In coach Rich Rodriguez’s first year at Michigan, he ended up with walk-on quarterback Nick Sheridan and a passer, Steven Threet, ill-suited for his read-option offense.
His first-year situation at Arizona is much more promising.
Senior Matt Scott is a gift from the previous coaching staff, which redshirted Scott behind Nick Foles last season. Scott, who ran a version of this attack in high school and has the wheels to make it work, will help the Cats get through the gears of the offense as quickly as can be reasonably expected.
“I shouldn’t expect too much in the first year in the system,” Rodriguez said, “but with Matt Scott, I’m going to expect a lot.”
Scott’s passing accuracy and arm strength improved in the past two years under the tutelage of former quarterbacks coach Frank Scelfo, but it’s his dual-threat ability that can make the offense soar.
Scott should be a better passer than Rodriguez’s last two star pupils — West Virginia’s Pat White and Michigan’s Denard Robinson.
Scott calls playing in the read-option getting back to his “natural roots.”
“It’s going to be really hard with the backs we have — me running and them running — for the defense to cover that,” he said. “I don’t even think it’s possible.”
He wasn’t able to show much of that running ability in the spring because he was off limits to contact in an effort to keep him healthy. When the games begin, Scott will be especially dangerous when making plays on the outside.
The former coaching staff considered him an athletic quarterback, not an athlete playing quarterback. Rodriguez saw enough in the spring to be impressed with the whole package.
“I think he’s hungry,” Rodriguez said. “Being a fifth-year senior, he’s hungry to have a great year, to be that guy in charge of the offense. I’m really pleased with his progress.”
Scott started the first three games of the 2009 season before losing his job to Foles, who’s now with the Philadelphia Eagles. Scott also filled in for two-and-a-half games when Foles was injured in 2010. During that time, Scott deferred to Foles as the team leader, but he’s ready for that responsibility, too.
“I enjoy working with Matt because he’s serious every day about what he does,” said running back Daniel Jenkins. “Everyone on the team respects him a lot. He demands that kind of presence as a leader.”