University of Wisconsin defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks knew the day was coming.
What he didn’t know for sure was when and who.
It’s nearly impossible for a young cornerback to make it through an entire season unscathed and since Cooks had been rotating sophomore Niles Brinkley and redshirt freshman Mario Goins at the left cornerback position, it was a matter of time before each got scorched a bit.
That time for Brinkley came last week in a 25-24 loss to Michigan State. He was beaten early on a trick play — a pass off an end around — in addition to a couple of other completions. He was penalized twice for pass interference and once for holding.
With senior Allen Langford playing well on the right side, the Spartans went after Brinkley.
“As a coach, you always know it’s going to come when you’ve got young guys on the field,”
Cooks said. “You just don’t know which one it is.“
“The way Al’s been playing, it makes sense to go after that opposite corner. Those guys just have to step up and play ball.”
Brinkley’s problem was in not adjusting to the way the game was officiated. UW defensive backs pride themselves on being physical and Brinkley was coming off probably his best game, against Illinois. But some of the things that maybe were not penalties in earlier games were called this time.
“I’m always going to tell my guys to be as aggressive as they can,”
Cooks said. “Now, they need to learn from that game. The officials were calling some tight calls. They’ve got to understand, if the flow of the game gets to be that kind of game, then you’ve got to adjust how you’re playing.”
That’s what Cooks told Brinkley after the first penalty, but it’s harder for young players to adjust than more experienced players.
“I stayed in (Brinkley’s) ear after the first call, after I understood how the game was going to be called,”
Cooks said.
“I just told him, ‘You’re playing your butt off, keep being aggressive. Just do your technique and don’t go soft. They’re going to come test you. You’re young, you’ve got to rise to the challenge.’ “
Goins missed a second straight game with lingering effects of a concussion. The rotation has allowed Cooks to remove a player when he is struggling, which happened to Goins earlier in the season.
Playing only 30 snaps, instead of 60, allows both players to keep a higher concentration level on the field.
“When you play a full game, for 60 minutes, sometimes you tend to take a play off or lapse or not be as focused if, ‘I know I’ve got 30 plays and I’m going to be great for all 30 of those plays,’ “
Cooks said.
Brinkley never stopped competing. He showed that on the Spartans’ next-to-last drive. On third-and-26 from the UW 33-yard line, quarterback Brian Hoyer went at Brinkley again, on a slant, trying to get in better field-goal position.
Brinkley had a nice break and made an aggressive play on the ball and forced an incompletion. Kicker Brett Swenson then made a 50-yard field goal.
While Brinkley has a team-high three interceptions, that play near the end of a long game probably said as much about him as anything he has done this season.
Even veteran cornerbacks can abandon their techniques after a couple of penalties. Brinkley, a converted wide receiver in his second year at the position, never did that.
“Niles kept fighting his butt off,”
Cooks said. “They tested him, which was good. It shows he has character. He got caught on the trick play. Then, his eyes were bad on one play where the guy got behind him.”
“He kept fighting. They ran post after post ... digs, verticals. He won more than he lost. But the ones he lost, some of those were big plays.”
Brinkley was unavailable for interviews because he had a test after practice Wednesday. But Cooks said Brinkley’s preparation remains strong.
Going into the game Saturday at Indiana, Brinkley knows he’ll be a target again, but he welcomes the challenge, Cooks said.
“If you don’t want the ball thrown at you, you’re not supposed to be on the field,”
Cooks said. “Not in our secondary.”
Tom Mulhern is a reporter for the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison.
