Bonnell will start vs. SJSU

SEATTLE – His headaches subsided by mid-Sunday, and he felt strong enough the next morning to ride his mountain bike around campus. Even the purplish abrasion on his right cheek incurred from a direct hit at Notre Dame is nearly faded. As Carl Bonnell will attest, it’s not easy being the Washington quarterback these days.

But he’s ready to go again. Bonnell has learned he remains the Huskies’ No. 1 quarterback for a second consecutive week after receiving his starting baptism in the UW’s 27-13 loss at Stanford during the weekend.

“I don’t think Carl did anything out there not to be the starter,” Huskies coach Keith Gilbertson said.

Still, Bonnell was replaced by former starter Casey Paus midway through the fourth quarter against the Cardinal, leading to media inquiries about the job. However, Bonnell was lifted more for exhaustion and the constant pounding in his longest game action in three years rather than for performance.

Another outing starting behind center was what the redshirt freshman from Kent anticipated all along

“I was pretty confident after the game,” Bonnell said. “I talked to coach Gilbertson and (offensive coordinator John) Pettas, and felt good about it. I felt pretty secure.”

Bonnell acknowledged the game ahead against San Jose State at Husky Stadium carries considerable more pressure than the trip to Stanford. In fact, he noted that things have reached a critical stage.

A victory for the winless Huskies is absolutely necessary, a fact the quarterback doesn’t shy from at all.

“I think we have to win, from a confidence standpoint, for team morale,” he said. “Oh-and-five would be disastrous.”