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From today through Saturday — when Arizona plays New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl at Albuquerque — AllSportsTucson.com will run an Arizona All-Bowl team comprised of players at each position that performed the best in the postseason. We begin with quarterback today. Tomorrow will be the running backs and offensive linemen.
ARIZONA ALL-BOWL TEAM
Quarterback
First Team — Matt Scott, 2012 Gildan New Mexico Bowl vs. Nevada
Arizona’s senior quarterback engineered the Wildcats to a miraculous 49-48 victory over Nevada three years ago. Arizona trailed Nevada by 10 points, with less than two minutes left, and the Wolf Pack possessing the ball at the Wildcat 7.
Scott overcame two second-half interceptions by completed 8 of 9 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns in the final two minutes. He finished with 382 passing yards on 28-of-47 passing.
“Those last two drives, you had to be almost flawless with the amount of time we had left,” Rodriguez told reporters after the game. “Matt Scott was flawless. Certainly that is why we won the game.”
Scott, as a senior, was an expected hero but unpredictable was unknown sophomore Tyler Slavin catching the game-winning touchdown pass on a 2-yard slant for his first career touchdown.
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Site founder and award-winning sports journalist Javier Morales has published his first e-book, “The Highest Form of Living”, a fiction piece about a young man who overcomes a troubled upbringing without his lost father and wayward mother through basketball and hope. His hope is realized through the sport he loves. Basketball enables him to get past his fears. His experience on the court indirectly brings him closer to his parents in a unique, heartfelt way. Please order it at Amazon (for only $4.99) by clicking on the photo:
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He was misidentified as injured Terrence Miller on ESPN and the public-address system because he had to change his jersey from No. 11 to No. 18 to avoid having duplicate numbers on special teams.
After Marquis Flowers recovered an onside kick, Scott engineered Arizona’s last drive 51 yards on three plays for the win. He hit Garic Wharton for 28 yards, Austin Hill for 21 yards and Slavin for the touchdown.
SECOND TEAM: Willie Tuitama vs. BYU in 2008 Las Vegas Bowl. He completed 24 of 35 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He also ran eight yards for the decisive score in the 31-21 win for Arizona.
HONORABLE MENTION: B.J. Denker vs. Boston College in 2013 AdvoCare V100 Bowl (17 of 24, 275 yards, two touchdowns); Keith Smith vs. Nebraska in 1998 Holiday Bowl (11 of 19, 143 yards, 25 yards rushing); Dan White vs. Miami in 1994 Fiesta Bowl (two touchdown passes to Troy Dickey) and Eddie Wolgast vs. Drake in 1949 Salad Bowl (133 yards rushing, eight more than Drake had as a team).
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He has also written articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
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