Ware’s Best Position Is a Secondary Issue

Ground control to UCLA coaches: No need to descend from the stratosphere quite yet. Enjoy the 38-24 victory over Oklahoma State that solidified your team’s place in the top 25.

But when you get back to work, don’t ignore a primary issue involving the secondary.

It’s not a problem so much as a quandary. What is the best position for one of the best Bruin players?

Should Matt Ware remain at free safety or return to cornerback, where he was a freshman All-American last season?

“We’re always evaluating,” defensive coordinator Phil Snow said. “We’re opening the season with Matt at safety, that’s where we think he fits best. He’s always capable of playing cornerback, that’s a given.”

No doubt, Ware is a plus at either spot. But he has been injured in both games he has played at free safety, a position that requires more contact than cornerback.

On Saturday, he sprained his right ankle--albeit on a kickoff--and sat out the second half. In the opener against Colorado State, he sat out several series after getting banged up.

Another factor is the rapid development of safeties Ben Emanuel and Jarrad Page, who have proved they belong on the field.

Emanuel, the starting strong safety, moved to free safety when Ware was injured Saturday and made a key play, intercepting a pass with 3:41 to play that stopped Oklahoma State’s last drive.

He also picked off a pass in the first half playing strong safety and had six tackles.

“I like free and I like strong,” Emanuel said. “I’ve learned both positions and feel comfortable wherever they put me.”

Page, a freshman who spurned a $700,000 offer from the Milwaukee Brewers this summer, played strong safety when Emanuel replaced Ware and turned in his second impressive performance, making two tackles and breaking up a pass.

The third--and most delicate--consideration is recognizing that short cornerbacks Ricky Manning (5 feet 9), Joe Hunter (5-11) and Matt Clark (5-9) are vulnerable to tall receivers.

Oklahoma State’s 6-2 Rashaun Woods gave all three Bruin corners fits, making seven catches for 143 yards. His counterpart, 6-0 John Lewis, had seven catches for 113 yards.

Ware is 6-3 and proved last season he can stay with rangy receivers.

“I like free safety a lot,” Ware said. “That’s where I want to play right now. I also liked cornerback a lot. That might be where I play later on. I just want to play and let the coaches decide the other stuff.”

Ware moved to free safety to fill the void left by Marques Anderson, a hard-hitting senior last season now with the Green Bay Packers. Snow signed off on the switch only after becoming convinced that Hunter and Clark could handle the corner spot opposite Manning, a two-time All-Pacific 10 Conference pick.

Hunter, a senior, was in the doghouse a year ago because he ran track instead of participating in spring practice. But he dedicated himself last spring and is playing well.

Clark, a sophomore who is Ware’s cousin, had a strong fall camp as well, making Ware’s move to safety logical.

But the development of Page and Emanuel has given Snow an abundance of quality defensive backs. How best to align them might be the most important adjustment the Bruins make as they prepare for the potent Pac-10 passing attacks they will face down the road.