New Washington State coach Mike Leach’s drawn-out search for a defensive coordinator concluded over the weekend with the hiring of veteran defensive coordinator Mike Breske.
The hiring of Breske, who spent the past two seasons at Montana, was confirmed by multiple sources. The Cougars have yet to officially announce the hiring of any assistants, although most or all of the coaches have been identified in the media.
Breske, a standout cornerback at South Dakota State, has coached since 1981 and served as a defensive coordinator since 1983. Breske’s defenses are known for blitzing, and he has been successful using three- and four-man fronts.
Breske spent six seasons at the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly NCAA Division I-A) level at Wyoming, where he was defensive coordinator, secondary coach and assistant head coach from 2003-08. The 2006 Cowboys ranked ninth in the nation in defense, allowing 262.9 yards per game.
Breske also coached a top-10 defense (289.8) in 2010 at Montana. The Grizzlies, a traditional Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) power, ranked 26th this season at 327.1 yards per game and reached the FCS semifinals.
Breske, who also coached at Montana from 2000-02, was on the staff of national championship teams at Montana in 2001 and at then-Division II Northern Colorado in 1996 and ’97.
Breske, who spent 13 years at Northern Colorado and three seasons at Montana during a previous stint, interviewed for the Northern Colorado head coaching job last winter. He coached at North Dakota State in 2009, so WSU will be his fourth school in five years.
Leach’s staff may be complete, but there have been unconfirmed reports that would-be linebackers coach Mike Smith (a coaching intern with the NFL’s New York Jets) decided not to join Washington State. Smith played for Leach at Texas Tech.
HONEY BADGER LORE
Honey Badger don’t care.
Randall does. He’ll be cheering for LSU in the BCS championship game.
A self-described nature enthusiast who only gives his first name, Randall told The Associated Press on Sunday that he’s picking the top-ranked Tigers and their All-American cornerback and returner, Tyrann Mathieu — the guy who’s been nicknamed the “Honey Badger” for his fearless play.
“Jumping and leaping and doing the things he does, it’s crazeee!” Randall said in a telephone interview from his Southern California home, sounding just as excited and awestruck as he does in his famous video. “He just plays with such heart and such vigor. It’s just very exciting. To me, that embodies the honey badger. He just takes whatever he wants and nothing is going to stop him.”
Randall, of course, became a viral Internet sensation with his hilarious narration of a staid nature video showing the honey badger, an African creature once described by the Guinness Book of Records as the fiercest animal in the world.
The video has received more than 31 million hits on YouTube and sparked a cottage industry that includes T-shirts, a television commercial and a book coming out Jan. 24, “Honey Badger Don’t Care,” Randall’s guide to 10 of the craziest, nastiest animals in the wild.
Mathieu is 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, a Heisman finalist as a sophomore and a star for the Tigers on both defense and special teams. He scored four touchdowns this season and created havoc all over the field. Just like a honey badger might do, if the little creature knew how to return punts instead of chasing jackals and fighting cobras.
Early on, Mathieu wasn’t exactly thrilled about his new nickname. But he came to embrace it when both he and his namesake emerged as national sensations.
“I have never seen anyone in any sport who has dominated to the point he has,” Randall said. “He is very worthy of that nickname. He really just does whatever he wants. It’s crazeee!”
PENN STATE QB READY
A smiling Matt McGloin’s eyes lit up when he was asked about new Penn State coach Bill O’Brien’s star pupil at his other job.
After finishing up his duties as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach of the New England Patriots through the NFL postseason, O’Brien will leave Tom Brady, and join McGloin full-time in Happy Valley.
O’Brien’s second day as the Penn State team’s leader included a standing ovation after being introduced at a basketball game, and his first meeting with McGloin and his new players.
So, it’s now time for McGloin, the starting quarterback, to start studying up on film of Brady, the Patriots’ standout signal-caller.
“That’s it right there. That’s enough. … It couldn’t get any better,” McGloin said when asked how much it would help to be coached by someone who tutored Brady.
What else did McGloin like about the New England offense? “I don’t know, that Brady threw for like 5,000 yards,” McGloin said with a chuckle.
Correspondent Howie Stalwick contributed to this report.
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