SEATTLE – So close is the three-man starting quarterback race at the University of Washington that it may well continue into fall camp.
Neither Casey Paus, Isaiah Stanback nor Carl Bonnell could separate himself from the others in the annual Spring Game Saturday at Husky Stadium, although each had his moments.
“I wouldn’t venture a guess,” UW coach Keith Gilbertson said. “I’ll look at the video first, but I was pleased with all of them.”
It’s been the same scenario since spring ball opened at the start of the month, and Gilbertson said it wouldn’t hurt the team if the choice isn’t made well into preseason camp.
“When you don’t have anyone who’s clearly No. 1, it doesn’t do you any good to do that,” he said. “I want the job to be up for grabs enough for the competition to continue … I think it’s probably going to help us. If all three of those guys think they have a chance, they’re all going to work to compete.”
Paus, the only one of the three with any game experience, was 6-of-11 passing for 112 yards and a touchdown. His TD pass was a short out to Quintin Daniels, who took the ball about 5 yards downfield, broke a tackle and outran the rest of the Husky secondary.
“With the things we’ve tried to get done, I felt really good with what I did,” Paus said. “It’s not up to me, but I just went out there and threw every snap the best I could. Everybody’s going to have a bad snap here and there, but it’s just a matter of having the least amount.”
Paus led a 40-yard, five-play scoring drive against the No. 1 defense, hitting Anthony Russo on a 25-yard pass on the opening play. Fullback Zach Tuiasosopo bulled over from a yard out for the TD.
Bonnell’s bid for the starter’s job was enhanced with a 78-yard, 11-play scoring drive in which he connected with tailback Kenny James for a 17-yard TD pass. Bonnell also hit Corey Williams for 24 yards on the drive and scrambled for a 5-yard gain to the defense’s 19-yard line.
Overall, Bonnell was 5-for-11 passing for 61 yards, a TD and an interception by Edmonds-Woodway High School graduate Kyle Trew.
“I never really have in a position to prove myself before,” Bonnell said. “I’ve always come in No. 1. It’s up to the coaches, but I feel I played pretty well.”
Isaiah Stanback laid claim to the position with a 4-for-10 passing day for 103 yards and a 69-yard TD to tailback Chris Singleton.
“I’m just trying to get better every week,” Stanback said. “All the time, I was concentrating on staying in the pocket, my accuracy and learning the offense.”
The running game looked solid, led by James, with 35 yards on five carries. Louis Rankin added 27 yards on four carries and Shelton Sampson finished with 18 yards on five carries.
Linebacker Tahj Bomar had a team-high seven tackles.
Evan Knudson kept his hold on the placekicking duties, hitting on a 46-yard field goal and all of his PATs.
Because of a spate of injuries, the Spring Game was a glorified scrimmage. The offense gathered six points for a touchdown, three points for a field goal, one point for a PAT and one point for a first down for 49 points.
The defense finished with 20 points, with three points for each three-and-out, four points for an interception and one for a series stop.
Captains named: Huskies elected as captain by their teammates were Tuiasosopo, offensive guard Khalif Barnes, wideout Charles Frederick, cornerback Derrick Johnson and linebacker Joe Lobendahn.
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