Paus named permanent starter as UW faces Ducks

After another week of quarterback speculation, junior Casey Paus will start tomorrow for the Huskies - a move that Washington head coach Keith Gilbertson said will be made permanent through the remainder of the year.

"He will be the quarterback, barring some catastrophe, to finish the season," Gilbertson said.

Paus makes his fifth start of the season for the Huskies (1-6 overall, 0-4 Pac-10) when the team travels to Eugene, Ore. to face the Ducks (4-3 overall, 3-1 Pac-10).

Paus opened the season as the starter for three games before redshirt freshman Carl Bonnell emerged as the No. 1 quarterback for two contests. After Bonnell was sidelined by a groin injury at Stanford, Paus started against Oregon State -- a role he relinquished to sophomore Isaiah Stanback after one quarter. Stanback became the Huskies third starting signal-caller against USC.

"We've had this rotation, and I really didn't like it," Gilbertson said. "I wanted someone to take the job and I really didn't see that happening. At least this will settle us down."

Paus is the most experienced quarterback of the trio, having gained most of his playing time in 2003 against the Ducks. In that game, Paus entered in the second half, after Cody Pickett was sidelined with an injury. With the Huskies down 10-7 in the second half, Paus led the Huskies to a 42-10 victory on 117 yards passing and two touchdowns.

Gilbertson hopes Paus' permanent starting nod will provide some stability in an aerial attack that is ranked as one of the worst in the nation.

UW quarterbacks have completed only 39.6 percent of their passes, which ranks dead last in Division-I football. Rice is the next-worst team at 41.7 percent.

"We've not had much success offensively all season," Gilbertson said.

Last week against USC, the Huskies suffered their first shutout loss in 271 consecutive games.

Along with the changes at quarterback, Saturday's game will also feature new personnel at wide receiver. Redshirt freshman cornerback Cody Ellis, who played wide receiver in high school, practiced with the offense throughout the week and is expected to see significant playing time against the Ducks.

"He's a fast, quick athlete," Gilbertson said.

Also expected to see major action is redshirt freshman Craig Chambers, who has yet to record a catch this season.

"I think Craig could start," Gilbertson said. "He's had a nice week of practice."

Despite Washington's poor start, many of the Huskies have still voiced optimism - especially as the team travels to rival Oregon.

During the past two seasons, in which UW teams were struggling through mediocre seasons, Washington football still managed to outscore the Ducks 84-24 amid stark trash talk.

"Ever since Keith Lewis was on the team talking about our team, it kind of put us on the edge, gave us another step and makes us want to go out and play more," said senior defensive tackle Manase Hopoi. "It's just fun."

Lewis really lit the rivalry up in 2002 when he labeled Pickett as "overrated." Washington followed up by pummeling the Ducks in Autzen Stadium with a 42-14 victory, which included 316 yards and four touchdowns from Pickett.

After the victory, the Huskies met at midfield to celebrate on their opponent's turf.

In 2003, Lewis vowed revenge, saying that the Ducks would dance on the "W" in Husky Stadium. Under the direction of Paus, the Huskies trounced the Ducks 42-10 and proceeded to celebrate at midfield.

"A couple words can piss us off and make us want to go out and dominate," Hopoi said. "It's just a little spark to play a lot better."

However, in contrast to previous years, both the Ducks and the Huskies have been uncharacteristically quiet this year on the eve of their contest, with players and coaches erring on the side of cordiality.

It seems the Ducks have finally learned the motivating factors behind a Husky victory.

NOTES:

• Husky defensive tackle Wilson Afoa, who was in a boot because of a sprained ankle Monday, may still see playing time tomorrow.

• After redshirt freshman kicker Michael Braunstein's two missed field goals against USC, Gilbertson has left the kicking, game up for grabs all week. The Huskies field goal kickers are 3-9 on the season.

• Senior wide receiver Charles Frederick did not practice during the week and is not expected to play tomorrow.

• Sophomore wide receiver Quintin Daniels is scheduled to have surgery Nov. 2 on a bad knee. He will become the 12th Husky player to have surgery this season.