Sophomore cornerback Alterraun Verner said it all during Tuesday’s scrimmage without actually saying a word.
Bearing down on walk-on quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who was rolling out to his right, Verner put a lick on him that’s normally reserved for players without red jerseys.
That type of intensity is exactly what the Bruins’ secondary will look to carry through spring practice as one of the most senior units on the team.
Senior cornerback Trey Brown expects the secondary to be at the top of the Pac-10, with all four starters ““ Brown, Rodney Van, Chris Horton and Dennis Keyes ““ returning.
“My expectation is to basically go out there and be the best not only in the Pac-10 but in the country,” Brown said. “In order to do that you got to be the best each and every day with your work ethic, your preparation, game-planning ““ doing all the things you need to do to be the best.”
The secondary should also be one of the units with the most competition for starting jobs. Verner is competing with Van for a starting corner job and junior Michael Norris, returning from a knee injury last season, will push Brown on the other side.
“We’re not losing anybody,” Verner said. “So I’m still pushing the starters. My role is enhanced a little bit because they know what I can do already. … My role is to keep on pushing and making everyone else better and if I so happen to get a starting job, then that’s what happens. But as long as we’re getting better as a unit, that’s all that matters to me.”
For Brown, who made some key plays in scrimmage on Tuesday, this year will be a chance for him to prove himself as one of the top corners in the game.
“(I expect) really to elevate my game to being the best corner in the nation,” Brown said. “I got to go out there with that mind-set every day even when I wake up in the morning and I come out to practice. … I’ve been around this game three or four years now and I feel like I have the opportunity and ability to raise my game to that level. It’s going to take a lot of work but I’m willing to put forth the effort to do that.”
KEYES OUT WITH ANKLE SPRAIN: Free safety Dennis Keyes was in a walking boot on Tuesday after tweaking his ankle on Monday. Coach Karl Dorrell does not see it as serious.
“He’s gonna be ready to go by the end of this week,” Dorrell said.
“He actually tweaked it on his own when we were doing our early practice drills (Monday). Then he just got some inflammation on it, so we decided to keep him out. But he’s fine. Just one of our ways of trying to keep our guys to be able to finish the spring; just trying to make sure it doesn’t get any worse than what it is.”
With Keyes out, junior Bret Lockett, who’s listed as a strong safety on the spring depth chart, took reps with the ones on Tuesday.
“All those guys are interchangeable,” Dorrell said.
“They have to be. One guy goes down, the next best guy goes in. We try to cross-train all of our safeties. They all have to learn how to cover, and they all have to learn how to play in the box. They do a nice job of that.”