University of Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase made the 2012 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watchlist when it was announced on Tuesday. The junior threw for 2,110 yards and 13 touchdowns while completing 62 percent of his passes during he Fighting Illini's 2011 campaign in which they went 7-6 while going 1-3 against top 25 competition.
Illinois was invited to the 2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl where they faced off against UCLA and won 20-14. Scheelhaase took home the offensive player of the game honor as he completed 18-of-30 passes while throwing for 139 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 110 yards in the game as well.
Despite the honor for Scheelhaase, new Illinois head coach Tim Beckman has been contemplating employing a two-quarterback system similar to the one he ran in Toledo according to ESPN:
"We're going to put the best players out on the football field that we possibly can," Beckman said during the Big Ten media days. "We just had an opportunity at the University of Toledo to play two guys who were very capable of winning football games. If that's the case on Sept. 1, we're going to do that. There's no question about it.
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