Secondary a Primary Concern

Phil Snow’s repair work begins with filling two holes in the secondary.

The new Bruin defensive coordinator moved senior Marques Anderson from strong to free safety, opening a spot for Jason Stephens, a senior whose best season was 1998 when he started seven games at strong safety and made 58 tackles.

The proven Ricky Manning will play cornerback on the wide side of the field, and freshman Matt Ware will get every chance to win the job on the other side, a position Snow calls boundary corner.

Ware’s education began quickly--four passes in a row were thrown to receivers he was covering during the Bruins’ first 11-on-11 drills Saturday, and he intercepted one.

“I’m gaining more and more confidence every play,” Ware said. “It’s all a learning experience. I’m taking baby steps.”

He has company. Freshman Jabril Raymo is pushing Stephens and two other freshmen--Matthew Clark and Marcus Cassel--could play in prevent situations and on special teams.

“They are all hungry and have good talent,” said assistant coach Todd Littlejohn. “We’re going to count on them to contribute immediately.”

Ware and Clark sat out the last hour of the afternoon practice because of slightly pulled leg muscles, but plan to practice today.

Quarterback Ryan McCann’s shoulder passed muster in his first test since having surgery to repair a torn labrum late last season.

McCann began throwing this summer after sitting out spring practice. Zipping passes to receivers under the scrutiny of coaches was the next hurdle. He threw only during the morning workout.

“They want to know if I’m durable,” said McCann, who played in the first four games last season after Cory Paus had his own shoulder injury.

“I didn’t know how it would feel throwing with pads on, but it felt good.”

McCann, a junior, helped the Bruins to three victories and completed 60 of 120 passes for 688 yards and four touchdowns. He is listed third on the depth chart behind Paus and senior Scott McEwan, who played well in two opportunities last season, including the second half of the Sun Bowl.

Freshman quarterback John Sciarra is practicing with a cast on his left hand. Sciarra, son of the former All-American UCLA quarterback of the same name, broke the hand this week during a freshmen-only workout.

The pastoral setting at Spaulding Field was jarred by a boisterous fan who was verbally abusive to players for nearly an hour before being escorted out of the stands by two security guards.

The final straw came when the fan yelled, “Why don’t you teach them how to tackle?”

Defensive assistant Marc Dove beckoned the fan from the stands and summoned the security guards.