Brennan can’t wait for early-season test
Brent Brennan doesn’t exactly get to ease into his first season as a head coach.
He and San Jose State open at home against No. 19 South Florida and its dynamic dualthreat quarterback, Quinton Flowers, on Saturday afternoon.
After what should be a breather against Cal Poly, the Spartans face No. 23 Texas in Austin and then Utah, which barely missed making the preseason AP Top 25, in Salt Lake City.
Rather than bemoan that difficult early schedule, Brennan embraces it.
“Every chance you get to play against somebody good is a chance to prove yourself and see what you’re made of,” Brennan said during his weekly news conference Monday.
After the Spartans failed to post a winning record in any of the four seasons under previous head coach Ron Carragher, there is a lot of “new” around the program.
Not only is Brennan, who spent the past six seasons as the receivers coach at Oregon State, a first-time head coach, but 29-year-old Andrew Sowder (offense) and Derrick Odum (defense) are first-time coordinators.
Brennan believes his players have adapted well to new coaches and schemes.
“The guys have really bought in,” Brennan. “They’re giving us everything they’ve got in the practice environment. … There’s a good foundation for … what our expectations are, what our standard is and how we play.”
Who will start at quarterback remains a question that might not be answered until kickoff Saturday. Sophomore Josh Love, who completed 31 of 60 passes for 392 yards last season, and 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman Montel Aaron are competing for the job, with sophomore Sam Allen a darkhorse candidate.
Brennan termed the competition as “nip and tuck.”
“Josh had a good camp,” Brennan said. “He’s hit his throws consistently. He’s probably the most mature of the group, just because he played a little bit in games, but Montel Aaron has played really well also. Every time we scrimmage, Montel shows up and he makes plays.”
Whoever wins the job will have the luxury of playing behind an experienced offensive line. Tackles Nate Velichko (32 career starts) and Troy Kowalski (nine), guards Jeremiah Kolone (35) and Chris Gonzalez (23), and center Keoni Taylor (24) have combined for 123 career starts. That’s the most of any projected starting offensive line among FBS schools.
“Coach Carragher and his staff recruited some really good players there,” Brennan said.
Running backs Malike Roberson, a junior, and Zamore Zigler, a sophomore, each averaged more than 5 yards per carry last season.
Brennan feels good about his starting secondary, which features three seniors, including cornerback Andre Chachere, who was an All-Mountain West selection last season, when he had four interceptions and 14 pass breakups.
When asked what part of his team concerns him most heading into the season, Brennan turned inward.
“It probably has more to do with me than it has to do with anything else,” Brennan said, “being a first-time head coach, wanting to make sure I have every possible situation covered, making sure I have all kind of answers (for) the things that happen in the course of a football game.”
When Brennan leads the Spartans onto the new AstroTurf surface at CEFCU Stadium on Saturday afternoon, it might bring back a few memories for him. Brennan, 44, grew up going to San Jose State games; his late father, Steve, was an end for the Spartans in 1967 and his mother, Beth, was a cheerleader. Brennan also spent six seasons (2005-10) as a San Jose State assistant coach.
“It’ll be cool. It’ll be surreal on some level, being back here, going on that field as a head coach,” Brennan said. “I’m excited to see how that feels. I’m excited to look up into the stands and see my mom and my wife and my kids and be like, ‘Wow. We’re back here. This is really happening.’
“I’m excited for that moment.”