SEATTLE – The scenario is almost too delicious to be true.
Johnny DuRocher, the Bethel High School quarterback who spurned Washington for hated Oregon, then spurned Oregon for hated Washington, returns to Eugene this weekend with a realistic hope of playing.
You know Autzen Stadium’s rep. So does DuRocher, from both sides. On the sidelines last season, the gallery that sat behind the Washington Huskies bench gave him an earful of the kinds of things opponents usually hear at Autzen. Only more so.
“There were some good (insults),” DuRocher said. “I can’t really repeat them. But I looked back and gave them a nod. There was some good stuff.”
Should DuRocher enter Saturday’s game, the clatter can only multiply. It was bad enough DuRocher left Eugene. To Duck fans, leaving Eugene for the Huskies is borderline criminal. Then there’s the little matter of DuRocher’s reported clashes with Ducks head coach Mike Bellotti that led to his exit and you have all the makings of what could be mildly put as a high-interest game. Oregon-Washington always is a brawl – sometimes in both the stands and on the field. It doesn’t take anything to get the partisans geeked beyond belief.
DuRocher’s presence only adds to the rage.
Once DuRocher enters the game in relief of starter Carl Bonnell – and the bet here is that he will at some point – the din will be deafening.
Although sore from the pounding he’s taken the past two games, Bonnell will start against the Ducks, but with head coach Tyrone Willingham, there’s always an asterisk. Bonnell bruised his shoulder against California and sustained a concussion in the fourth quarter Saturday against Arizona State and had to leave the game.
Bonnell’s and DuRocher’s roles Saturday may not be determined until Saturday morning, based on their showings in practice.
“I’m kinda sore,” Bonnell said. “But that’s the game of football. You have to expect that kind of feeling after a game. But I’ll be ready this week for practice and prepare for the game.”
On the other hand, Bonnell may force Willingham’s hand should he repeat his performance against ASU. In 31/2 quarters of play, Bonnell was just 9-of-23 passing for 67 yards and two interceptions. In the past two games, Bonnell has thrown seven picks, not the kind of efficiency coaches look for out of the most important position on the field.
“I think he felt a little bit reluctant to push it down the field after (the second interception),” UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said. “But there were also some guys coming up the field in his vision that forced him out … We had people open down the field and we couldn’t connect with them.”
Whatever the reason, the offense under Bonnell was as stagnant as Stanford. The Huskies rallied from a 20-6 fourth-quarter deficit largely because of a 41-yard gimmick pass from receiver Sonny Shackelford to Anthony Russo.
Bonnell himself recognized that 9-of-23 (6-for-19 through three quarters) won’t get it done.
“I think the stats speak for themselves,” Bonnell said. “You can’t have under 100 yards passing at the University of Washington.”
Yet there was DuRocher, who took over for Bonnell and closed an 11-play, 63-yard drive. The march took up nearly seven minutes, ending as DuRocher hit Shackelford on a 4-yard scoring pass that tied the game with 2:19 remaining.
Think about that. DuRocher comes in cold off the bench. He took a minimum of snaps during practice. He played in five games last season before breaking his wrist against Oregon State.
Saturday was DuRocher’s first playing time since then. With all that going against him, DuRocher completed half of his eight passes (he was 4-for-5 on the final drive in regulation) for 40 yards and a TD.
In DuRocher, we see a calm, borderline-cocky gunslinger in the mold of Billy Joe Hobert. DuRocher has the perfect emotional makeup to swagger into beyond-hostile Autzen, stare down the boos and obscenities tossed his way and give Washington the chance few expect it to have to give the two-touchdown-favorite Ducks cause to sweat.
Bonnell has become a known quantity and seems fearful that he’ll throw another interception. The coaching staff is committed to save Jake Locker’s redshirt year.
The Huskies are 4-5, with a four-game losing streak and appear to need to run the table to reach the stated goal of a bowl game.
No one from the coaching staff asked me, but the feeling here is that it’s time to hand DuRocher the ball.
Sooner rather than later.
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