Confident Fouch prepares for first UW start at Arizona

Ronnie Fouch walked by the cameras and reporters Monday afternoon and took a seat in front of a microphone.

After fielding questions, he talked to a radio personality, then had some one-on-one time with more reporters before a cell phone was shoved in his face for yet another radio interview.

Welcome to the job, son.

If Fouch is as proficient at quarterbacking as he is at saying the right things, Huskies fans shouldn't be too worried about the loss of starter Jake Locker.

However, Locker's diagnosis and the Huskies' search for their first win five weeks into the season cast darkness over Fouch's seemingly bright future.

Locker underwent surgery Monday morning to repair a broken bone in the base of his right thumb. The injury to his throwing hand will keep Locker out six to eight weeks, leaving the job to Fouch, who will get his first start Saturday at Arizona (3-1).

"Obviously I think it's a huge loss because (Locker) adds so much to our team in so many ways -- his presence, his running skills, what he's done for us in the passing game," coach Tyrone Willingham said. "So I think it is a loss, but I also am very confident in Ronnie Fouch."

Locker exited Saturday's 35-28 loss to Stanford late in the second quarter after breaking his thumb while blocking on a running play. In came Fouch. Considering the calendar year began with rumors of Fouch's impending transfer -- rumors he vehemently denied -- the redshirt freshman has come a long way.

On his first play, facing third-and-8, Fouch read the Cardinal defense, made a change at the line of scrimmage and ran an option play that tailback David Freeman converted into 12 yards and a first down.

"That was the game-plan call," Fouch said. "Whenever we see that front that their defense was in, we were to audible to a speed option, so my first play I got in I had to run the game plan and run the show and act like I was meant to be out there, so I had to make that audible."

He displayed a coolness and sense of belonging from the get-go and nearly rallied the Huskies from a two-touchdown deficit.

His stat line of 13-for-27 for 186 yards and a touchdown was not remarkable, but quite serviceable in a difficult situation.

For the season, Fouch is 25 of 47, which gives him a completion rate just six-tenths of a point lower than Locker's. He has passed for 325 yards and two touchdowns to Locker's one.

But Fouch doesn't have the legs Locker has.

Locker leads the Huskies with 180 rushing yards and three touchdowns, and his sudden absence throws a wrench into planning for the Arizona game for both teams.

"We spent a lot of time defending Jake Locker, and now it looks like that plan has kind of gone out the window," Arizona coach Mike Stoops said, "so we have to readjust our defense to probably get situated for a different game plan that we're going to see from Washington."

The Huskies' run attack will feature more two-back sets that may include Freeman, a true freshman who injured his ankle Saturday.

The plan will showcase Fouch's passing and force the offensive line to pass-protect better because Fouch isn't as likely to run from pressure.

"We passed the ball a lot more when I got in and kind of moved away from our quarterback run game," Fouch said of the second half against Stanford.

"I'm expecting the same thing, but we haven't talked about the game plan yet, so we'll see how it goes against Arizona."

Fouch's potential for success goes hand in hand with an improved running game and a stepped-up effort by the Huskies all the way around.

"We've just got to keep fighting," Fouch said. "We've got to put this loss behind us, and all we're focused on now is Arizona and going out there and getting our first win, our first Pac-10 win, and getting things rolling from there. That's our main focus."

The Huskies are waiting to learn the status of leading receiver D'Andre Goodwin, who injured his ribs in the fourth quarter Saturday. Willingham said X-rays showed no broken bones, but Goodwin's pain threshold will be tested.

In other injury news, middle linebacker Donald Butler suffered a concussion against Stanford and is listed as doubtful. Trenton Tuiasosopo would start if Butler is unable to play.

COMING UP

MATCHUP: Washington (0-4, 0-2 Pac-10) at Arizona (3-1, 1-0)

WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Arizona Stadium, Tucson

TV/RADIO: Versus; KJR-AM/950

IN THE NEWS: Tyrone Willingham may be holding onto his job by a thread after a devastating 35-28 loss to Stanford. When asked Monday why he believes he is still the man for the job, the UW coach said, "Because I have the enthusiasm for it, the focus and concentration for it, and I'm still very much into what I'm doing."

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING: The Huskies are 16-7-1 against Arizona, and the visiting team has won the past four meetings. Last season's game sent the programs in wildly different directions. The Wildcats had lost five in a row but rallied to overcome a 15-point, fourth-quarter deficit. Arizona has since won five of seven games, while Washington has won only two of nine.