Nothing that happens on the field Saturday likely will change the friendship between Utah offensive coordinator Troy Taylor and Jake Browning. Yes, despite a nearly 30-year age difference, Taylor considers Browning a friend and even likened him to a member of his family.
Browning also happens to be the starting quarterback for No. 16 University of Washington, the Utes’ next opponent.
Utah goes into Husky Stadium looking for a win to clinch bowl eligibility, and the Huskies need to bounce back after suffering their second loss of the season last weekend. A second consecutive Pac-12 Conference championship remains a possibility for Browning and the Huskies, while Taylor could use a signature performance from his offense in his first season as the quarterbacks coach and play-caller.
Their relationship started off as coach-quarterback when Browning, now in his third season as the Huskies’ starter, came to Taylor’s passing academy for instruction as a youth player in California. Browning later gained national attention as a record-setting passer at Folsom High School where Taylor, a quarterback at the University of California in the late 1980s and former NFL Draft pick, gained notoriety as an offensive mastermind and Folsom’s co-coach.
“He was really good, and he was one of those kids where every bit of his spare time was spent with me in my office watching tape,” Taylor said. “Every lunch you think a kid like him with his notoriety might be out hanging out, talking to girls and stuff — never. He always came in and worked on football. We would have our Sunday meetings as coaches and work on the plan. He was there every single Sunday for five, six hours watching tape. He’s a really different kid.”
Neither Browning nor Taylor had any idea that their success together would lead them each to prominent positions in the Pac-12 and pit them against one another. Despite standing in each other’s way this week, Taylor said he planned to speak to Browning via phone this week.
“He’s somebody I think can do some special things at Utah. I kind of feel weird because I hope he doesn’t,” ” Browning said with a laugh about Taylor during Pac-12 media days in July. “Then again, I hope he does because it’s a guy who has done so much for me and my career.”
Taylor first worked with Browning when he was around 10 years old. Browning grew up playing in the local youth program and watching Folsom’s teams put up gaudy statistics. Taylor served as the local quarterback guru, coaching children of various ages.
Browning wasn’t preordained as the starter when he reached the varsity team at Folsom.
“Everybody thought this kid that was going to be a senior was going to be the starter,” Taylor said. “He had a full beard, could throw the ball 75 yards and when you walked out on the field he was the first one that you saw.”
Browning, who had not quite grown into his body, was easy to overlook. However, the two quarterbacks were dead even after preseason. The coaches decided to start Browning in the opener, but both guys were going to play in the game. Well, until the senior quit in the days leading up to the game.
Browning threw 10 touchdown passes in his first start to set a state record at the time. What Taylor remembers most is Browning’s demeanor on the sideline. The 15-year-old kid in his first game was so nonchalant that you couldn’t tell if he’d thrown one touchdown or five interceptions.
“So I’m thinking this is a different cat,” Taylor said.
Utah OC Troy Taylor on facing the QB he coached in high school, Washington’s Jake Browning, this weekend in Seattle. pic.twitter.com/T8HNNbis0l
— Salt Lake Tribune Sports (@sltribsports) November 15, 2017
The moment that eliminated any doubts Taylor had about Browning’s aptitude for the game came one week later.
UTAH AT WASHINGTON <br>When • 8:30 p.m. MST Saturday <br>TV • ESPN
With Folsom on the 3-yard line, Taylor called a play for Browning to throw to a receiver cutting across the middle of the end zone. Browning instead threw away the ball, and Taylor called him out on it when he came to the sideline.
Browning went into an incredibly detailed explanation of the receiver adjusting his route to avoid the umpire and running into the path of an outside linebacker, a safety moving late to cut off a dig route in the end zone and pressure closing in on him from the left side — all which forced him to throw the ball out of bounds.
Taylor thought at the time that the kid was bluffing so hard it was coming out his ears.
“I’m like, ‘I know what I saw,’” Taylor said. “I just kind of bit my tongue. I always watch the game that night. So I go home and I watch, and it was like a photographic memory. It was unbelievable. Everything that he described to the detail of umpire and where the defender was. That’s when I’m like this guy is really special because not many people in the world see the game like that. I never did, I mean that kind of detail and clarity.”
Browning won Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year last year. He led the Huskies to a program record for scoring and became one of three players in conference history to throw 40 touchdown passes in a season.
Taylor’s familiarity with Browning figures to play no factor in the Utes’ game planning.
“There’s enough of a body of work with Jake at Washington — this is his third year as the starter — that that doesn’t really enter into play,” Utes coach Kyle Whittingham said. “What you see on tape is what you need to defense. We know Jake. He’s a very good quarterback. He’s very poised. He does a lot of good things.”
FOLSOM CONNECTION <br>Troy Taylor <br>• Co-coach at Folsom from 2002-04 and 2012-15 <br>Jake Browning <br>• Varsity quarterback from 2012-14 <br>Combined success <br>• 2012 and 2013 Delta River League champions <br>• 2014 Sierra Foothill League champions <br>• 2012, 2013 and 2014 Sac-Joaquin Section champions <br>• 2014 Nor-Cal Division 1 champions <br>• 2014 California state champions <br>Dynamic duo • Browning graduated early from Folsom to enroll at Washington and left Folsom having set national records for touchdown passes in a season as a senior (91) as well as career touchdown passes (229). He completed 69.7 percent of his passes and threw for 16,775 yards. … Browning set California state records for completions, attempts and passing yards in a career in just three seasons. He became the first high school player to throw for 60 touchdowns and 5,000 yards in three consecutive seasons and set the state’s single-season record for passing yards as a senior (5,790). … The Bulldogs outscored opponents 915 to 166 en route to the 2014 state title. … Browning’s list of accolades included Parade All-America, USA Today All-USA, MaxPreps.com first-team all-America, California Division I Player of the Year and California’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014.