Arizona State Needs To Start Brock Osweiler at Quarterback in 2011

When looking over all the talent that’s returning to Arizona State for the upcoming 2011 season, you can’t help but wonder what this Sun Devil team is capable of if they could just get some consistency at the quarterback position.

Coach Dennis Erickson’s team is returning nearly every key starter from last year, including the entire offensive line, the team’s two top rushers, three out of the four top receivers, and two of the best defensive players in the country in LB Vontaze Burfict and CB Omar Bolden.

The only considerable losses from a year ago are defensive tackle Lawrence Guy, who opted to leave school early for the NFL, and seniors Kerry Taylor, the team’s leading receiver, and stingy safety Max Talbach.

With so much quality returning talent, it looks like Erickson’s experienced bunch is ready to escape the mediocre malaise that they’ve been stuck in for the past three years.

The only real question that will need to be answered before September 1st is just who will be the starting quarterback leading Arizona State when they kick things off in the new look Pac-12?

Returning senior starter Steven Threet, a former transfer from Michigan, had his ups and downs during his first season under center out in Tempe. Threet threw for over 2,500 yards, but he also finished with a questionable 18-16 touchdown to interception ratio and made more than a few simply inexcusable mistakes, which killed the Sun Devils at inopportune times.

As of now, Threet hasn’t been cleared to compete in spring practices due to the concussions he endured in 2010. That very well could fling the door wide open for intriguing 6’8’’ junior Brock Osweiler to unseat him.

There are already those around the program who believe it’s Osweiler’s job to lose regardless of Threet’s health status but nothing is certain at this point in time.

All we know now is that the big junior is oozing with potential and showed flashes of greatness in the team’s final two games of the season, victories over UCLA and rival Arizona. In those two contests, Osweiler threw for nearly 550 yards and connected on five touchdown strikes without tossing an interception.

Judging by how well Arizona State’s offensive engine was running with Osweiler at the helm, it looks like it should be his job to lose come this offseason.

The former 3-star recruit out of Montana looks like he has what it takes to compete with some of the Pac 10’s top signal callers such as Stanford’s Andrew Luck, USC’s Matt Barkley and Arizona’s Nick Foles.

The surrounding talent is there for Osweiler to lead the Sun Devils into contention for a Pac-12 crown; now all he has to do is seize the opportunity.