ASHLAND — Austin Brenner wasn’t sure if he would ever play football again and Ashland’s sixth-year quarterback wasn’t alone.
A lot of people thought Brenner’s career ended on that night last October.
That Brenner will be under center when the Eagles open the season against 10th-ranked Notre Dame on Thursday night is a testament to his perseverance and unwavering faith.
“In terms of whether I was going to come back following the injury, those first couple of weeks I was definitely unsure,” Brenner said. “There was a lot of fear … a lot of doubt about the whole recovery process. Coming back, stepping on the field again, all those kinds of things.
“It really came down to just a lot of prayer, and just ultimately, the Lord put a peace in my heart that I should be back in Ashland. I’m super pumped about that now.”
Before his season came to a premature end last fall, Brenner was one of the top quarterbacks in all of Division II football. He was ranked in the top 10 in just about every meaningful statistical category and was the reigning two-time Great Midwest Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
It all came crashing down in an instant.
The Eagles and Ohio Dominican were tied 7-7 late in the first quarter at Jack Miller Stadium on Oct. 9 when Brenner was flushed from the pocket on third down. He was dragged down by ODU defensive end Eddie Miller-Garrett, who landed on Brenner’s lower body. Brenner was taken from the field on a stretcher, an air cast stabilizing his injured right leg — an open fracture with a broken tibia and fibula.
“I’ve done this for a long time and I’ve seen injuries. It’s one of the worst parts of this game,” a shaken AU coach Lee Owens said later that night. “I don’t know if I’ve ever felt one or had one hurt as badly as this one did.
“The reason we’re in this game is to be around guys like Austin Brenner.”
Months of rehab followed. Brenner slowly worked his way back and can’t wait to resume his career Thursday evening.
“I feel back to where I was prior to the injury last year,” Brenner said. “In terms of my recovery, I’ve been super thankful that from October when it happened to this point, I feel like there really haven’t been too many hiccups on the road.
“With that comes confidence that we have a great start to the season against Notre Dame.”
The Eagles, who were 5-5 last fall, will look to avenge last season’s 42-35 season-opening overtime loss at Notre Dame. Brenner was 22-for-36 for 352 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 89 yards and two scores in the loss.
“It’s always tough when you start a season against a top-10 team. We’ve done it before. You have to come out of camp ready to play,” Owens said. “Fortunately, we have a veteran group, and I think we’re going to be able to do that.”
