Gilbertson says Paus will start at QB rest of year

In a season in which almost nothing has gone as anticipated, Casey Paus was named Washington’s starting quarterback for Saturday’s game at Oregon – and for the rest of the season.

UW coach Keith Gilbertson made the surprising announcement Thursday at his daily media briefing and in a team meeting that followed, choosing Paus over freshman Carl Bonnell and sophomore Isaiah Stanback, last week’s starter against Southern California.

“I know there will be people who won’t agree with it,” Gilbertson acknowledged. “I understand that.

“That’s not to say I’m right. I make mistakes. But I feel this is the right decision. Maybe this will settle us down.”

In searching for something, anything, to rally his team from a disastrous 1-6 season, Gilbertson turned to the most experienced player, if not the quarterback best suited to provide an emotional lift.

Even while struggling mightily at times, Paus, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound junior from the Chicago area, has remained the popular quarterback choice among the Huskies’ more veteran offensive players.

If nothing else, Gilbertson could be trying to will another win out of the player most responsible for last year’s resounding 42-10 victory over Oregon at Husky Stadium.

Receiving his first extended playing time, Paus replaced injured starter Cody Pickett to start the second half and rallied the Huskies from a 10-7 deficit with four scoring drives against the Ducks. Paus completed 5 of 8 passes for 117 yards, tossing a 63-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Williams and a 10-yard score to Charles Frederick.