A Day Full of Paus-ibilities

It couldn’t happen. Not this year, anyway. Everyone in the Paus family agreed on that.

Cory Paus is UCLA’s quarterback. Of course he’d play against Washington.

But Casey Paus, a freshman quarterback with the Huskies, wouldn’t even make the trip to the Rose Bowl. He was content to redshirt, biding his time behind starter Cody Pickett and backup Taylor Barton.

Then Pickett separated a shoulder against USC on Saturday. Coach Rick Neuheisel said it is “extremely doubtful” he will be available Saturday against UCLA in a Pacific 10 Conference matchup of unbeaten top 10 teams.

Casey is now second string, one Robert Thomas head shot or Kenyon Coleman lasso tackle on Barton from being thrust into the game.

Consider the Paus-ibilities.

“If it happens my mom will have a heart attack,” Cory said. “It will be her worst nightmare.”

Could be Casey’s too. During visits to Cory’s Santa Monica apartment the last three summers, he hung out with many of the Bruins in a bathing suit and sandals.

But trying to move the ball against UCLA’s punishing, senior-laden defense would be no day at the beach. The Bruins’ last three opponents were a combined 28 for 91 passing for 307 yards. Zero touchdowns. Five interceptions.

Before the season, Casey, 18, pondered the remote chance he’d play against UCLA.

“I think their defense is a lot better and I’d have my hands full,” he said. “I don’t think it will happen, but I’d love the chance.”

He was right about the defense.

Will he get the chance?

Pickett, a sophomore, hurt his right shoulder during an option keeper in the second quarter against the Trojans. He continued to serve as holder on kicks, and probably will do the same against UCLA.

Barton, a junior, is highly regarded by Neuheisel, who recruited him at Colorado in 1998.

Interestingly, Barton received a scholarship to Colorado only because Neuheisel was spurned by Carson Palmer and Paus.

Cory Paus, that is.

Now Cory, who wears the same No. 10 Neuheisel wore as a Bruin quarterback from 1981-83, and Barton lead their teams into a key Pac-10 game. And Casey is poised to play.

“Casey has worked with our third-team offense and with the scout team,” Neuheisel said. “He has all the skills you look for as well as natural leadership ability. You can never tell about a guy unless he is put into duty, and that hasn’t happened for Casey.

“He got a scholarship here, we think he is a big-time player, and if he has to play this weekend, so be it.”

It’s difficult to say how big-time the coach really believed Casey was coming out of Lincoln Way High in New Lenox, Ill. Although Casey was more highly regarded than Cory, Neuheisel did not pursue him. Neither did UCLA, which was also on Casey’s short list.

“I basically recruited Washington,” Casey said.

Casey, two inches taller than his brother at 6 feet 4, could have gone to any Big Ten school, but like Cory he headed west.

“Neither of them have been homesick a day in their lives,” said Nancy Paus, their mother. “Not everybody can go 2,000 miles away and not miss what they had.”

Cory and Casey talk on the phone several times a week. Oh, brother, where art thou?

“It’s kind of weird. It’s a long shot for him to get in the game, but if he does, I wouldn’t cheer against him. I’d cheer against Washington,” Cory said.

They would be the first brothers to face each other in a Division I game in recent memory. Louisiana State’s Ricky Clausen, the freshman brother of Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen, was on the sideline when the teams met two weeks ago, but he is redshirting.

The Paus brothers are fiercely independent, but also are very different.

“You could say we fall into the first-child, middle-child syndrome,” Cory said. “The older we get, the more we have in common.”

Nancy and Rick Paus were in Seattle last weekend. They saw the injury to Pickett and understood the ramifications for their sons.

Not that they want it this way.

“I always remember Casey trying to keep up with Cory,” Nancy said. “It was more beneficial for him to break away, to write his own story.”

Who would have thought Cory might be on the opposite sideline to witness the first chapter?