After benching, West didn't go south
LINCOLN — Anthony West never asked the Nebraska coaching staff for an explanation after he was taken out of the Huskers' fourth game last year and demoted from his first-team cornerback spot.
To this day, West still isn't entirely sure why he — a 15-game starter — had to stand on the sideline and watch most of Nebraska's Big 12 season unfold. As far as West knows, he did little wrong.
Analyzing West's replacement, Alfonzo Dennard, provides some clarity, mostly because Dennard is a one-of-a-kind athlete who makes up for his smaller stature with pesky physicality.
Still, a midseason benching wasn't what West had envisioned.
“Obviously, it throws you off a little bit,” he said. “But you've got to look out for the team. You can't get bitter. Things don't always happen the way you planned. There are bumps in the road.”
So West didn't allow himself to hold any grudges. He became more motivated instead.
Without that selfless attitude, West likely wouldn't have been able to serve as strong substitute for the occasionally injured Dennard. He wouldn't have been a vocal sideline cheerleader. He wouldn't have received a Blackshirt. And he wouldn't be in position to play this season.
“(West) is a true leader, in the sense of his maturity,” secondary coach Marvin Sanders said. “People look up to him, they really do. He handled that with class.”
The senior from San Diego is now in line to contribute in a different role. Two safety spots are open. West is competing for time with seniors DeJon Gomes and Rickey Thenarse, junior Austin Cassidy and sophomores P.J. Smith and Courtney Osborne.
He's taken first-team reps early in camp, but then again, so has everyone else. Sanders still is stressing that there's no depth chart yet.
“The coaching staff just wants you to get the scheme down, and then relax, get out there and play,” West said. “They know you have the ability, the speed, the toughness, the strength and all that. It's just a matter of getting the scheme down to where you're comfortable and you know it like that.”
That takes time at a new position.
West moved from cornerback to safety during the offseason, a switch that the coaches encouraged since veterans Larry Asante and Matt O'Hanlon had finished their careers.
It was West's idea, though.
“It was something I thought I might as well learn, just in case,” said the 6-foot, 205-pounder. “It doesn't hurt to learn more.”
Whether West will permanently settle into the safety spot is still unclear.
He remains the top backup at cornerback for Dennard and senior Prince Amukamara. If either suffers an injury, West is likely back to starting at cornerback, and the past eight months spent training at safety are suddenly irrelevant.
For now, West considers himself a safety. He plans on securing a first-team spot once again.
“The coaches are going to pick who they feel can make the plays and who they feel most comfortable with p
utting out there,” West said. “I understand that. So really, you've just got to keep working and keep progressing.”
