WSU announces Brink’s job

PULLMAN – Last season Alex Brink became the first Washington State University quarterback to win an Apple Cup since Ryan Leaf did so in 1997. This year it appears he might get another chance.

Brink, considered at first an unlikely winner of this fall’s quarterbacking duel with Josh Swogger, has earned the starting job, head coach Bill Doba said Tuesday.

“He’s made fewer mistakes. He’s moved the ball club pretty well in the overall preseason camp,” Doba said after a practice in which Brink took the first snap of just about every single drill. “He’s more aware of the offense, I think. Just little things. He’s throwing the ball on time. He played well last year and he’s improved. He’s improved his arm strength.”

Swogger, a junior this year, had started last season and went 3-3 as a starter before going down with a season-ending foot injury. Brink, now a sophomore, took over and went 2-3 down the stretch, including that Apple Cup victory.

This fall Swogger began camp as the No. 1 quarterback, as Doba has stated the job would not be lost because of injury. But discussion amongst the coaching staff following 16 practice sessions and three scrimmages led to the conclusion that Brink was the man for the job.

That decision was finalized late Tuesday morning, and the two quarterbacks were alerted before the afternoon practice.

“I think I’ve always been the underdog,” Brink said. “Like I said, that’s driven me to work harder in the weight room, off the field doing the things that the coaches asked.

“It was a real mental drain just to go through this whole thing the past couple of weeks. Really, since the end of the season we’ve been dealing with it. And it’s nice for it finally to come to an end, just in general.”

Both Brink and Swogger had shown signs of anxiousness and fatigue as the question over the starting job lingered through much of fall camp. Doba said he, too, was pleased to have a decision made with the team starting to eye Idaho in the season opener, just eight days away.

The head coach has also made no promises as to the long-term security of Brink’s job – especially with a backup in Swogger who has proven that he can win games.

“If (Brink) falls on his face, we’re lucky as heck to have a darn good guy right behind him. It’s a tough, tough decision,” Doba said. “I love Josh like a son and it’s hard to tell a guy that the other guy’s (it). But he’s a man, and he was very good with it. He’s still going to help this team and he’s still going to compete for that job.”

Swogger spoke to the media following practice and was remarkably good-natured about the personal setback.

“What do you guys want to talk about?” he asked jokingly as he approached the waiting notebooks and tape recorders. “It’s part of the sport and part of being a competitor. He just played better than me.

“The coaches have a job to do. They have to prepare for the season and put the best guy out there, and I think that’s what they did.”

Swogger missed all contact drills in spring practice recuperating from the foot injury, and he looked shaky at the beginning of camp, going 1 of 8 in the team’s first scrimmage. Recently, he had performed markedly better, but that wasn’t enough to hang onto his role under center.

“It would be nice to have the guy who’s the junior be the guy from an experience standpoint. Sometimes it doesn’t always work that way,” quarterbacks coach Timm Rosenbach said. “It’s been a battle. Alex has been consistent throughout, through the spring and the fall. Josh has begun to pick it up at the end of fall camp, probably just a little bit too late.”

Multiple players have said there had been some split in the locker room as to who would and should get the starting job, but all of them agreed that the team would have no problem getting behind Brink now that he is the starter. As a freshman last season, Brink completed 50 percent of his passes (97 of 194) for 1,305 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

With returning skill-position starters in running back Jerome Harrison, wideouts Jason Hill and Michael Bumpus, and tight end Troy Bienemann, it appears that either quarterback would have been set up for success.

“I’d obviously like to lead the team to a bowl game and have a winning season,” said Brink, who passed on spelling out any individual goals he has for the season.

Although Swogger is ostensibly still competing for a starting role with the Cougars as the season progresses, Brink said he feels no pressure with a backup that beat him out last fall for the same position.

“I feel like I’ve won the job and I’ve earned it,” he said. “I don’t feel like there’s any reason for me to look over my shoulder.”