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Former Corona Centennial QB May Start Against UCLA Saturday

(CBS/AP) -- Nick Foles' availability against UCLA will depend on how well his sprained right knee holds up in practice.

Arizona has a backup plan if he's not ready. A pretty good one, too.

Matt Scott, the one-time starter over Foles, had an impressive return under center on Saturday, seamlessly guiding the 15th-ranked Wildcats (6-1, 3-1 Pac-10) to a 44-14 rout over Washington.

Foles was listed as questionable for this Saturday's game against the Bruins, but there'll be no need to rush him back into action the way Scott played.

"We always thought we had two good quarterbacks," Arizona outside receivers coach Dave Nichol said Monday. "No doubt, it is a good problem to have. You look around the country and a lot of people aren't in that situation."

Gallery: Former LA Area Prep Stars In Pac-10

Foles has been a star-in-the-making since taking over for a struggling Scott three games into the 2009 season.

He was the no-doubt starter this season and, through the first six games, led the Pac-10 in passing with 306 yards per game and was second nationally in completion percentage at 75.3 percent.

The junior's season came to a painful halt on Oct. 16, when an opposing player rolled into his right leg in the second quarter of Arizona's 24-7 win over Washington State.

Arizona coach Mike Stoops said last week that the injury wasn't a season-ender, but wouldn't speculate when he'd return.

Foles was in uniform for the win over Washington, though it was only to go through warmups with his teammates; he wasn't ever going to trot out onto the field.

Whether he plays against UCLA will depend on what he does in practice this week.

"You want him to be healthy and be able to protect himself and be able to do all the things he did prior to his injury," Stoops said. "That is what you have to see: the mobility to protect himself."

Scott didn't need much protection in his first start in 13 months.

His mobility gave Arizona's offense an added dimension, one Washington had trouble figuring out.

The athletic junior ran for 65 yards on just seven carries and was surprisingly prolific -- at least to the Huskies -- through the air, throwing for 233 yards and two touchdowns, including a highlight-reel strike to Juron Criner after fumbling a snap in the fourth quarter.

Scott finished a Foles-like 18 of 22 and gave the Wildcats a sense of ease about their quarterback situation.

"Matt's performance didn't really shock a lot of us," Stoops said. "Matt had practiced well and prepared well. We see him every day; we know what kind of ability he has. Being able to translate it to the field, I thought he did a great job. He gives us a lot of options and that's good."

Scott played his high school ball in Southern California at Corona Centennial, the same school as such stars as Arizona State's Vontaze Burfict and Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez.

(TM and © Copyright 2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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