SEATTLE – Felix Sweetman could taste his dream becoming a reality. He was in the huddle, had a play in hand and was ready to go.
And then the chance slipped away.
Midway through the third quarter of last Saturday’s game against Stanford, Johnny DuRocher was knocked out with a concussion and Carl Bonnell was suffering with a thigh bruise. Sweetman, a walk-on senior quarterback, was mere seconds away from getting the first significant snaps of his Husky career. And then Bonnell decided he was fit enough to play.
“They gave me the play number, I was about to read it off my (arm) band and then Carl went in,” Sweetman said. “I was pretty excited and a little disappointed.”
But maybe this is the week.
Bonnell is likely going to be ready to start Saturday’s Apple Cup at Martin Stadium in Pullman, but DuRocher’s status is still up in the air. If he isn’t cleared by doctors – a decision may come today – Sweetman would be the backup going into the final game of his football career.
And all he’s wanted in his five seasons of being at the bottom of the UW totem pole is to have a chance.
“It would be a dream of mine, absolutely,” Sweetman said. “I’ve been playing (on the) scout team the last few years. They’ve had guys coming in and out and I’ve always been at the bottom. I’ve been watching games (here) since I was 6- or 7-years-old. I used to sit up in Tunnel 8. To be the quarterback for the Huskies would be amazing, it would be a life-long dream. That’s why I stuck with it and kept working hard. If it happens, it would just be amazing.”
Sweetman has only taken three snaps in his five years as a Husky, and all three came on the last play of an already-decided game. He did end up getting on the field for Stanford, handing off on the final play of the game. It was the first time he actually ran a play, as the other two times he took a snap, he simply took a knee to run out the clock.
Washington offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said if the opportunity presents itself, he would love to get Sweetman on the field Saturday.
“He’s been so good for us,” Lappano said. “He’s done everything and more we’ve asked him to do. He’s done a great job on the scout team before I even came here. He’s a great kid. He’s the epitome of ‘team guy.’ And he’s dying to play.”
Sweetman came to Washington after a big senior season at Lakes High School, where he passed for 2,147 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior. But because that was his only year as a starter, most big schools passed him up. He had a scholarship offer from Central Washington but he decided to pay his way to Washington instead.
“I could have gone to Central, had my school paid for, not been in debt, but that’s not what it’s about,” Sweetman said. “I wanted to play for the University of Washington, I wanted to be a Husky. … The memories I made here, you can’t replace those. My best friends are in that locker room. It’s like my family here. Next week when I’m not coming in on Tuesday and seeing all my buddies, or going to the weight room, it’s going to be hard. I regret nothing about my decision to come here.”
Sweetman spent his first three seasons, including a redshirt year, on the scout team, then got in for the final play of the Idaho and Arizona games last season. This year, he was put on the punt-coverage team, and got nicked up a bit last week. He said he’s never considered calling it quits though he knew the likelihood of his ever playing quarterback was remote.
“You can’t write yourself off, that’s like quitting,” Sweetman said. “That’s like giving up. …(As a) scout team player, that’s what you’re called. Some people with egos are like, ‘I’m not a scout team player.’ For me, it’s like if that’s who I am, that’s who I am and you have to go out and work hard.”
Now it looks like that hard work may pay off. Bonnell has had to leave the game with an injury the past three games, and Lappano and some of the UW players would like to see Sweetman get a chance.
“He’s a heck of a quarterback,” receiver Sonny Shackelford said. “He’s got a nice ball, a nice rotation on the ball, a soft ball that’s really easy to catch. He knows the offense well. …For him to get to play and not get garbage time, I’d be really happy for him.”
Sweetman said it’s hard for him to think about playing in the Apple Cup. He loses sleep, he can’t eat. But he’s preparing to play this week like he’s never had to in the past – just in case his dream comes true.
“There would be no better way (to end my career),” Sweetman said. “And that’s not just playing for the Huskies, that’s to end my football career. I’m realistic, this is it for me. I’m done playing football after this. To end it on a note like this, it would be amazing for me and my family. … It would be like a storybook ending.”
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