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(DAILY_WILDCAT)

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By Joel Flom
Arizona Daily Wildcat
September 26, 1997

You Gotta Believe in Brennan


[Picture]

Robert Henry Becker
Arizona Daily Wildcat

Wide receiver Brad Brennan (13) waits on the field during a UA time out as the coaches come out to meet with him and teammates Keith Smith (12) and Rodney Williams (3) at Ohio State last Saturday.


He isn't exactly your typical wide receiver. Heck, he doesn't even look like a football player. He is 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds - generously. But what he has done so far this season, however, can make all the unbelievers believe.

Sophomore wide receiver Brad Brennan has shown that it isn't all about size and strength. His 11 catches are second-best on the team. His 201 yards are the most of any Arizona wideout, as are his two touchdowns. Brennan also has the longest reception so far this year for the Wildcats, a 47-yard grab against OSU.

"He is a lot more talented than people think," UA head coach Dick Tomey said. "He is a slippery rascal. He is one of those guys that you look at and think, he probably can't play size-wise, but he has done a good job."

Not bad for a former true freshman walk-on that did not receive a scholarship until the last day of Camp Cochise this fall. The entire team dogpiled on top of him when Tomey made the announcement - which Brennan recalls as his happiest moment at Arizona.

Brennan, however, still feels he has something to prove.

"Yeah, I think (that I have something to prove)," Brennan said. "Because of my size most people don't look at me as a Division I receiver. I want to prove that they're wrong."

So, what has moved a waterboy look-a-like to third on the wide receiver depth chart? Speed and hands for starters.

"He is very quick," Tomey said.

"The thing about the wide receiver position is that it is not about size and speed, but the ability to break away from a defender and catch the ball," redshirt freshman quarterback Ortege Jenkins said. "Brennan has the softest hands on the team."

His soft hands helped him achieve a career day against Ohio State on national television. Brennan finished the day with six catches for 106 yards and one touchdown.

In the season opener against Oregon, Brennan pulled in four catches, including a heads-up deflected pass grab for the Wildcat's lone touchdown and the first of his career.

Brennan has come a long way since his freshman season, which saw him do some spot work but had few balls thrown his way. His 1996 season totals: one catch for 11 yards, which happened to come in the last game of the season.

"Brennan was suppose to be a guy who is slow and easy to bring down," Tomey said. "He's none of those things."

Brennan had scholarship offers from some small schools, but that wasn't good enough. Being at Arizona has given Brennan a chance to prove to himself and the world that he belongs at a Division I school.

"Division II? Think about it. I had some offers from some I-AA schools back east, but I wanted to play Division I.

"If I hadn't, I would have always wondered if I ever could have played at Division I."

With some significant playing time, Brennan has showed that he is the real deal.

"It's just getting an opportunity to play," Brennan said. "The coaches had some interest in what I'd been doing, and they gave me the chance to show it off. It's all about getting your foot in the door."


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