Cyler Miles has been learning on the run in his first month as Washington’s full-time starting quarterback. UW coaches would prefer he slowed down and took some baby steps.

It’s the ultimate balancing act for a dual-threat quarterback: When is it best to tuck and run? And when is it better to step up in the pocket and deliver a pass under pressure?

Huskies coaches would prefer a little more of the latter.

“Sometimes he needs to pull the trigger and trust himself (as a passer),” offensive coordinator Jonathan Smith said Wednesday.

At 6 feet 4, 225 pounds, Miles has been generally productive on zone-read runs. He has 28 carries for 114 yards and three touchdowns in his first three games of the season for the Huskies (4-0), who open Pac-12 play against No. 16 Stanford (2-1, 0-1 Pac-12) on Saturday.

Miles is also completing 67.6 percent of his passes, with five touchdowns and no interceptions. In Miles’ four career starts, the Huskies are 4-0 and have scored 69, 59, 44 and 45 points, but the redshirt sophomore quarterback hasn’t faced a defense anything close to what Stanford will bring to Husky Stadium.

“These guys are going to hit the quarterback,” Smith said of the Cardinal defense, which ranks No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense, passing defense and total defense. “We’ve talked to him all week about being tough. He’s going to have to stand in there and make a couple throws.”

Against Eastern Washington and Georgia State (in the second half, anyway), Miles didn’t have to make many pressure throws in critical situations. Like taming a tiger, reining in a running quarterback can be a dangerous proposition: Ideally, he stays in the cage as much as possible without sacrificing the qualities that make him unique.

“He can move fairly well, so I always think that’s a tricky thing that you’ve got to be comfortable in the pocket — of sliding and moving and not overreacting and not running too soon and getting yourself into more trouble,” UW coach Chris Petersen said. “So that’s going to be some work in progress as we go with his development.”

UW’s veteran offensive line will have to do its part, too.

“We’ve got to protect him better,” Petersen said. “When you don’t get protected very well, (the quarterback has) a tendency to hurry.”

Protection is never perfect, though. And that figures to be especially true against Stanford’s disciplined front seven. In watching film of UW’s 31-28 loss at Stanford last season, Petersen volunteered that he was particularly impressed by the ability of UW quarterback Keith Price to slide in and around the pocket and make crisp throws while under pressure.

“I thought he was really remarkable in the pocket, because those guys (from Stanford) get after the passer,” Petersen said. “He hung in there appropriately and delivered some passes while taking some shots, and that’s what has to happen (with Miles).”

Notes

• Junior linebacker Shaq Thompson remains in the running to play on offense for the Huskies. Thompson, second on the team with 28 tackles, didn’t get any carries against Georgia State last week, but could play both ways against Stanford.

“We’ve had some success with putting him in there,” UW running backs coach Keith Bhonapha said. “He’s always definitely in the game plan.”

Thompson had three carries each against Eastern Washington and Illinois, gaining 82 yards on those six carries, including a 57-yard touchdown against EWU.

The loss of senior Jesse Callier (torn Achilles) in the Huskies’ “Core Four” running back attack will likely lead to more carries for Lavon Coleman, Dwayne Washington and Deontae Cooper.

• There is no official word, but sophomore receiver John Ross III (knee) is expected to play against Stanford. Ross has been practicing all week after missing last week’s game vs. Georgia State.

Adam Jude: 206-464-2364 or ajude@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @a_jude

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