FRIENDLY COMPETITORS

Published 11:29 pm Wednesday, August 29, 2007

SEATTLE They walk in and out of film sessions and meals, conversing and joking around like a pair of typical college kids.

If the four-year age difference doesn’t cause any awkwardness between Jake Locker and Carl Bonnell, then their situation surely must.

Locker, the 19-year-old sophomore who has yet to play a down of college football, was named Washington’s starting quarterback before the start of spring practice.

And just like that, Bonnell, who started the last five games of the 2006 season, had lost his job to some punk teenager.

Well OK, punk teenager might be a stretchor an outright fabricationwhen talking about Locker, for whom the phrase “too good to be true” seems to have been invented.

Even so, no matter how likeable the much-hyped Locker may be, it can’t be easy knowing you’ll likely spend more of your final season on the sideline than on the field.

“It’s hard on one hand, but at the same time it’s easy,” said Bonnell. “Jake is a great competitor. I respect him a ton for his athletic ability, but he’s also a great guy. It makes the film room and the off the field stuff really easy. It’s comfortable to be around him and compete with him.”

That’s not an easy attitude to have. Don’t forget, college football was the sport that brought us one teammate stabbing another, reportedly in an attempt to take over a starting position.

And those were punters for goodness sake.

Even though most Husky fans figured Bonnell was just keeping the seat warm, so to speak, he certainly plans on pushing Locker every week in practice.

“Competing is something that comes naturally to me so I’m going to go out there every day and compete,” Bonnell said. “Even if I was the starter, I’d be pushing myself to the limit. Hopefully that level of competition will push him to be better, and if not I’ll be ready to play. A backup always has to be ready, as we’ve learned the last couple of years.”

From Locker’s standpoint, the relationship between the two quarterbacks has been nothing but positive. “We have a great relationship,” he said. “We both understand that we don’t control the depth chart. We go out and play as well as we can and it’s ultimately the coaches’ decision. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t get along. He’s a great guy and I really enjoy being able to spend time with him.”

Huskies graduate assistant Luke Huard, who has worked closely with Locker and Bonnell during fall camp, has lived through quarterback battles before. He went to North Carolina as a highly-touted quarterback recruit out of Puyallup High School, only to later learn that another star recruit, Ronald Curry, would be joining him in Chapel Hill. The two got along, he said, and rooted for each other to succeed, but didn’t possess the chemistry that Bonnell and Locker have.

“Ronald and I, we got along, we had respect for each other, but we definitely weren’t as tight,” said Huard, the younger brother of former Huskies quarterbacks Damon and Brock. “We didn’t work as closely together as Carl and Jake do. There is absolutely zero animosity between them. Those two guys are in it together… They are the epitome of what team is all about.”

Bonnell and Locker coexisting so well doesn’t just make things more comfortable at practice. It could play a big part in Washington’s success, as it gives Locker the luxury of an experienced senior dispensing advice as he adjusts to his first season of college football.

“One of the most helpful things that he can give me is his experiences that he has in games, because I’ve never taken a snap in a college football game yet,” Locker said. “What he’s gone through and what the experience is like, just hearing about it from him, and getting his point of view is something that helps me quite a bit.”

The learning isn’t all one sided either. Bonnell has come into camp stronger than in years past, something coaches say happened in part from hanging around Locker, who is known as one of the team’s hardest workers.

“Carl has done a lot to help him and I know Jake has learned a lot from him,” said Tim Lappano, Washington’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. “In return Carl has learned a lot from Jake about the weight room and keeping your body in tip top shape and that kind of stuff. They’re good together.”

Not content to be a backup, but happy to help a teammate and friend, Bonnell will do whatever he can to help make his senior year a winning one.

At some point before Friday’s season opener at Syracuse, Bonnell will pull Locker aside and give him the best advice he can. The senior backup will tell the teenage starter to stay relaxed and have fun, which, in all likelihood, is better for the team than stabbing him in the leg.