Coach Ed Zaunbrecher was on the opposite side of the field lastSaturday night when LSU took on the Florida Gators, but he still isknown for his great talent he left while coaching in Louisiana.Zaunbrecher is now quarterback coach for the Gators. Before takingthe job, he spent several years at LSU and the University ofLouisiana — Monroe. He joined the Tigers coaching staff in1984 and coached many prominent players such as wide receiver andNFL draft choice Wendell Davis. LSU is not the only universitywhere Zaunbrecher had the privilege of coaching talented athletes.He coached New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington at MarshallUniversity before going to Florida. While at Florida he coached RexGrossman and the active sophomore Chris Leak. Zaunbrecher wasoffensive coordinator Leak’s freshman year when he brokenearly every freshman NCAA record for a quarterback. As a player,Zaunbrecher was a three year starter at Middle Tennessee State andreceived honors of Scholar Athlete Award and the 1972 post-graduateaward scholarship. We had the privilege of tracking CoachZaunbrecher down for this week’s Q & A.
 
Tabby Soignier: How do the Gators plan on responding to lastweek’s defeat?
Coach Ed Zaunbrecher: Every game is the same. The team has toforget about it and go on to the next one whether it was a win or aloss. We are working on Middle Tennessee this week, not LSU.
 
TS: Being the quarterback coach, what do you feel limited theFlorida offense on making big plays against LSU?
EZ: The LSU defense is very talented and played one of theirbetter games. We were not as efficient and precise as we wanted tobe so the combination caused the lack of big plays. They still havea great core of players from the national championship.
 
TS: When Florida comes to LSU, what is the most intimidatingfactor to you and the team?
EZ: We play in a lot of big, exciting stadiums including our ownso I don’t think our guys get intimidated. The atmosphere inTiger Stadium is great and I think our guys get excited playingthere.
 
TS: After spending some time coaching at LSU what would you sayis the biggest difference between LSU and Florida?
EZ: There are probably more similarities than differences. Iguess the biggest difference is in the fan base from my point ofview. I am related to a lot of the LSU fans. It has been a whilesince I was at LSU so I am sure it has changed some but was a placeI really enjoyed working.
 
TS: After coaching several years and at several differentschools, what do you consider your biggest accomplishment infootball?
EZ: I think the thing I enjoy the most is visiting with formerplayers from all over the country. Just about everywhere I go now Irun into familiar faces. Being part of an undefeated team was alsoa lot of fun.
 
TS: You have coached at LSU and the University of Louisiana atMonroe. What is one thing you miss most about Louisiana?
EZ: I miss seeing my family and friends….and of course thefood. Fortunately my wife has learned how to cook some things likegumbo and jambalaya very well.
 
TS: If Florida could pick only one team to beat this season,what team would be the sweetest victory?
EZ: Georgia is always a team we enjoy playing. The neutral sitemakes it even more fun. There are 40,000 people that are happyevery play since the stadium is split in half.
 
TS: When preparing for a team, do you focus on yourquarterback’s abilities or the opposing defense’sabilities?
EZ: A coach tries to use his knowledge of all of his players andnot just the QB. There is no use calling a route that cannot be runcorrectly by your players or cannot be protected. Each offense hasplays that they like best against certain defenses. These arecalled when they expect that defense during the game. Therefore itis a combination of the two.
 
TS: Was it harder to coach Chris Leak as a starting freshmanwith the maturity process not quite there yet as opposed to somequarterbacks who have a few years to adjust to college footballbefore starting?
EZ: Chris played very well last year for any age but especiallyfor a freshman. Most QB’s have the advantage of watching fora year or two before being in the situation of being the starter.It is by far the best way for a young guy to learn. The younger theplayer the less you ask them to do. Game plans are modified to suitwhat they know how to do best. I enjoyed very much seeing hisprogress against difficult odds. Yes, it was tough but verygratifying.
 
TS: After LSU’s national championship season last year,the team has experienced a lot of pressure and high expectations.Do you feel Florida had to go through the same thing after theSteve Spurrier era and if so how did the team overcome such?
EZ: Many major programs go through similar expectations. Peopleexpect their team to always play their best and to win by bigscores. It just does not work that way. Undefeated teams aregetting to be even more rare than they used to be. The differencebetween a top program and a good program is very small. A player ortwo, an injury or, even a bad bounce or a bad call affects so much.But that is the type of program most recruits and coaches want tobe in. You don’t really overcome something like the legacy ofSteve Spurrier. You just do what you can to help your team win.
 
TS: Who are you rooting for in the post season baseballplayoffs?
EZ: I got to go to a Red Sox game last year and would like tosee them do well since the Braves are out of it. The Astros vs. theRed Sox would be fun.