fall. WSU has a solid top three in Keith Brown, Nylan Brown and transfer DJ Warner, the last of whom was out of action for Tuesday's practice. In Bray's 4-2-5 scheme, two of those will likely start. But beyond that, Washington State is thin on experience, which means things could get dicey for that group if coaches need to establish depth.
That's what makes Tuesday's practice so encouraging for Moore, Bray and WSU defenders. It may have been only two hours on an April morning — a lot can change between now and August, for better or worse for the Cougars — but it could symbolize that some of their younger linebackers could be ready sooner than later.
If there's been a surprise among that group, it has belonged to Hung, who redshirted last fall in a relatively uneventful first season of college football. A native of the Kansas City area, Hung initially committed to former coach Jimmy Rogers when he was at South Dakota State. When Rogers accepted the job at WSU, Hung followed him, but he never got on the field last season as other, more experienced linebackers played ahead of him.
Those days of Hung's career may be ending. He has the size, listed at 6-foot-2 and 217 pounds, and Tuesday was hardly his first standout practice of the spring. He may be able to provide the depth that the Cougs really need.
"It started in the winter," Moore said of Hung. "He really attacked the winter conditioning with (strength) coach (Malcolm) Hardman and his staff in the weight room and developing that elite edge. You see it translate into the field. He's got great size, athleticism in terms of just his ability to, whether it's when he sees something go and then in coverage, break on the ball, and he's got some length to tip balls and be disruptive for the offense."