UA QB Foles continues to impress
22 commentsby Ryan Finley - Oct. 18, 2009 06:23 PM
Arizona Daily Star .
TUCSON - It's way too soon to consider Nick Foles one of the greater quarterbacks in Arizona Wildcats history.
But most accurate? That's accurate.
The Wildcats' shaggy-haired sophomore set a program record for efficiency in Saturday's 43-38 win over Stanford at Arizona Stadium, completing 40 of 51 of his passes for 415 yards and three touchdowns. The 78.4 percent completion rate is the highest in Arizona history for games with more than 20 attempts; Tom Tunnicliffe completed 78 percent (21 of 27) of his passes in a 1982 victory over Pacific, while Willie Tuitama hit 74.5 percent (38 for 51) in a 2007 win at Washington.
In three starts and a few mop-up appearances this season, Foles has completed an astounding 76 percent of his attempts. No Arizona quarterback has finished a season with a percentage above 69 percent.
"Nick has the ability to complete a lot of passes," offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes said after Saturday's game. "And when you're completing passes, good things are happening."
Foles' ability to pile up completions - and all-but eliminate mistakes - has earned him the trust of his teammates and coaches. Because of that, the Wildcats are doing a lot of "good things." Such as:
? Running the no-huddle offense. Arizona switched to a hurry-up attack on the final drive of the first half, and responded by going 89 yards in 2 minutes, 39 seconds. Wildcats' players called the drive, which was capped by Foles' 11-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Turner, the turning point in the game. The score cut Stanford's halftime lead to 28-20, with Arizona due to receive the second-half kickoff. Arizona ran the no-huddle attack the rest of the way with great success. The Wildcats' game-deciding drive covered 92 yards in 2:30. "I love playing up-tempo," Foles said. "I love it, the guys love it. " Heck, even Mike Stoops loves it.
The Wildcats' coach hinted Saturday that the team may rely more on the no-huddle Saturday against UCLA, and in future games. Stoops said: "It looks like we're moving more into a spread offense."
? Resting their tailbacks. Injuries to Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin threatened to derail the Wildcats' season. Foles' ability to make plays has allowed the UA to be productive on offense without overtaxing its banged-up backs. Arizona ran the ball just 14 times against Stanford, but still managed to get long touchdown runs from both Grigsby and Greg Nwoko. The Wildcats are still using their running backs, but they're using them smarter.
? Spreading the ball. Coaches trust Foles to change plays at the line of scrimmage and go through his progressions once the ball is snapped. The results: A spread-the-wealth attitude on offense that the Wildcats never really enjoyed with Tuitama under center. Foles has had a new favorite target in each of his three starts: Nwoko (Oregon State), David Roberts (Washington) and Juron Criner (Stanford).
"He throws a good deep ball," Dykes said. "He gives those guys chances to make plays."
22 commentsby Ryan Finley - Oct. 18, 2009 06:23 PM
Arizona Daily Star .
TUCSON - It's way too soon to consider Nick Foles one of the greater quarterbacks in Arizona Wildcats history.
But most accurate? That's accurate.
The Wildcats' shaggy-haired sophomore set a program record for efficiency in Saturday's 43-38 win over Stanford at Arizona Stadium, completing 40 of 51 of his passes for 415 yards and three touchdowns. The 78.4 percent completion rate is the highest in Arizona history for games with more than 20 attempts; Tom Tunnicliffe completed 78 percent (21 of 27) of his passes in a 1982 victory over Pacific, while Willie Tuitama hit 74.5 percent (38 for 51) in a 2007 win at Washington.
In three starts and a few mop-up appearances this season, Foles has completed an astounding 76 percent of his attempts. No Arizona quarterback has finished a season with a percentage above 69 percent.
"Nick has the ability to complete a lot of passes," offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes said after Saturday's game. "And when you're completing passes, good things are happening."
Foles' ability to pile up completions - and all-but eliminate mistakes - has earned him the trust of his teammates and coaches. Because of that, the Wildcats are doing a lot of "good things." Such as:
? Running the no-huddle offense. Arizona switched to a hurry-up attack on the final drive of the first half, and responded by going 89 yards in 2 minutes, 39 seconds. Wildcats' players called the drive, which was capped by Foles' 11-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Turner, the turning point in the game. The score cut Stanford's halftime lead to 28-20, with Arizona due to receive the second-half kickoff. Arizona ran the no-huddle attack the rest of the way with great success. The Wildcats' game-deciding drive covered 92 yards in 2:30. "I love playing up-tempo," Foles said. "I love it, the guys love it. " Heck, even Mike Stoops loves it.
The Wildcats' coach hinted Saturday that the team may rely more on the no-huddle Saturday against UCLA, and in future games. Stoops said: "It looks like we're moving more into a spread offense."
? Resting their tailbacks. Injuries to Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin threatened to derail the Wildcats' season. Foles' ability to make plays has allowed the UA to be productive on offense without overtaxing its banged-up backs. Arizona ran the ball just 14 times against Stanford, but still managed to get long touchdown runs from both Grigsby and Greg Nwoko. The Wildcats are still using their running backs, but they're using them smarter.
? Spreading the ball. Coaches trust Foles to change plays at the line of scrimmage and go through his progressions once the ball is snapped. The results: A spread-the-wealth attitude on offense that the Wildcats never really enjoyed with Tuitama under center. Foles has had a new favorite target in each of his three starts: Nwoko (Oregon State), David Roberts (Washington) and Juron Criner (Stanford).
"He throws a good deep ball," Dykes said. "He gives those guys chances to make plays."
