Willingham won’t rule out playing Locker at safety

Published 11:07 pm Monday, September 29, 2008

SEATTLE — What was assumed on Saturday night became official Monday.

Jake Locker will not be the Huskies quarterback anytime soon.

Locker, who fractured the first metacarpal in his throwing hand, had surgery on the thumb injury Monday morning, and is expected to be out six to eight weeks recovering from the injury.

Ronnie Fouch, a redshirt freshman from Redlands, Calif., will take over the starting role in Locker’s absence.

“Obviously I think it’s a huge loss because he adds so much to our team in so many ways,” Washington coach Tyrone Willingham said. “His presence, his running skills, what he’s done for us in the passing game. So I think it is a loss.

“But I also am very confident in Ronnie Fouch, and I think we’ve been saying that since last spring that we like a lot of things about Ronnie Fouch and it’s just a matter of time to try to get him some plays so that he can show what he can do. And I think he stepped in and he was very cool, he was very composed and he has the respect of his teammates. Those are strong qualities to bring into the game.”

Locker will not be able play quarterback for two months or so, but Willingham did not rule out the possibility that Locker could be back sooner at another position. Locker, an All-State safety at Ferndale High School, was said to have been talking with coaches on Saturday about the possibility of playing another position.

“It is possible,” Willingham said. “I couldn’t tell you where right now, but I think I said and others have said that he is a tremendous athlete with the ability to play five, six, seven positions.”

Willingham was asked if he would worry about exposing Locker to injury if he were to play another position.

“You always run that risk,” he said. “The play that he got hurt on was an extra-effort play that really didn’t contact anybody other than the ground. So that risk is always there. But this is a young man — very much like a lot of young men that we have on our football team — who wants to win. And he’ll be willing to do anything that will help the football team win.”

With Fouch, more of a traditional drop-back passer, now in control of the offense, the Huskies will have to adjust their offense accordingly. Washington won’t, however, expect less productivity out of the offense.

“We have to make some adjustments to counter that loss in certain areas, especially our run game,” Willingham said. “But, no, we don’t change our expectations. We still think we still have some guys that can play and be very successful in what they do.”

Fouch, who has seen action in three of Washington’s four games, has completed 53.2 percent of his passes for 325 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. On Saturday, he’ll be making his first start in place of Washington’s injured leader.

“It’s a tough loss, but we can’t give up now,” Fouch said. “We’ve only played four games. We’ve got a long season ahead of us still, so we’ve got to keep moving forward, and our main focus right now is Arizona, and I’ve got to do whatever I can to get the ball in our playmakers’ hands and produce and put points on the board. So I’m just trying to get focused and ready to go against Arizona.”

Other injuries: Locker’s injury is getting the most attention this week, but he was by no means the only impact player to suffer an injury Saturday.

Leading receiver D’Andre Goodwin suffered a rib injury late in the game. X-rays came back negative, but Goodwin’s status for this weekend’s game was still unknown as of Monday. If Goodwin is unable to play, offensive coordinator Tim Lappano indicated Saturday night that the Huskies might need to use Cody Bruns or Anthony Boyles, both true freshmen.

Starting tailback David Freeman did not play in the second half of Saturday’s game after having a big first half because of an ankle injury. Willingham said Freeman will be day-to-day heading into this week.

Middle linebacker Donald Butler, who left the game with a concussion, is also a question mark heading into this week’s game. Willingham said Butler will undergo more tests this week before his availability is determined.

Players of the week: Fouch, who completed 13 of 27 passes for 186 yards and touchdown, was named the team’s offensive player of the week. Chris Stevens, who had three tackles, was the special teams player of the week. Coaches decided not to give out defensive player of the week honors.

Fred Wiggs, Mykenna Ikehara and Greg Walker earned service teams honors.

Contact Herald Writer John Boyle at jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on University of Washington sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com /huskiesblog