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Hawaii QB Brennan Accepts
Under Armour Senior Bowl Invite
Holder of 20 NCAA
passing and total offense records will display his talents during Senior
Bowl Week 2008.
By TOMMY HICKS - Mobile
Register Sports Reporter
 MOBILE, Ala. (October
19, 2007) -- Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, who holds 20 NCAA
passing and total offense records, has accepted an invitation to play in
the 2008 Under Armour Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Jan. 26.
The week of practice and a 3 p.m. kickoff
will give the prolific quarterback -- who has helped his team to a 7-0
record this season while passing for 2,395 yards and 20 touchdowns -- a
chance to showcase his skills in front of NFL coaches and a broader
television audience. Hawaii's games aren't often broadcast on TV on the
mainland or are shown at a late hour, so Brennan isn't a household name
to some college football fans.
The 6-foot-3, 196-pounder from Irvine,
Calif., said he is looking forward to the opportunity provided by the
Senior Bowl.
Hawaii quarterback
Colt Brennan
"For me, the Senior Bowl is important and
it's a big game," Brennan told the Press-Register in a telephone
interview Thursday afternoon. "I'm kind of one of those guys who has a
lot of questions surrounding him. The Senior Bowl will give me the
chance to answer all of those questions.
"This is the best game you can go to and
have a chance to perform in front of NFL coaches and scouts and play for
an NFL coaching staff. It will be a chance for me to be up close with
those people and for them to get a chance to see me play and for me to
answer all their questions."
Senior Bowl President and CEO Steve Hale
said seeing Brennan in person at last weekend's Hawaii at San Jose State
game answered any questions he might have had.
"In that game, I really got an
appreciation of some of the special skills he possesses," Hale said.
"They were down 14 points with four minutes to play in bad (weather)
conditions. ... He led his team by throwing for a touchdown and later
running for a touchdown, and leading them to the win (42-35) in
overtime.
"In that game, he showed how competitive
he is, as well as the intangibles he has to offer other than his gift
for throwing the football. When you watch him play and how his teammates
respond to him, you realize pretty quick they believe that if he's in
the game they have a great chance to win the game."
Brennan was 44-of-75 for 545 yards and
four touchdowns in the win.
Certainly, Brennan's impressive stats
serve as testament to his abilities. He has thrown for 12,245 yards and
a whopping 113 touchdowns thus far in his college career. Last season,
he set an NCAA record for touchdown passes in a season (58) while also
leading the nation in passing efficiency (185.96), also an NCAA record.
In 2006, he led the nation in total offense (422.5 yards per game),
completion percentage (72.6) and passing yards (5,549).
Brennan broke or tied 41 school records
last year. He also broke or tied 18 NCAA marks and 17 Western Athletic
Conference records. What makes those marks even more impressive is that
he sat out the fourth quarter in six games. Brennan was named WAC
Offensive Player of the Year, winner of the Sammy Baugh Award, and
placed sixth in Heisman Trophy balloting.
In January, he hopes to win over NFL
scouts.
"Colt knows that Senior Bowl week is huge
for him because he will be bringing his game to the NFL," Hale said.
"It's hard for decision-makers to leave the mainland. But he can answer
any of their questions when he's here."
Brennan, who was USC Heisman Trophy winner
Matt Leinart's backup at Mater Dei High School, helped lead Hawaii to an
11-3 record last year, the best in school history. He has also helped
the Rainbow Warriors to a No. 16 national ranking.
And still, some college football fans know little about him.
"It can be frustrating," Brennan said.
"But that's just football."
It can also be frustrating, he said, to be
typecast as a one-dimensional quarterback, another misconception he
hopes to erase in Mobile.
"I think it all benefits me," he said. "I
grew up playing in the West Coast offense. I didn't play in a shotgun
offense until I got (to Hawaii). This offense is a lot of fun, but the
whole offense runs on (the quarterback). That can be a lot of pressure.
You have a chance to do some good things, but there's a lot of
responsibility that comes with it. Some people don't understand that.
"Being at the Senior Bowl, I'll have a
chance to show I can run whatever offense they put me in. There's a
perception that I can only play in one style of offense. ... I think you
have to be a student of the game, and I am. I also have a great passion
for the game. I've been playing since the first year (of age
eligibility) of Pop Warner."
The Senior Bowl game and practices will be
broadcast live on the NFL Network.
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