SEATTLE – The ball launched off Sean Douglas’ foot and sailed in a gorgeous, spiraling arc toward USC returner extraordinaire Reggie Bush.
Douglas was crucial for the Washington Huskies against USC Saturday. No matter what, he had to keep the ball away from Bush, preferably in such a manner as to boom the ball so high that coverage would make anything other than a fair catch unwise. Then, too, was the length issue. The idea: pin the Trojans as deeply into their territory as possible.
This particular punt flew 56 yards, at the end of which Bush bobbled the ball before he pounced on it. End of threat. Mission accomplished.
Douglas, a sophomore from Bellevue, Neb., has been a bright spot in the Huskies’ 1-6 season. Struggling at the beginning of the year, Douglas has settled in and shows the promise he displayed in fall camp.
“The last few games, he’s ripped the ball,” UW head coach Keith Gilbertson said.
It’s just a matter of getting re-accustomed to the position, he said. Douglas backed up Garth Erickson last season, performing kickoff duties instead.
“It was just a matter of being back in there,” Douglas said. “I hadn’t been in there for almost two years. I hadn’t been back there punting since I was a senior in high school. That’s a big difference. Then I got in there and I felt like I had to rush myself. I didn’t need to.”
Few could blame him. Early in the season, he had two punts blocked, both against Stanford, which brought on a different blocking scheme.
Now, three Huskies form a wall of protection for Douglas. Before the ball is snapped, the middle man in the wall acts as an open gate to let the ball through to Douglas. After the snap, the player resumes his position (closing the gate) in the middle and helps the other two with blocking.
Douglas hasn’t had a punt blocked since.
“It’s worked a lot better,” Douglas said. “It’s worked out so far. I guess I have more confidence in it. It’s a new thing for me. I haven’t seen that formation before. It’s new. The coaches feel that it’s right and I’m behind them 100 percent.”
The idea is to hit the 2-second mark, from snap to punt.
“If I do it in my time, it’s fine,” Douglas said. “If I rush it even a little bit, it throws everything off. If I wait a little too long, they’re there, in my face.”
Bonnell maybe unavailable: Carl Bonnell, considered a candidate to be the starting quarterback Saturday against Oregon, re-injured his groin in practice Monday night and might be unavailable.
Bonnell originally injured the muscle the week leading up to the San Jose State game. He played almost half the game, but had to sit out the rest because of the injury. Bonnell hasn’t played since.
Gilbertson said either Isaiah Stanback, who made his first career start last week against USC, or Casey Paus will start against the Ducks. That decision will be made later in the week. Both, Gilbertson said, likely will play.
Ellis just wants to play: Reserve corner Cody Ellis had no idea what cornerbacks coach Jimmy Lake wanted when he called him Monday morning.
“I’m thinking, ‘What’s he calling me for? I didn’t get in trouble over the weekend; I didn’t get arrested,’” he said. “I thought, ‘Maybe they’re going to try me at receiver. I really doubt it, though.’ But that’s what it was.”
It was Lake who broke the news to Ellis that the coaching staff wanted him to add “wide receiver” to his resume.
In what amounts to be little else than a desperate move, Ellis, a redshirt freshman, will try to add something to a receiving corps that’s doing anything but receiving.
“I was excited,” Ellis said. “It’s just another way to get on the field.”
The coaching staff Monday night gave Ellis the packet for this week’s plays against Oregon and told him to memorize it. He practiced that night for the first time as a UW receiver and didn’t drop a ball, he said.
As a senior at Puyallup High School, Ellis had 47 catches for 920 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also had two rushing touchdowns, four special-teams touchdowns.
Ellis also had speed. He was the state 4A 200-meter champion as a junior and finished fifth in the 100.
“I kind of thought, ‘Just let me in there; I can run a deep route as a decoy,’ ” Ellis said.
More changes: Because of declining depth on the defensive line, redshirt freshman Jordan Reffett will move back from offensive tackle to defensive tackle. Reffett began his time at Washington on defense, but was shifted to offense in fall camp this season.
Defensive tackle Wilson Afoa sprained his foot against USC and might not be able to play against Oregon.
FG kicker job open: After missing three straight field-goal attempts, place-kicker Michael Braunstein is fighting to keep his job.
Braunstein took over for walk-on Evan Knudson after Knudson missed a pair (37 and 38 yards) in the opener against Fresno State. Braunstein is 3-for-7, including misses of 46, 46, 47 and 47 yards. His longest make is 29.
Earlier in the season, it was discovered that Knudson was recovering from mononucleosis, a possible explanation for his missed attempts.
“Evan’s health is normal and he’s hitting the ball better,” Gilbertson said.
Short bursts: Wide receiver Charles Frederick, hampered by a hamstring pull most of the season, might play Saturday … Washington ranks second in the conference for fewest sacks allowed, with 10.
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