In Position: Cornering the Market on Making the Big Plays

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Oct 25

5:30 PM

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at Wyoming

Nov 8

12-Days

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vs UNLV

Nov 15

1:00 PM

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at New Mexico

Nov 22

12-Days

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at Boise State

Nov 28

1:00 PM

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vs Air Force

Cornerbacks

Who's Back: Chigozie Anusiem, Brandon Guzman, Mychai Williams

Who's New: Ron Hardge III, Dom Jones, Dominic Morris, Dylan Phelps

Key Number: Cornerbacks combined for 110 tackles and 19 pass breakups in 2022. Chigozie Anusiem led the group in both stats, with 36 tackles and nine pass breakups of his own.

What Happened: Cornerback was a thin position last season, with only three players at the position playing in more than half the games in 2022. Anusiem was the only one to play and start all 12 games on the way to a first-team All-Mountain West selection by PFF.

From the Top: When games are on the line, cornerbacks coach Marcus Patton wants his guys to finish them off. Troubled by certain plays late in close games last season — particularly against Wyoming and San Jose State — he wants to see his great players make the great plays.

Especially Anusiem.

"The thing we've talked about since last year, you know, we had a few close games where they came down to one or two possessions," Patton said. "And if you look at those games, Chigi had some opportunities where he was in great position, and he dropped an interception. So, I told him great players put games away, so the big thing for him this year is if you get an opportunity to put games away, you've got to put them away."

But to finish games, you have to be dialed into closing out individual plays on a regular basis. That way, maybe games won't have to come down to the wire. And if they do, you'll be prepared for it.

For Patton, that comes down to being able to do the right things at the right times throughout the entire play. It doesn't matter if a receiver beats a corner in coverage, because "in today's football, the play isn't over until it's over," and the ball still might come their way, Patton said.

Another luxury for Patton's group is an added layer of depth he didn't see last season. The two graduate transfers in Hardge III and Jones, along with junior transfer Morris, have shown they can give Patton multiple options in the defensive scheme.

"We've got a lot more guys who fit our profile we're looking for this year," Patton said. "With our scheme, we like long, athletic corners who can run because we play so much press, so we've got more guys who fit that mold. If we rotate a guy out, we've got another guy who looks the same and can do some of the same things, so we're really excited about that."

From the Room: In addition to the depth of talent entering the cornerbacks room, Anusiem wants there to be leadership beyond himself. That way, everyone can hold themselves and each other accountable and pick each other up when need be. It's a great way to not only get closer as a room, but to step toward the ultimate goal of getting better and winning games.

So far, the three experienced transfers have delivered.

"There's a couple of older guys coming in like Ron Hardge III," Anusiem said. "Dom Morris is somebody who's stepped up. Same thing with Dom Jones — he's new to corner so he's learning — but it's a lot easier when you have other guys who have that drive (to lead)."

It all starts with Anusiem, who made an instant impact last season after transferring in from California as a redshirt senior. Now, the older transfers around him have the chance to do the same thing in hopes of improving an already formidable defense.

With team improvement and individual playing time on the line, like most position groups, the competition has ramped up noticeably. Anusiem and the rest of the cornerbacks are no stranger to it, and they welcome any chance to push each other to get better.

"The competition is fun," Anusiem said. "We all just try to help each other get better every day. Everybody knows what's at stake, obviously everyone wants to start which is not a bad thing to have in the cornerback room, so it's good. We push each other every day."

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