As tropical vacations go, Colt Brennan is having one heck of a college football career.
The Southern California kid is hanging around Honolulu these days, trying to get to the beach as often as possible and, in between, playing some quarterback for the University of Hawaii.
That means running Coach June Jones' warp-speed offense, flinging passes as casually as Frisbees on the sand. It also means grabbing attention for himself at the western fringe of the game.
With Brennan leading the nation in several offensive categories, the Rainbow Warriors are 8-2 and have accepted an invitation to the Hawaii Bowl, where they will play the No. 6 team from the Pacific 10 Conference on Christmas Eve.
Things are going so well, the quarterback sounds almost like a tourist.
"It's unbelievable how much fun we're having," he said.
His opponents in the Western Athletic Conference aren't nearly as thrilled. San Jose State Coach Dick Tomey, whose team plays Hawaii on Saturday, mused: "Their offense is just a machine."
At Utah State, a 63-10 victim earlier this season, Coach Brent Guy calls Brennan the main cog.
"Colt does such a good job of getting rid of the ball and not throwing bad passes," Guy said. "He just doesn't force the ball in there."
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound junior says that he deserves some success, given the turbulent path that led him to the islands.
The hard knocks began at Mater Dei High, where Brennan spent time backing up the older Matt Leinart before earning a starting role.
"Watching Matt, he had this picturesque career, growing up in Orange County, getting a full ride to USC," Brennan said. "I was more up and down."
With scant interest from college recruiters, he played a season at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts, then went to Colorado as a walk-on. His problems worsened.
In early 2004, Brennan was arrested for drunkenly entering a female student's room, allegedly exposing himself and fondling her. He was acquitted of several charges but found guilty of first-degree criminal trespass and second-degree burglary.
The court sentenced him to seven days in jail and four years' probation.
Brennan acknowledged his mistake, but resented the way prosecutors and the media treated him. He went looking for a way to "get my life to where it needed to be."
