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College Football Insiders "Pac-10 players to watch for 2010" series continues on the offensive side of the ball with Arizona signal caller Nick Foles.

Any coach will tell you that getting a large number of reps in practice is important. They will also tell you that repetitions in practice and the experience gained from snaps in real games are not the same things. Even though he didn’t get the full-time quarterback job until the fourth game of last season, Nick Foles still managed to put up 409 passes. A high percentage of those were quick throws and screens in Arizona’s short passing game, but any time a quarterback is dropping back and throwing the ball more than 50 times in multiple games during a season, you would think they develop a comfort level. That certainly appears to be the case with Arizona’s 6’5” signal caller, who has become quite comfortable in the pocket.

The Austin, Texas native left Westlake High School (having broken many of Drew Brees’ school records) and headed for Michigan State after initially verbally committing to be an Arizona St. Sun Devil. Attempting just eight passes as a freshman for the Spartans, he decided to transfer to Arizona. After sitting out the 2008 season, Foles found himself behind Matt Scott on the Wildcat’s depth chart for the first three games of the 2009 season. Late in the third game of the season during a loss at Iowa, he took over the starting job and held it for the rest of the season. He led the team, which had been picked to finish eighth in the preseason Pac-10 rankings, to their most successful season since 1998. While posting superb numbers at Washington (384 yards) and in victory versus Stanford (415 yards), his most impressive game came against Oregon. In a night game on a nationally televised stage in a contest that would put the winner into the driver’s seat for the Rose Bowl, Foles showed he was a big game player by completing 30 of 46 passes for 314 yards and four touchdowns. Leading late in the fourth quarter, the Arizona fans believed they were on the verge on of one the biggest wins in school history and crowded the sidelines in anticipation of the celebration. However, the Ducks and Jeremiah Masoli capped a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback in the final seconds with a gut wrenching victory in double overtime. Following that traumatic loss, the Wildcats went on to post victories over Arizona State and at Southern Cal; if had they won the Oregon game, Arizona would have gone to the first Rose Bowl in school history.

The biggest question surrounding the fourth-year junior going into this season is whether he can consistently make plays down the field. He will have help pushing his comfort level past the short-passing range with the emergence of the Wildcats’ talented deep threat, Juron Criner, who will be looking to establish himself as the top receiver in the conference this season. The return of a healthy Nic Grigsby at tailback will also open up a potentially dangerous Arizona offense that may need to score many points to offset some inexperience on their defensive front seven. Whether they can come as close to the Rose Bowl as they did last year remains to be seen, but if Nick Foles continues to improve his mechanics and decision-making ability the Wildcats should be able to put up enough points to test any team in the conference.

Related Columns:

Pac-10 Player Watch #1 - James Rodgers, Oregon State

Pac-10 Player Watch #2 - Shane Vereen, California

Pac-10 Player Watch #3 -  Chris Owusu, Stanford

Pac-10 Player Watch #4 - Chris Polk, Washington

Pac-10 Player Watch #5 - Jeff Tuel, Washington State

Photo Courtesy of Luke Adams, Arizona