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Burnham Reflects On Years At USF

Tribune file photo by CLIFF McBRIDE

Coordinator Wally Burnham has been a major force behind the successful USF defenses of recent years.

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By BRETT McMURPHY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 24, 2009

Updated: 02/24/2009 11:45 pm

Before former University of South Florida defensive coordinator Wally Burnham left for Ames, Iowa, where he will be Iowa State's defensive coordinator, he reflected on his nine years at USF.

A look into Wally's World.

The 10 best defensive players you coached at USF? 1. LB Kawika Mitchell, 2. CB Mike Jenkins, 3. DE George Selvie, 4. LB Stephen Nicholas, 5. DB Anthony Henry, 6. LB Ben Moffitt, 7. LB Tyrone McKenzie, 8. CB Trae Williams, 9. FS J.R. Reed, 10. LB Patrick St. Louis.

Three toughest players? "Kawika by far. Moffitt was easily second. And Snake Nicholas was third."

Fondest memory? - "Auburn in 2007. We came back and won it in OT. That was big. Next would be the first time we beat West Virginia 24-19 in Morgantown in 2006 and the second time 21-13 in Tampa in 2007. But it was big to go and win at an SEC school. That was a tremendous statement for the program."

Toughest loss? - "Probably Army a 42-35 loss in 2004. That set us back that year. That killed us. Our season went south after that."

Bigger disappointment: 4-7 in 2004 or 2-5 Big East record in 2008? "Last year. We thought going in we'd have a shot at winning the Big East. I thought the talent level was about even. We underachieved. Why? There's not something I could pinpoint. Defensively, we gave up too many big plays and didn't have a great third-down defense on our side of the ball. There's nothing overall that's 'this is the reason we lost.'"

Toughest player you coached against? "West Virginia QB Pat White. You had to make sure you took care of him every play - until we knocked his butt out two years in a row. Even knowing we could stop him, every play you had to have a plan for Pat White."

Biggest regret? "Let me figure out which one I want to tell you he said laughing. Probably this year against Rutgers, the 93-yard pass play to Kenny Britt. We didn't do a good job getting the kids prepared for that formation. I may have called the wrong defense. I was thinking pass and didn't put them in a good coverage for that down and distance. I did a poor job for the kids on that play. I helped Rutgers on that one. I think that was the backbreaker on that game."

What will you miss the most? "I'll miss the people. I made some great friends. You miss the people you like, the people you work with that my wife Barbara and I got to know. Our church, and school work, people she worked with. Those kind of things we'll miss the most."

What don't people know about you? "I'm a softie."

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