Cougs on the Brink

PULLMAN – The list is impressive, if not mind-boggling.

Career passing yards. Pass attempts. Completions. Touchdowns. Games with a touchdown pass. Multiple touchdowns passes in a game. Net yards career. Total plays. Touchdowns responsible for.

Almost every career record a college quarterback can hold for his school.

By the end of the season, those lists in the Washington State record book should all be topped with Alex Brink’s name.

The same Brink booed two years ago. The same Brink who many Cougars fans wanted benched last year in favor of Gary Rogers.

The same Brink who doesn’t give a rip about a) the records and b) what those outside the program think of him.

“I’ve resigned myself to that,” said quarterback coach Timm Rosenbach, talking about Brink’s lack of love by WSU fans. “The reason for that is because I’ve watched him as a young man over the last few years and I’ve seen him handle the whole situation.

“It doesn’t bother Alex Brink. And that’s because he chooses to not let it bother him. … So why should it bother me?”

Ask about his lackluster standing among the fans and Brink mentions WSU’s won-loss record (the Cougs are 12-16 in Brink’s 28 starts over the past three years including 1-8 against ranked teams) and the lack of a bowl game since he’s been the quarterback.

But like he does to a blitzing backer, Brink sidesteps the attack and keeps his eyes downfield, toward success. And how he’ll lead the Cougars to a winning season.

He breaks the formula down into two areas.

“From a quarterback side of things, it’s important that I be more accurate this year, more accurate than I’ve ever been,” he said, not satisfied with being the third-most accurate thrower in WSU history. “That’s a focus thing, that’s a technical thing and those are things I’ve worked on over the summer and in fall camp to make sure I am more accurate.

“From like a leadership side, being a leader on and off the field, having that swagger and confidence that guys can look to and be ‘all right, we’re going to win this game,’ (because) they looked at me and see he’s ready to win. That’s what we need, that’s how we’re going to get to a bowl game, sure we have to play well, but we’ll get there by having that swagger, having that confidence.”

Besides all the success Brink has had that can be quantified – again, see the Cougars record book – there are other areas in which Rosenbach has confidence in Brink.

“As a quarterback coach, when you watch guys play a lot of times, depending on their level of experience,” Rosenbach said, “when the play is called, I know where the ball is going to go. With Alex, I know where the ball is going to go. More times than not, way on the heavy side of more times, what he’s going to do.

“Now he may do something, or change something, that we may not have given him. But it’s for a reason and when he does that, it’s for the right reason. Those are the things you look for in an experienced quarterback.”

That’s because Brink has taken Rosenbach’s advice.

“Rosey always says have a plan and a backup plan,” Brink said, “and that plan starts before you get up to the line. One of my strengths is the presnap read, so hopefully, before the play even starts I should know where the ball is going and then the ball gets out quick.

“If something breaks down, I have to know what everyone else has, what other things I can do, so, yeah, there is a lot of pressure on the quarterback position to make the right decision.”

As durable as Brink has been, and he hasn’t missed many snaps over the past two-plus years because of dings or dents, WSU has to be prepared for all contingencies. That’s where Rogers and, to a lesser degree, Cole Morgan come in. They are Nos. 2 and 3 on the depth chart.

Rogers, who had an outstanding fall camp last year, isn’t wowing anyone with his play this autumn.

“(We’re) trying to get Gary to come along and be consistent, but he’s struggled at times and he knows that,” Rosenbach said, before citing Rogers’ performance in the most recent scrimmage, in which Rogers completed 1 of 8 passes with an interception. “That’s a focus thing. It’s not that he’s not capable, it’s he’s got to get himself ready to play day in and day out.”

Position outlook

Brink has just about done it all at WSU – except lead the Cougars to a bowl game. Though that’s his goal in his final season, he knows he can’t do it all himself.

Rogers has struggled, but he proved to be a decent No. 2 last season, with sophomore Cole Morgan third.