Washington rewarded for patience

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Lorenzo Washington has seen almost all of his football dreams come true. One, however, has eluded him.

"In high school, I never got a chance to play in the Georgia Dome," said Washington, a native of Loganville who played at Grayson High School. "I've always wanted to do that."

On Saturday, Washington's dream will become a reality when his Alabama team plays Clemson in the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff (8 p.m., ABC).

"People ask me all the time if I wished I was going to Georgia and if I would ever get a chance to play in the Georgia Dome," Washington said. "I am so excited; I can't wait."

Washington (6-5, 275 pounds) has had to learn how to wait during his football career. Only 17 when he graduated from high school in 2004, Washington waited two years to get on the field for the Crimson Tide. He spent the 2004 season at Hargrave Military Academy and then took a redshirt year when he arrived at Alabama in 2005. He saw spot duty in seven games in 2006.

Washington's breakthrough came in 2007 when an injury to Brian Motley moved him up to starter at nose tackle in Nick Saban's 3-4 defense. Washington started 12 of Alabama's 13 games and made 36 tackles.

"Lorenzo is one of those guys who improves every day that he's out there and is playing winning football for us," Saban said. "He has made a significant contribution to our program."

But as the 2008 opener approaches, Washington must again be patient. He is undersized to play the nose tackle position, which needs a 300-plus pounder to occupy at least two blockers and free up the linebackers to make plays. Sophomore Josh Chapman (6-1, 305) and mammoth junior college transfer Terrence Cody (6-5, 365) appear to be giving Alabama what it needs. Thus Washington is being moved to defensive end, where he will be in a rotation with senior Bobby Greenwood (five starts in 2007) and junior Brandon Deaderick (seven starts in 2007).

"As long as I'm playing well and we're winning, I don't care where I play," Washington said. "If we are going to be better than last year, our defense needs to get better. I just want to help us do that."

A tinge of regret is clearly present when Washington utters the words "last year." Alabama's first season under Saban appeared to be heading in the right direction after the Crimson Tide destroyed Tennessee 41-17 in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 20. Two weeks later, Alabama appeared to have No. 3 LSU beat in the final minutes. But LSU got two touchdowns in a little more than a minute and stunned the Crimson Tide 41-34. That started a four-game losing streak to end the regular season at 6-6.

"Last year was just a deal where we didn't finish," Washington said. "In everything we do around here, we talk about finishing. But last year, we would fall behind, catch up, and then fall short at the end. That team could have played with anybody in the country, but we just kept making mistakes. This year, we're going to limit the mistakes."

Defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, a former defensive back at Georgia, has high praise for Washington.

"You need guys like Lorenzo if you're going to be successful," Smart said. "He's very smart. He shows up and does his job. He's the kind of player you have to have."

Tony Barnhart writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.