STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Thursday, October 21, 2004 7:00 pm
In a perfect world, Nebraska cornerback Fabian Washington successfully defends every pass possible and moves on to NFL riches.
In the real world, Washington encounters quarterbacks who throw his way often and complete more passes than Washington would like to remember, as was the case in last weekend's game against Baylor.
The Husker junior has learned that to thrive in a cornerback's world, you learn to move forward quickly and avoid dwelling on the last play, whether it was good or bad.
"Completing passes on me, that really don't bother me," Washington said. "That comes with my position. It's my job to not go in the tank when that happens, and I feel like, against Baylor, that was the best game I've played as far as not going in the tank.
"Last year, I was known to go in the tank and get down on myself. This year, that's the one area I've improved on most. I don't get down on myself."
It's important to note that Washington is regarded as Nebraska's best cover man and was rated by The Sporting News as the top cornerback in the Big 12 before the season.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder has led Nebraska in pass breakups in each of the last two seasons and is tied for the team lead this season with 10 entering the Huskers' showdown against league rival Kansas State on Saturday in Manhattan, Kan.
Ask Washington to assess his play, and you quickly realize he's probably his own worst critic.
Then he corrects you.
"I'm my second-worst critic," he said, deferring to his mother, Chandra Washington, of Bradenton, Fla.
"She tells it how it is," Fabian Washington said. "If I play bad, I'm going to hear it from her."
Nebraska's 59-27 win against Baylor on Saturday wasn't televised, so Chandra Washington didn't see her son drop two prime interception chances and struggle with his teammates through a contest in which the Bears rolled up 400 total yards, including 300 through the air.
Chandra Washington did, however, watch Nebraska's Oct. 9 game at Texas Tech on television.
Uh, oh.
"Oh, man," Fabian Washington said, smiling. "She was going off on me. She said, You know you can play better than that. She went on and on. That's one of the reasons I do play well. Because she lets me know when I don't."
Of course, nobody on Nebraska's defense played particularly well in the 70-10 loss at Tech, the most lopsided defeat in 114 years of Husker football. For his part, Washington was beaten on a fly pattern by speedster Jarrett Hicks just before halftime, allowing the Red Raiders to go up 21-3.
"Nobody played well. Nobody coached well," said Nebraska secondary coach Phil Elmassian. "That was a total team effort."
Washington, in his third season as a Nebraska starter, is currently second on the team with three interceptions. He's made 21 tackles, including two for losses.
Washington said he's played well "in spurts."
Bear in mind, Washington is his second-worst critic.
"I feel like in spurts I play very well and then in spurts I'll play like I'm going to sleep on the field," he said. "I'm just not always focused. I got to get out of that."
Washington said he can solve the issue by playing hard in practice on each and every snap.
Of course, that's easier said than done. Indeed, Washington said his focus in practice has been fading in and fading out for as long as he can remember.
"It carries over to the game," he said. "What they say is true: You play how you practice. Coach Elmassian, he's been a big help. He is a great motivator. He'll get you going in practice."
Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove employs a system that uses more man-to-man coverage than the zone-heavy system the Huskers used last season under former defensive coordinator Bo Pelini.
It's been a challenging adjustment for every defender in the Big Red camp, including Washington.
"He's done a lot of good things this season," Cosgrove said. "But there are some things he needs to get corrected."
When asked to elaborate, Cosgrove said, "The man coverage, you know. … Having not played a lot of man coverage in the past, that's naturally going to be a little different for him. You see improvements, but then you see some breakdowns, too. We've got to be consistent in what we're doing."
Washington pushes forward, determined to avoid "going in the tank." His team's in the thick of the Big 12 North title chase. His teammates look to him for leadership. This is no time to go to sleep.
Focus on every play. Focus on every play. Focus on every play.
Someday, Washington said, he would like to be a football coach. He can see himself guiding young defensive backs, imparting to them the wisdom he's learned at Nebraska.
"I'd tell them to just try to play 100 percent every play, because if you mess up and you're going 100 percent, things can still work out," Washington said. "If you're not going 100 percent and mess up, that's when it starts to get bad."
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.