UW Football Notebook | Stadium update to wait until '08

Washington athletic director Todd Turner had hoped to deliver a final recommendation on renovations to Husky Stadium to the school's Board of Regents on Thursday.

Instead, Turner and a committee helping advise on the project have decided to push back making any presentation to the board until early next year.

Turner said the move is simply a delay due to the complicated nature of the project, in this case, trying to coordinate construction plans with those of Sound Transit, which is scheduled to break ground on a new station near the stadium in 2009. That construction could last until 2014.

"Nothing about our vision for the stadium has changed," Turner said. "We still have the same long-term list of objectives that we are trying to address."

Turner said he and the committee have been talking with Sound Transit on an almost daily basis, and that Sound Transit has "adjusted their design so that it will not impact on the long-term development of Husky Stadium. It was really essential that we get that done."

Bonnell likely QB

Washington coach Tyrone Willingham refused to close the door Thursday on the chance that quarterback Jake Locker could start Saturday against California, but indicated the Huskies will likely turn to backup Carl Bonnell.

Locker suffered a stinger (pinched nerve) and a muscle strain in his neck after a taking a hard hit to the head in the second quarter of last Saturday's loss at Oregon State. Locker returned to practice Thursday, wearing a helmet for the first time this week, even though the Huskies weren't in full pads.

Yet even as Willingham asserted that Locker could still start, he said, "The likelihood is probably not there."

Felder making do

O'Dea High grad Anthony Felder, a junior weakside linebacker at Cal, is leading the Bears with 95 tackles, a total that ranks second in the Pac-10 and third in terms of tackles per game (9.5).

Felder said this week he is looking forward to coming home — he was on the field for just a few plays in Cal's 56-17 win at Husky Stadium in 2005. The lure of home was almost enough to make him sign with UW in 2005, but he said at the time he was unsure of the direction of the program.

"I considered it pretty heavily," he said. "I love visiting Washington. Even when I'm down here, I wish I was at home sometimes. But at the time, the program was struggling and I just didn't feel like it was in my best interests to go there."

Note

• WR Quintin Daniels appeared to be on the verge of recovering from his knee injury Wednesday when he suffered a back spasm in practice. Willingham said Daniels' progress in Thursday's practice would determine whether he plays.