Brock Osweiler turned in the finest performance of his young ASU career on Friday against the UCLA Bruins, playing in relief of injured quarterback Steven Threet. Osweiler completed 27 of 36 passes for 380 yards and 4 touchdown receptions, and showed a high level of confidence and composure under center. Osweiler also ran for a 14-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to give the Devils a 55-27 lead.
One aspect of the game that Osweiler needs to work on is the execution of swing passes. Often times he threw the ball just out of reach of the receiver, or made it difficult to catch and run. Outside of this minor quibble, Osweiler executed his position to perfection.
Threet was injured in the first quarter after being hit hard by multiple Bruins defenders on a third-and-long. His day was finished with 1/3 passing and only four yards gained.
Osweiler's performance initiates yet another quarterback controversy in Tempe, following in the footsteps of the epic battle between Rudy Carpenter and Sam Keller in 2007. While Threet has performed ably in 2010, Osweiler was dominant against the Bruins defense.
Should Threet be available next week against Arizona, will he play? Osweiler may give the Sun Devils the best chance to defeat the Wildcats and take back the Territorial Cup. Either way, having two good quarterbacks is a good problem for Dennis Erickson and ASU to have. The execution of the situation is what truly matters.