Is Matt Scott Arizona's 'once and future king'?
by uofafanatic on Oct 24, 2010 12:19 AM PDT
in Arizona Wildcats Football
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Any concern that Arizona QB Matt Scott wasn't ready to start can officially be put to rest. Scott looked like a seasoned veteran, leading the Wildcats to a 44 - 14 victory. He rushed for 65 yards and completed 18 of 22 attempts for 233 yards and 2 TD's. Scott clearly out-played the over-hyped Jake Locker, and moved the ball down the field better than Nick Foles has all season. While some of that may have been the result of the poor Washington defense, for the most part it was just Scott consistently making plays and moving the football.
Matt Scott entered last season as the heir apparent to Willie Tuitama, and lost the starting job only after a horrific showing against Iowa. Nick Foles came in and never gave up the starting job. But now, Scott has been given a second chance. With Foles out anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months with a knee injury, and with Scott playing so well, he may just steal back the starting job.
While Foles seems to be the more accurate passer, Scott is certainly capable. With his speed, it was expected that he would scramble, and he did, a little. The unexpected benefit of that speed? Huge yards for Keola Antolin. It seemed that every time Scott faked the run, and handed off the ball, half the defense would follow him. That was certainly a pleasant surprise.
So why did he look so good? I find it most accurate to say that Matt Scott moved the ball more effectively, through the air and on the ground, than Nick Foles has all season. He may not have had as many long bombs, but his offensive game just looked better. Time will tell if he can keep this up.
At the start of last season, Matt Scott had been crowned the savior, and the leader of the Wildcats. He had the starting job handed to him. Now, he has the chance to earn a crown. One thing is certain, Matt Scott's passing issues have been resolved, and Nick Foles had better watch his back. His starting job might not be available when his knee heals up.
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Your first PAC 10 Power poll: Week 8: http://wp.me/pVda6-6m
Your first PAC 10 Power poll: Week 8: http://wp.me/pVda6-6m
Beam Him Up
Yes, we have depth at the QB position and Scott played very well tonight against a (sorry U-dubbers) shoddy defense.
BUT, (and it’s a big Samoan-Defensive end-sized but) Nick Foles throws the ball better than all but maybe two other cubes in D-1 (Mallett at Sakerlina and Griffin at Baylor)
He is as accurate or more so than either of those guys, has a beautiful deep ball, moves well in the pocket, avoids bad plays, and reads defenses as well as half the starting cubes in the pros.
Matt Scott had a great game and I am excited about his mobility (especially on roll-outs like the first TD tonight) but considering he was playing against a VERY young and over-matched Udub D (98th in the nation and after that drubbing, probably into the triple digits) that couldn’t exactly watch a lot of film on him, I think we need to dial it down a little. Now, if he lights it up in Pasadena next week, fire up the Quarterback Controversy Machine.
Quick shout out to both lines as I they were BEAST. Little soft on run support from the O-line early but they adjusted and absolutely dominated from the second quarter on. D-line looked like world beaters putting Jake in the Hurt Locker repeatedly.
Now, Go whip those Brew-Hens!
I ain't got time fer nonna' yer ding-dang terr' -Charlie Prides Ghost
by ZombieJackTatum on Oct 24, 2010 12:56 AM PDT reply actions
Congratulations on the win from the UW Dawg Pound
Scott looked great and your offensive line looked better…he had all day…is this the same guy that was sacked five times last week…wow…good game.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
Thanks for the class.
Hey, let it be known that the Washington fans and players handled themselves with class before and after the game. With the exception of one player losing his cool towards the end of the game, the Huskies showed what is so often lacking in sports, integrity. Good luck to the Huskies in their future campaigns.
Patrick Evans (uofafanatic)
Oh, and not bad for a 'basketball school', right?
Sorry, sorry, I had to. Seriously though, I can’t wait to see Locker in the pros. I really hope he gets picked up by the Dolphins. Probably won’t happen, but it would be awesome to see him in that offense.
Patrick Evans (uofafanatic)
Let's slow down a bit
It was one game. Matt Scott played very well – for one game. Nick Foles out-played Scott last season, and throughout this summer and fall to keep the starting job.
Matt Scott was absolutely not handed the starting job in 2009. Foles and Scott battled all of training camp in 2009 for the starting position. In actuality, it seemed as if both of them were pretty underwhelming, and the coaching staff settled on Scott because he was a dual-threat. Foles came in Iowa in relief, outplayed Scott then, and gave the coaches every reason to keep him in the lineup.
Foles has done nothing this season to lose his job. Completing 75% of his passes on the season is no way to lose your job.
Clearly Scott has talent. I believe there should absolutely be a package in place for him each game. We have 2 quarterbacks with unique talents, and just because Scott had one good game against one of the worst defenses in the conference doesn’t mean he’s stealing anyone’s job. At least, I certainly hope not.
Fair enough.
It’s basically what coach Stoops has said all along. Having to choose between two talented players is a good problem to have.
Patrick Evans (uofafanatic)
They both have weaknesses, and are a bigger threat if they both play
Foles completely panics under pressure. He hasn’t any more poise under heat than he did last year when he threw two forward passes against UW. He tries to do too much. Instead of throwing it away or taking a sack, he will try a left handed pass while he’s going down. I’m surprised nobody has talked about this.
Scott has trouble throwing over linemen. At least three of his in-completions were batted down when he was in a comfortable pocket. He has certainly come a long way with his accuracy and reads. However, this game was against a very weak pass rush. Scott had at least half an hour to throw the ball on most of his attempts. Never seen Foles with that much time.
On the good side. They are both gamers. They are both capable of winning. I’d love to see Scott used for some 3rd down situations, especially in the red zone, and for a few series during the game just as a change of pace. Bring him in, make the defense adjust, then let Foles throw some bombs down field. Keep the defenses off balance. Make teams plan for two attacks. Use as many dimensions as you have to make things more difficult for the opposition.
Foles panics under pressure?
I completely disagree. 2010 Foles does not panic under pressure (See: 2 game winning drives against Iowa and Cal).
In 2009, Foles was prone to mental errors, and forcing the ball too much, but 2010 Foles has completely turned that around in my mind. What more would you want of Foles this season?
And, the two forward passes were against Cal, and that was one single dumb-ass play. Foles is no “gunslinger.” If there is any critique of him, it is that he is TOO careful when throwing the ball, and doesn’t push the ball down field enough. He often looks to check down when his first read isn’t there.
Matt Scott brings an incredibly unique skillset to the table. Arizona should use this skillset to its benefit. Should Scott if Foles is healthy? Hell. And. No. Should Scott get several plays per game? Absolutely.
...a la Brett Favre
My mistake— the two forward passes were vs Cal, and I should have qualified “panic under pressure” as “doesn’t know when to give up on a play” a la Brett Favre who has a few game winning drives under his belt, but still makes some questionable decisions when the pocket collapses. In my opinion, Foles hasn’t completely turned this around. He rises to the occasion when the game is on the line but he still doesn’t know when to fold a hopeless hand.
Great game for Scott, but
he did what was expected of him. Play a smart complete game against a not so good defense. He did impress me and looked way better than last year, however, his accuracy on several throws still concerns me, and if the game was tight I wonder if he would have the poise to pull out the win. I have seen these things from Foles, plus Foles has better accuracy and deep ball. Scott is a great guy to fill in from time to time, but I would rather have the future of this team on the shoulders of a natural leader in Foles.
Back when I was picking beans in Guatemala, we used to make fresh coffee, right off the trees I mean. That was good. This is shit but, hey, I'm in a police station.
by TouchdownColts on Oct 25, 2010 12:37 PM PDT reply actions
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