Greeley – Dominic Breazeale was an unusually big freshman tight end in high school when he ran a hook route that forever changed his course.
Breazeale was overthrown by 15 yards and the ball rolled away from him. He retrieved the ball and threw it back, well behind the line of scrimmage.
He estimates his tight spiral went 70 yards.
“The quarterback coach said, ‘Hey, you want to play quarterback?”‘ Breazeale recalls. “I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll give it a try.”‘
At the time, the Alhambra (Calif.) High School player was 6-feet-1 and 185 pounds.
“I’ve grown a lot since then,” Breazeale said.
The Northern Colorado senior quarterback is listed at 6-6, 260 pounds, making him one of college football’s biggest signal-callers. Second-year coach Scott Downing signed the massive QB a little more than a year ago as a transfer from Mount San Antonio Junior College in Walnut, Calif.
“When he came in on his official visit, I said: ‘Are you sure we got the right guy? Isn’t this guy a left tackle?”‘ Downing said. “But then you see him throw once and you say, ‘This guy really has an arm.”‘
Breazeale’s size and arm strength, plus having a year under his belt at UNC, are the biggest positives for a team searching for success.
The Bears went 1-10 (0-8 Big Sky Conference) last year, when Breazeale emerged as the top quarterback on an offensively inept team. Breazeale passed for a team-leading 1,018 yards. Problem was, he completed a modest 57 percent of his throws (105-of-183) and only two touchdowns against nine interceptions.
UNC averaged just 11.7 points per game.
“We need a higher touchdown-to-interception ratio (and) we need some better decisions on offense,” Downing said. “Obviously, Dominic coming into his senior year, you’re expecting him to throw for a higher completion rate, but that’s a mixture, too, of him and the receivers being on the same page and feeling comfortable with each other.
“But with all his experience last year, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t more productive by just being out there.”
UNC’s receiving corps should be improved. Senior wideout Andy Birkel, a transfer from Nebraska, was redshirted last season with a knee injury. He caught 50 passes for 907 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2005.
Wide receiver Brian Barmann and tight end Clint Wright, both seniors, are among six returning offensive starters.
“The receiver corps is clicking, just clicking,” Breazeale said. “It’s something a quarterback dreams of.”
Particularly one who has found confidence in himself.
“A year ago I was more worried about the competition and the transition from junior college to Division I. It was a difficult move,” Breazeale said. “Now, it’s just about playing football, something I know how to do. I’m very confident.”
Breazeale is being urged to use his body to make plays. Downing finally saw his potential late last year.
“We always thought a big quarterback was a 6-4, 220-pound guy, but shoot, Dominic is dominant,” Downing said. “He can stand in there and take a shot, and when he decided to run last year he could run through people, over them.
“But when he first came in, everything was new to him. He was a plain, newborn rookie. At the end of the year he had a higher completion rate, better command of the huddle, and I really saw him step up in the spring and developing a relationship with his teammates.”
Staff writer Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
