In the days leading up to the Wildcats’ season opener against Toledo on Sept. 1, the Daily Wildcat will preview each position on Arizona’s roster, alternating between offense and defense.
Projected starter: Matt Scott (senior)
Backups: B.J. Denker (junior), Javelle Allen (freshman), Josh Kern (freshman), Alex Cappellini (sophomore)
Departures: Nick Foles (NFL), Bryson Beirne (graduated), Tom Savage (transfer), Daxx Garman (transfer)
Returning stat leader: Scott (2010)- 776 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 135 rushing yards, 150.95 quarterback rating
Arizona lost Nick Foles, its all-time leading passer, to graduation and the NFL. Strangely, there isn’t much fretting going on about the fact that the UA needs to replace probably the best quarterback in its history.
That’s because of Matt Scott, the senior who purposefully redshirted last season so he’d have an opportunity to start this year. It also helps that Scott is an absolute perfect fit for Rodriguez’s spread option, zone read offense because of his speed.
In an offense known for producing such game-changing talent at the quarterback position as Pat White and Denard Robinson, Scott is poised for a breakout year.
However, the lack of experience behind him is disconcerting to say the least. B.J. Denker, a junior college transfer from California, is the top backup. While he is a good fit in this offense with his speed — he ran a 4.5 second 40-yard dash his sophomore year — he is undersized at just 177 pounds and has no Division I experience.
Behind him is the talented, but certainly not game-ready, freshman Javelle Allen from Prosper, Texas. Allen is another dynamic weapon at the position, evidenced by the 2,321 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, 1,497 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns he recorded his senior year. But if he has to see any snaps this season, likely signifying injuries to both Scott and Denker, then the worst-case scenario will have played out for Arizona. That’s not a knock on his ability, this team is just not good enough to have an untested freshman leading it against Pacific 12 Conference foe.
Grade: B
Up next: Special Teams
