Arizona State Football: Can Brock Osweiler Contend for the Pac-12 Passing Title?

The names atop the Pac-12's quarterback list for the 2011 season include two potential top 10 NFL draft picks and a player that has already been to a National Championship game. Unfortunately for Arizona State, neither of these names will be stitched to the back of a Sun Devils' jersey this fall.

Brock Osweiler certainly is not at the caliber of Andrew Luck or Matt Barkley and he sure as hell doesn't have the flashy style possessed by Darron Thomas. However, would it be absolutely insane to consider Osweiler a contender for the top quarterback in the Pac-12 conference?

Pac-12 Football: Arizona State Sun Devils Spring Game Report Card

Spring Game Type: Offense (Maroon) vs. Defense (Gold)

Final Score: Maroon 83, Gold 27

Arizona State’s offense danced circles around its defense in the 2011 spring game.  Although many believe that the Sun Devil’s offense will be a handful next season, the spring game unveiled several egregious holes within their defense.

Offense:

Brock Osweiler made it rain touchdowns in the Sun Devils’ spring game, slicing the skies with five touchdowns and 237 yards.  Five different receivers caught touchdowns from a corps that kept busy for most of the day. 

Arizona State’s running game also shined, scoring two touchdowns and rushing for over 140 yards.  Kyle Middlebrooks led the pack, gaining 66 yards on four carries.   James Morrison saw most of the load, rushing the ball 10 times for 25 yards.

Grade: A-

Defense:

Although Arizona State’s offense is expected to be good next season, the Sun Devil’s defense made Osweiler look like Peyton Manning.

While it appears that Defensive Coordinator Bill Miller has his work ahead of him, the secondary seems to be the biggest problem.  If they can’t pull it together before the Fall, the quarterback-laced Pac-12 could eat them alive. 

Despite their ineptitude, the Sun Devil’s defense managed to collect four sacks. However, the unit is still extremely suspect as whole and needs to vastly improve in order to truly contend for the Pac-12 South Division title. 

Grade: D