by Bob Young, columnist - Sept. 19, 2012 08:58 PM
azcentral sports
You know when you grab a pair of pants out of the closet, pull them on and find a $20 stuffed in the pocket?
That's sort of what happened to Rich Rodriguez when he replaced Mike Stoops as the University of Arizona's football coach.
Only for RichRod, having a quarterback seemingly born to run his zone-read spread offense already in pocket when he got to Tucson might feel now more like discovering a crisp C-note.
Matt Scott's value is increasing that quickly.
We would love to tell you that Rodriguez is cashing in because his predecessor smartly convinced Scott to redshirt in 2011 during what would have been his senior season.
However, Scott said redshirting as a senior was "mostly" his idea. "I felt like I had a lot more to prove, and I hadn't had a chance to start for a whole season yet," he said. "I needed to show what I could do."
In an age when athletes often transfer at the first sign that they're not going to get the playing time they expected, Scott's decision to stick it out at Arizona after he lost his starting job to Nick Foles in 2009 and push for a redshirt year last season not only is refreshing, it now looks pretty darned smart.
After three games under Rodriguez, Scott has completed 71.5 percent of his passes and ranks fourth nationally in total offense at 395 yards per game. The 3-0 Wildcats are averaging more than 600 yards and 46.3 points per game.
And if ever Scott is going to prove himself, it's this week when the 22nd-ranked Wildcats visit third-ranked Oregon in a game that could make punters obsolete.
"Matt, I think, is perfect for what Rich is doing offensively," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said this week. "He's one of the top guys in the country in total offense. And that's what he can really scare you with, because he throws it really well, but he has the speed and the athletic ability to hurt you in the run game."
Kelly, of course, ought to know. Oregon has perfected virtually the same zone-read spread offense run at precisely the same pants-on-fire pace.
But Scott admits he considered bolting out of town that fast when he was benched during the third game of his sophomore season after winning the job in a competition with Foles during spring and fall camps.
"I'm not going to lie," he said. "I didn't think it was really fair at all. But life isn't fair and you have to learn that the hard way sometimes. Things happen like that, and you have to make the best of the situation."
Foles made his first start for the Wildcats the next week at Oregon State and threw three touchdown passes. Scott was shoved into a pocket and mostly forgotten.
Foles, of course, went on to start for most of three seasons, went in the third round of the NFL draft to Philadelphia and will be the Eagles' backup quarterback when they visit the Cardinals on Sunday.
Still, there were hints of Scott's hidden value. He started two conference games in 2010 when Foles was injured and posted eye-popping results. He led Arizona to victories over Washington and UCLA while accounting for 688 yards in total offense.
When Foles returned, it was back to the closet for Scott despite a 4-1 record as a starter.
"I'm so happy for that guy after what he's been through," Arizona's senior guard Trace Biskin said. "It is really all about his perseverance. He could have easily left after that Iowa game.
"He talked to me a little bit and some of the other guys and his really close friends, and we kind of all encouraged him to stay. The big thing is, he's been positive about it the whole way. When Nick was playing and (Scott) wasn't, he was still encouraging him and being and a good teammate."
Scott said he might have left if not for former Arizona quarterbacks coach Frank Scelfo.
"Honestly, the thought crossed my mind, but I didn't think about it too long," he said. "I knew I was competing with Nick, who is a great quarterback. But my thing is, when you compete with people you get better. That's what drives me.
"And I felt like I was getting better here under Coach Scelfo. I was progressing and learning a lot at the quarterback position. He was helping me, so I didn't want to leave."
Nobody knows where the Wildcats and Rodriguez would be if Scott had bailed, but it probably wouldn't be 3-0, in the national rankings and playing Oregon on ESPN.
"We knew in the spring we had a guy we thought was pretty special," Rodriguez said. "We just didn't know how quickly he would learn the system."
When Stoops and his staff were fired, Scott's decision could have backfired.
"I didn't know where we were going from there," he said. "I was kind of excited to see who would come in, and when I heard it was going to be RichRod, then I was even more excited because of his background and track record.
"I knew it was a perfect fit."
Sort of like those pants with a bonus in the pocket.
Reach Young at 602-444-8271 or bob.young@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/BobYoungTHI.
20 Sep, 2012
-
Source: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/articles/2012/09/19/20120919operating-arizona-coach-rich-rodriguezs-spread-offense-quarterback-matt-scott-has-been-money-pocket.html
--
Manage subscription | Powered by rssforward.com
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Operating Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez's spread offense, quarterback Matt Scott has been money in the pocket
Dengan url
http://adjustpositionracing.blogspot.com/2012/09/operating-arizona-coach-rich-rodriguezs.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Operating Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez's spread offense, quarterback Matt Scott has been money in the pocket
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar