FOOTBALL
"Not being out there has shown me how much the game means to me. "It has shown me how much I want be back out there.'' UW's first-year offensive coordinator, Matt Canada, has put his own stamp on the offense, however subtle; and the timing couldn't have been more favorable for Phillips. "This is the kind of system that I ran in high
school so I'm more confident with it,'' he said. "It's about getting the ball out quick — quick passes — taking what the defense gives you. I like it a lot. "In the past we've tried with our play-action
to really push the ball downfield. Right now, if they're playing off somebody we're going to get them the ball and let them run. "We have gifted running backs and we want to
get more of them on the field. Montee (Ball) is the household name, but the other guys need to be incorporated into the offense as well.'' Phillips completed his undergraduate degree in December. He's now working on his master's with the goal of going to optometry school. If ev- erything falls into place, he will have two years of eligibility remaining since he most likely will qualify for a sixth year by NCAA standards. "Since I've been here, the quarterbacks have
always gotten along pretty well; that has been special,'' Phillips said. "Obviously it's frustrating not having Jon with us. We wish that he would be.
"At the same time, it's a great opportunity for these young guys (Brennan and Stave) who would have normally been splitting reps be- tween four or five guys. Now there are just two of them.
"It has been fun just seeing how they've pro- gressed over spring ball.''
THE BACKUP As Russell Wilson's understudy, Brennan ap- peared in six games. His last appearance — on
28 » VARSITY FEBRUARY 9, 2012
"Being a backup, you're allowed to observe a lot of things,'' Brennan said. "Coach (Paul) Chryst de- manded a lot from the quarterback position. Each day you had to be mentally prepared."
