Redshirt junior Kevin Prince and junior Richard Brehaut have danced around the empty seat for about two years and three weeks. But for the first time with both healthy, Brehaut is the winner of this week’s game of musical chairs for the starting quarterback spot.
“I feel like this is where I belong,” Brehaut said after running with the ones Tuesday at practice. “I feel like I’m ready for this, and I’ve been waiting for this opportunity since I stepped on campus.”
Practicing with the starters is nothing new to the junior, who has made eight career starts, but Brehaut has never had to do it with Prince lurking behind.
Prince’s injuries have never stopped Neuheisel from playing him over Brehaut in the past. Despite hurting his knee and missing a start last year (Brehaut replaced him), Neuheisel threw Prince back out there for a blowout loss at California before shutting him down for the season.
Those same characters have followed a similar script this year. A banged up Prince, who hurt his throwing shoulder at Houston, was held out of a close win over San Jose State as Neuheisel let Brehaut lead the offense. Prince resumed starting last weekend against Texas, only to give the ball to the Longhorns three times and give the starting spot back to Brehaut, who gets to keep it for at least another week.
“I’m ready to be the guy that takes this team and does what no one thinks we can do,” Brehaut said.
That entails assuming a bigger role as a leader.
“We had a talk with some of the guys on offense this morning … (and) we decided that leadership is plural for us and it’s going to take all of us to take charge of our group so we don’t have any bad practices, because we can’t afford those,” Brehaut said.
Conference stands pat
Multiple weeks of chatter around a proposed move by Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to the Pac-12 had the college sports world bracing for its first “super-conference.”
That was until Larry Scott killed the proposed expansion plan Tuesday night.
“After careful review we have determined that it is in the best interests of our member institutions, student-athletes and fans to remain a 12-team conference,” Scott said in a statement. “While we have great respect for all of the institutions that have contacted us, and certain expansion proposals were financially attractive, we have a strong conference structure and culture of equality that we are committed to preserve.
Multiple teams across the country were reportedly bracing themselves for major conference shuffling in case the “Pac-16″ domino were to fall.
But Scott chose to keep the Pac-12’s current model, which includes a newly hammered-out television deal worth $2.7 billion over 12 years, money that will be split among the 12 schools.
“With new landmark TV agreements and plans to launch our innovative television networks, we are going to focus solely on these great assets, our strong heritage and the bright future in front of us,” Scott said.