SEATTLE -- Isaiah Stanback's career at Washington appears to
be over.
The do-everything senior quarterback largely responsible for
Washington's resurgent season will have surgery Tuesday on his
injured right foot and is expected to miss the rest of the season,
coach Tyrone Willingham announced on his radio show late Monday
afternoon.
Stanback was originally diagnosed with a sprained right foot
after he was hurt in the fourth quarter of last Saturday's 27-17
loss to Oregon State. Additional tests Monday revealed an injury to
the Lisfranc joint in Stanback's foot, requiring surgery.
"It's unfortunate but that's the game," Willingham said on his
radio show. "The one thing we want to make sure of is that
Isaiah's OK."
Willingham added that surgery was needed to make sure the injury
healed correctly. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic
Surgeons, the Lisfranc joint is on the top of the foot. Injuries to
the joint are often mistaken for sprains, when in fact a small
fracture or dislocation has occurred, although Washington officials
said there was no fracture.
Stanback will have screws and most likely a small plate put
into his foot to stabilize the bones. Recovery after surgery often
means limited weight bearing on the foot for six to eight weeks,
and Willingham indicated that even if Washington made a bowl game,
Stanback wouldn't be able to return.
"My focus is on doing whatever it takes to get healthy and come
back 100 percent," Stanback said in a statement.
Stanback spent the last two days moving around on crutches with
his foot in a protective boot. Willingham said Stanback should be
able to play football in the future.
"There is no question you miss his presence on the field and
that leadership has more impact because he does do things on the
field," Willingham said. "We've got to get guys to step up."
The injury is the first major setback for the 4-3 Huskies, who
have lost consecutive games for the first time this season. Still,
they're just two wins shy of becoming bowl eligible -- the team's
stated goal since August.
Now, the responsibility for getting to six victories falls to
junior Carl Bonnell, who will make his third career start on
Saturday at No. 11 California. Johnny DuRocher will be his backup
and highly touted freshman Jake Locker is expected to make the trip
and get more snaps in practice this week.
"Isaiah going down is an enormous blow to this team," Bonnell
said. "But it's been my job this entire time that when he goes
down to get in there, step it up and score some points."
Stanback was injured scrambling early in the fourth quarter, and
television replays showed his right foot and ankle turning outward
as he went to plant. He was down on the field for about five
minutes and helped to the sideline, and was later taken to the
locker room on a cart.
Stanback scored both Washington touchdowns Saturday on short
runs, and threw for 162 yards before his injury.
In seven games, Stanback threw for 1,325 yards and 10
touchdowns, while running for another 350 yards and four scores.
Stanback played well in each of Washington's four wins and nearly
directed a last-second comeback in a 26-20 loss at Southern
California.
"I don't know if you can fill Isaiah's shoes. He by far took
over the leadership role on this team a long time ago," Bonnell
said. "I just have to go out there and perform. We have some big
challenges left."
Questioned during most of last season, Stanback took hold of the
starting quarterback role with an outstanding performance during
spring practice, to the point where Washington offensive
coordinator Tim Lappano remodeled the Huskies' offense around
Stanback's talents.
Last week, Lappano said the Huskies are now recruiting
quarterbacks who have similar attributes to Stanback.
Bonnell's style is comparable to Stanback, but without as much
pure running speed. He struggled in relief of Stanback on Saturday,
completing just 2-of-6 passes for 10 yards. Bonnell has played in
three games this season and threw a touchdown pass late at
Oklahoma.
Locker, the heralded freshman, will continue to wait on the
sidelines. The preference among Washington coaches has been to
redshirt Locker, and Willingham was peppered with questions on
Monday about his handling of Locker.
"We will see what is in the best interest of the player and the
best interest of the team," Willingham said.