You Can’t Rein In This Colt
From studying Samoan to trying to run over opponents, UH quarterback Colt Brennan has won over teammates. Now, he says, it’s time to start winning some games, starting Saturday night
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Brennan reprises an
old football card pose
good decisions, right decisions and to be smart about what you do. My coach in high school always talked about discretion, knowing how to act in certain times. There are times to let loose. Just because you have a carefree attitude does not mean you can be carefree with everyone.”
It was Brennan’s first - and last - bout with trouble. The reason why is easily recognized by old-school parenting advocates.
“My dad was very stern with me. He wasn’t going to let me screw up. I was never afraid of getting in trouble with teachers. I was never scared of getting in trouble with the cops. I was scared of having to go home and see my dad. He’s the guy who scared me growing up.”
Brennan was kicked off the Colorado football team following his conviction. At the time the school was awash in controversy about sex crimes and recruiting scandals, and could not afford any more bad publicity. And as hard as it was to leave the school in the face of what happened, it may have been an unexpected blessing. In Colorado, Brennan was behind other QBs whose recruitment status meant his chances for playing time were slim. But at UH he felt he had a real chance. After a year at Saddleback Community College, he accepted a walk-on offer from UH, bypassing a scholarship from San Jose State, where his cousin is a coach.
“People say things happen for a reason, and considering what I went through, it’s easy for me to say that. But I think things do have a tendency to push you in certain directions. Something in Hawaii seemed so right. It was a time in my life where I wanted to do something different. I wanted to get away and be on my own and experience something different, and that’s what Hawaii had to offer.”
Maybe it was fate. Brennan had traveled to Hawaii twice with his family as a child, and it was the one place he wanted to visit to relax and recuperate following his legal problems. His grandmother offered to pay for the trip.
“I just wanted go to the beach and relax and surf, and before I knew it I was playing football and living out here. I think there was just something in me that really liked Hawaii since I was a kid. There is this kind of toughness and bravado about kids from the islands, and there is something intriguing about it and I really enjoy it, and since I’ve been here I’ve had a great time.”
The appreciation has been mutual since Brennan first became a Warrior.
His teammates are quick to point out the positives about him as a person and as an athlete. No doubt it meant a lot to many on the squad when he decided to take Samoan for his language requirement.
“He’s just learning the basics so we can’t talk about him,” laughed center Sampson Satele.
Satele, who teammates call “The King,” and who Brennan defers to as team leader, said the friendship between the haole kid from California and the local boy from Kailua developed quickly.
“The first time I saw him he was a goofy guy. He jokes around, but when it’s time to work, its work. Off the field me, him and Nate are like the Three Stooges. We just clown on each other. We became close last year and we’re really close now.”
Which is a good thing. Every quarterback will tell you there is no relationship more important than the one between the QB and the guys who protect him. In the NFL, it’s not uncommon for quarterbacks to lavish their lineman with expensive gifts. Colt’s show of appreciation tends to be on a much smaller scale.
“I try to feed those guys as much as I can. I’ll go to 7-11 and pick up 12 musubi or give them pizza,” he says.
And the reason is more than just a matter of survival, it’s a matter of respect. It’s a word he uses a lot.
“They are the guys who don’t get the love. If we go out and they do a great job, no one writes ‘Linemen Win Football Game’. They only talk about the receiver who caught the pass or the running back. So I think it’s important that they feel they are appreciated. They are out there busting their butts for you and they are not getting the rewards in the paper that much, but the people around them see that and the people that matter see that.”
And if arguments ever arise? “They’re always right. I’m always wrong.”
UH quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison said Brennan took a smart approach when he came on campus a year ago. He stayed in the background and let the team get used to him. By doing that he made the transition from busy California to laid-back Hawaii easier.
“If you just respect the Hawaiians, the locals, the Polynesians, their ways and their culture, you fit in just fine. It’s fun to learn. I love learning about different cultures and different places in the world, and obviously you get to learn from a lot of different people here, and different ways of life.”
Brennan’s numbers a year ago were impressive: 68 percent completion, 4,301 yards passing and 35 touchdowns. He does a lot of things well. But if you’re looking to nit-pick Brennan’s on-field performance, it’s that he can at times become the victim of happy feet. Morrison said he’s getting better. Last year good coverage often led to one of his impromptu runs that at times took him 30 yards behind the line of scrimmage. A move that no doubt, at times, frustrated his coaches, and more importantly, the big guys in front of him.
“That’s Colt Brennan and he’ll do whatever Colt Brennan wants,” jokes Satele. “I would like him to stay in the pocket more to give the ball to Devon or Ryan, but he wants to scramble to gain yards, that’s how selfish he is.”
June Jones, not one to stifle the creativity of his players, no doubt cringed last season seeing his QB take flight. Not because he didn’t simply throw the ball away, but because Brennan is determined to give as good as he gets. A good trait for running backs, but not in the best interest of a quarterback. And it’s not that Brennan is pig-headed. It’s just who he is.
When your last name is Brennan, you have a natural fire. Just ask anyone who has sat next to his father, Terry. The senior Brennan can be a bit loco. Friendly and careful not to offend, but nuts all the same. As Hank Williams Jr. says, “It’s a family tradition.”
“All our aunts and uncles, they have that switch,” Brennan says. “And you see it in every single one of them. When they hit that switch, you know ‘Don’t talk to Uncle Steve. Don’t talk to Uncle Bill, he’s in that mode.’ My dad’s got it too.”
But for as excitable as the clan is, it’s the one that you would least expect, that has been known to be the toughest.
“The thing is that our grandma, who is the sweetest, nicest lady, she was known to be the worst of the worst - because she raised five kids on her own, so she needed to carry a big stick, and really needed to have some guts behind what she was saying. So everyone talks about how Grandma Bev was the one who was really intense, was really crazy.”
With Alabama coming up, Brennan knows the Warriors have a impressive hurdle before them. He’ll be nervous. He always is before a game, no matter the opponent. But the key, he says, is blocking out the elements and being aggressive.
“There is a lot of tradition out there and the fans are going to be jacked up, flying high. Their coach may try to bring the revenge factor (UH beat Alabama 37-29 in 2003). I’d probably do the same if I were the coach. The most important key to our success out there, and the key to doing great things out there, is to not wait a quarter, two quarters, three quarters to get going. We need to come out, first drive offensively, and just fly out there and just do great things. Take the ball from the first half and show them we are ready to play and keep the pressure on for four quarters.”
Whether Sept. 2 produces a win or a loss, it’s one and done and time to get ready for UNLV and the WAC season. After all, for as big as a win at Alabama would be, the WAC championship is what really matters to Brennan and his teammates.
That and seeing UH go 13-0 on their Playstations.
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