Matt Scott ran for 506 yards and six touchdowns as a senior. Photo by Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE
A pair of former Arizona Wildcats — quarterback Matt Scott and receiver Dan Buckner – have accepted invitations to play in the East-West Shrine Game.
Both players were on rosters released on the game’s website Friday. The East-West Shrine Game will be held Jan. 19 in St. Petersburg, Fla., and will be televised by the NFL Network.
Scott is Arizona’s best draft prospect, a second-team All-Pac-12 quarterback who has an intriguing blend of passing ability, athleticism and upside.
NFLDraftScout.com recently upgraded his projection to the third- or fourth-round range.
(Here is more on Scott’s draft prospects as the new NFL prototype in a story I wrote last month after the Wildcats’ win in the New Mexico Bowl.)
Scott, in his first full year as Arizona’s starting quarterback, completed 301 of 499 passes for 3,620 yards, with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
He will be joined on the West roster by two other quarterbacks — Texas Tech’s Seth Doege and Western Michigan’s Alex Carder.
Buckner appears to have late-round possibilities. He caught 61 passes for 773 and five touchdowns this season, battling an ankle injury that limited his availability late in the season. At 6-4, 214, he has the size to be a possession receiver in the NFL, although questionable speed probably limits his ceiling.
Nine Pac-12 players are listed on the current West roster, which could still undergo some changes before the game. Arizona State will send punter Josh Hubner and safety Keelan Johnson, whose fourth-quarter forced fumble against Scott was the pivotal moment of the Sun Devils’ comeback win over the Cats in the regular-season finale.
Three ex-Arizona players are set to appear in the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game in Tucson. They are center Kyle Quinn, fullback/defensive end Taimi Tutogi and defensive lineman Dominique Austin. The game will be played Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. at Kino Stadium.