GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM UH junior quarterback Colt Brennan is up for the Davey O'Brien and Walter Camp awards this week.

Jones: Brennan deserves N.Y. trip

The UH coach says he'd be "shocked" if his QB is not invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony

Conventional wisdom says Hawaii's loss to Oregon State completing the regular season last week also likely ends junior quarterback Colt Brennan's hopes for a seat as a Heisman Trophy finalist Saturday.

But no one has ever accused Warriors coach June Jones of believing the pack mentality.

"I think had we won the game he probably would've finished one, two or three. I still think he's going to get invited. I'd be shocked if he doesn't," Jones said at his weekly news conference yesterday. "I don't care what you say, there's no quarterback as talented and playing like he's playing."

None has had a better season statistically this fall. That's why Brennan leaves this afternoon for Orlando, Fla., to participate in ESPN's college football awards show on Thursday, accompanied by his parents, quarterback coach Dan Morrison, and UH media relations director Lois Manin. He's up for the Davey O'Brien Quarterback Award. Ohio State's Troy Smith and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn are the other finalists. Brennan is also a finalist for the Walter Camp Award that goes to the nation's top player, similar in qualifications to the Heisman.

Because Smith is probably a runaway Heisman winner, the Downtown Athletic Club might choose to bring just two others to the ceremony, diminishing Brennan's chances. He finds out tomorrow, after voting is completed at noon Hawaii time. (Star-Bulletin sports editor Paul Arnett e-mailed his ballot yesterday. It will be disclosed Sunday.)

Brennan -- named the Western Athletic Conference offensive player of the year yesterday -- has read and heard it all about how his stats (and UH's 10-3 record) are the product of feasting on bad WAC defenses and not considered Heisman-worthy by a lot of voters. It irks him a little, but he shakes it off.

"If you read the press, it seems like that's how they feel. Just because we had a lot of success this year, there's been a lot of criticism of how we got that success," Brennan said. "I don't get caught up in it. I'm just going out there to have fun and enjoy myself. I'm just going to enjoy the fact that I'm going to meet some cool guys and be at Disney World for a couple days and miss a couple days of school as well."

Brennan, who is in good academic standing, said he'll probably have to make up for an incomplete class since this is crunch time of the semester. It might be too late to make up for the incomplete pass on fourth down that would've kept the potential winning drive alive against the Beavers.

Jones hopes the voters who had Brennan penciled in are better than that. (And as he pointed out, most probably weren't watching the ESPN telecast by that point since it was after 3 a.m. on the East Coast.)

If they were watching earlier and are astute enough to understand why one of his passes was intercepted, it wasn't a reason to drop him from the ballot, Jones said.

"The first interception, the one in the end zone, after a 99-yard drive, I thought was his best play of the year," Jones said. "It's just unfortunate (receiver) Davone (Bess) stumbled coming out of the break. It would've hit him perfectly and only a few guys can make that throw.

"The ESPN announcers saw the same thing I did. They said that on ESPN," Jones added. "I think it's all positive. And I'll be disappointed if he doesn't get in."