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Gregg Brandon enters his first season as the offensive
coordinator/quarterback coach at New Mexico State. Brandon brings over 32 years
of experience to the Aggie coaching staff and a high-powered offense that has
guided teams from Wyoming and Bowling Green.
Brandon spent two seasons in the University of Wyoming Football
program, returning in 2011 to lead the Cowboy offense as offensive coordinator
and quarterbacks coach.
In the 2012,
under his guidance, the Wyoming offense finished the
season ranked 39th in the nation in passing offense and 70th
in total offense, gaining 390 yards per game.
Brandon’s quarterback at Wyoming, Brett Smith, finished the season
ranked 16th in total offense with 308 yards per game and he was also
ranked 11th in the nation in passing efficiency. Smith also threw 27 touchdowns during the
2012 season. Wyoming had four offensive
selections to the All-Mountain West team: center Nick Carlson, wide receiver
Chris McNeil, quarterback Brett Smith and wide receiver Robert Herron. He also coached offensive tackle Kyle
Magnuson to the Casino del Sol College All-Star game in Tucson, Ariz.
In his first year back at UW, the former Cowboy assistant coach
and former Bowling Green head coach mentored 2011 Mountain West Conference
Freshman of the Year Brett Smith at quarterback. Smith ranked No. 2 in the
Mountain West Conference and No. 33 in the nation in total offense and earned
First Team Freshman All-America honors from CollegeFootballNews.com.
With Brandon coordinating the Cowboy spread offense, the Pokes
ranked No. 33 in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 181.6 yards per game.
Wyoming also ranked No. 4 in the Mountain West in both rushing and passing
offense (206.8 yards per game). Brandon's 2011 offensive unit was extremely effective
at protecting the ball and limiting turnovers. UW's offense ranked No. 20 in
the nation in fewest fumbles lost (8) and No. 32 in the NCAA in fewest total
turnovers lost (19). He helped guide the Cowboys to the 2011 Gildan New Mexico
Bowl, which marked his 10th bowl appearance as a coach in his 30 years as a
college coach.
Brandon was the head coach at Bowling Green from 2003-08. During
that six-year span, he led the Falcons to three bowl appearances and four
winning seasons, including an 11-3 season in 2003, a 9-3 mark in 2004 and an
8-5 campaign in 2007. He won 60 percent of his games as a head coach, posting a
head-coaching record of 44-30 at BGSU. In four of his six seasons as head
coach, his teams averaged over 400 yards of total offense. Bowling Green
defeated Northwestern in the 2003 Motor City Bowl, defeated Memphis in the 2004
GMAC Bowl and played Tulsa in the 2007 GMAC Bowl.
The Falcons also earned a berth in the 2003 Mid-American
Conference Championship game. His teams at Bowling Green recorded impressive
non-conference wins: at Purdue (27-26 in 2003); at Minnesota (32-31 in 2007)
and at Pittsburgh (27-17 in 2008). Bowling Green had 33 All-MAC selections and
one MAC Player of the Year (Omar Jacobs in 2004) during Brandon's time at BGSU.
Brandon's 2004 Falcon team set school and Mid-American Conference
records for total offense (averaging 506.3 yards per game to rank No. 2 in the
country) and scoring offense (averaging 44.3 points per game to rank No. 4 in
the NCAA). That 2004 squad also averaged 338.3 passing yards per game to rank
No. 3 in the nation, and had a pass efficiency rating of 165.5, ranking No. 4
in the country. His sophomore quarterback,Omar Jacobs, earned All-America
honors, led the nation in touchdown passes with 41 and set an NCAA record for
touchdown to interception ratio, throwing only four interceptions compared to
his 41 TD passes during the `04 season. Bowling Green defeated Memphis, 52-35,
in the 2004 GMAC Bowl.
In his first season as a head coach in 2003, Brandon guided the
Falcons to a No. 23 national ranking in both the final Associated Press Poll
and USA Today Coaches' Poll. Bowling Green was also ranked No. 24 in the 2003
final BCS standings, and was ranked for a school record eight consecutive
weeks. The Falcons captured the Mid-American Conference West Division. BGSU's
2003 offense averaged 496.7 yards of total offense per game to rank No. 3 in
the nation, 300.4 passing yards to rank No. 9 in the NCAA and 33.6 points per
game to rank No. 20. Bowling Green concluded the season with a 28-24 win over
Northwestern in the Motor City Bowl.
He was originally hired as Assistant Head Coach and Offensive
Coordinator at Bowling Green in 2001 by Urban Meyer. In his two years in that
position, he helped the Falcons post a combined 17-6 (.739) record. His 2002
offense ranked No. 3 in the NCAA in scoring offense (40.8 points per game), No.
8 in total offense (448.9 yards per game) and 15th in rushing (219.1 yards per
game). BGSU broke 17 school records and seven MAC records that season.
From 1987-90, Brandon was the wide receivers' coach at Wyoming
under head coach Paul Roach. During that four-year span, Wyoming won
back-to-back Western Athletic Conference Championships in 1987 and `88 and went
undefeated in conference play both years. The Cowboys appeared in the 1987 and
1988 Holiday Bowls. In 1990, UW earned an appearance in the Copper Bowl.
Wyoming's combined record during Brandon's time as an assistant was 35-15-0 for
a winning percentage of .700, and included records of 10-3 in 1987, 11-2 in
1988 and 9-4 in 1990.
After coaching at UW, Brandon was an assistant coach at Utah State
(1991), Northwestern (1992-98), Colorado (1999-2000) and Bowling Green
(2001-02), before serving as the head coach at Bowling Green (2003-08). In
2009, he was the offensive coordinator at Virginia, and in 2010 he was on the
coaching staff of the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League
(UFL).
During his college career, he has helped lead nine teams to bowl
appearances, including an appearance in the Rose Bowl at the conclusion of the
1995 season while coaching at Northwestern. Northwestern won the Big Ten title
outright in 1995, and tied for the conference championship in 1996.
A native of Colorado Springs, Colo., he played his first year
(1974) of college football at Mesa State in Grand Junction, Colo., before
transferring to Northern Colorado where he played his final three seasons
(1975-77) as a defensive back and wide receiver. He graduated from UNC in 1978
with a bachelor's degree in education.
He and his wife, Robyn, have two sons, Nick and Tim.
Coaching Experience
Years at NM State: 1st
Years as a College Coach: 31st
Personal
Wife:
Robyn
Children:
Nick and Tim
Education
Northern Colorado ‘78 Bachelor’s in Education
Playing Experience
Northern Colorado Defensive Back/WR, 1975-77
Mesa State Defensive Back/WR, 1974
Year-by-Year Coaching History
2011-12: Wyoming Offensive Coordinator
2010: Las Vegas (UFL) Tight Ends
2009: Virginia Offensive Coordinator
2003-08: Bowling Green Head Coach
2001-02: Bowling Green Asst. Head Coach/Off. Coord.
2000: Colorado Passing Game Coordinator
1999: Colorado Receivers
1997-98: Northwestern Receivers/Recruiting Coord.
1992-96: Northwestern Receivers
1991: Utah State Linebackers
1987-90: Wyoming Receivers
1981-86: Weber State Tight Ends/Special Teams
Postseason Coaching Experience
2011 - Wyoming - Gildan New Mexico Bowl
2007 - Bowling Green - GMAC Bowl
2004 - Bowling Green - GMAC Bowl
2003 - Bowling Green - Motor City Bowl
1999 - Colorado - Insight.com Bowl
1997 - Northwestern - Citrus Bowl
1996 - Northwestern -Rose Bowl
1990 - Wyoming - Copper Bowl
1988 - Wyoming
- Holiday Bowl
1987 - Wyoming - Holiday Bowl
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