Bear Down Wildcats

The main injury to note is to Jarvis McCall. Rich Rodriguez said after practice that it's a groin strain, and that he should be back practicing sometime in the next week. Cam Denson definitely looked like the best corner out there, and DaVonte' Neal showed that he has some skills that may develop into a potentially great defender.

azthrillhouse wrote:I'm sure we'll have 3 guys blow out their solar plexus and another 2 retire because of congenital spleen defects or something.

(Sorry, the spirit of dmjcat overtook me for a moment. )

Seriously, good stuff, kind of weird to see RR not in his normal "we are a bunch of lazy bums" coach-speak mode.

catgrad97 wrote:

azthrillhouse wrote:I'm sure we'll have 3 guys blow out their solar plexus and another 2 retire because of congenital spleen defects or something.

(Sorry, the spirit of dmjcat overtook me for a moment. )

Seriously, good stuff, kind of weird to see RR not in his normal "we are a bunch of lazy bums" coach-speak mode.

You laugh, but how many springs have we lost a nose guard, tackle and/or corner due to torn ACLs?

Praying for a tear-free spring, although probably it'll hit our new TE this time late.

(Please not Scooby, please not Scooby...)

catgrad97 wrote:
(Please not Scooby, please not Scooby...)

"We've talked. We've met. We've worked," said quarterbacks coach Rod Smith.

"He's not happy. I'm not happy. None of us is happy with the way the last two games ended. So, he better have a little chip on his shoulder, and I think he does. ...

"He should be pissed off that he played the way he did, because we're pissed off that we coached the way we did."

Gimino wrote:Anu looks leaner overall, but stronger in his upper body at the same time. Coaches will be pushing him HARD all spring. ...

"We've talked. We've met. We've worked," said quarterbacks coach Rod Smith.

"He's not happy. I'm not happy. None of us is happy with the way the last two games ended. So, he better have a little chip on his shoulder, and I think he does. ...

"He should be pissed off that he played the way he did, because we're pissed off that we coached the way we did."

More: http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/story/ ... owl-030415

Gimino wrote:Agreed. Anu doesn't have to run a lot, but he has to be a threat. Establishing/developing backup RBs will be key storyline through fall camp.

Arizona: As he heads into his fourth year leading the Wildcats, Rich Rodriguez will have a returning starter behind center for the first time. Considering how well Rodriguez and offensive coordinator Rod Smith do developing QBs, that feels like a big deal. Anu Solomon had a good season as a redshirt freshman, despite playing poorly late in the year when he was clearly banged up. While there's talk in Tucson of a QB competition and of Solomon being vulnerable, the expectation here is Solomon will take a significant step forward as a second-year starter. The competition will end up being for the backup job between Jerrard Randall and Brandon Dawkins.

azcat49 wrote:Baker fumbled that kick off at Wazzu and wasn't heard from again. He needs to have a solid fumble free spring and fall camp

Rodriguez loves these kinds of players.

"It's easier to find them now than it was 20 years ago," he said. "Because there are so many more high schools running spread offenses, you're getting guys who maybe didn't play in the past or didn't play a lot or couldn't find a role. Now, there are a whole bunch of them out there. And because we've had some success with them, I think it's easier for us to sell that part of it. ...

"You just want guys who can make plays in space. We can get by with a little bit smaller guys, but they still have to be tough and they have to block on the perimeter as well, and be able to run the football."
Johnson said "blocking them big linebackers" was the toughest adjustment to college last season, but he's eager to test his stronger body this fall.

The speed is not a question.

Teammates have stopped asking him to race.

"He's fast-fast," Rodriguez said of Johnson. "There are some guys who think they're fast. If they think they're fast, then race T.J. They'll find out that maybe they're fast, but he's fast-fast."

Receivers coach Tony Dews said he is happy with how the unit has played so far in the spring.

“We’re getting better; we’re making improvements from the fall,” Dews said. “Just make daily improvements. We’re moving in the right direction.”

Griffey said the Wildcats have been improving since the fall. Arizona was 21st in the country in passing yards last season.

“Everybody’s improving on stuff we were messing up on as far as I see — everybody’s making strides, making improvements,” Griffey said. “We have new freshmen in picking up on the system. They’re doing great, and it’s helping us out in the future.”

Dews said the redshirt freshmen have done well so far in the spring and will get better as they get more reps after moving from the scout team.

“Tony [Ellison] is doing a good job, Kaelin’s [DeBoskie] doing a good job, [Jocquez] Kalili, Darius Aguirre,” Dews said. “All those guys that were working with the scouts in the fall, they’ve done a good job through the off season and the first couple practices.”

Speedy sophomore Tyrell Johnson is expected to play a bigger role on offense. He spent the offseason competing for the track and field team.

Johnson set a new UA record after running a 6.66 60-meter dash at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships. Johnson finished fifth in the finals of the 60 meters, clocking a 6.72.

“Obviously, he’s a really fast kid,” Dews said. “He’s a skilled athlete. He just has to continue to learn to be a true wide receiver and keep developing as a receiver.”

Johnson said he is focused on football but could join the track and field team for the outdoor season after spring football, and he is trying to get stronger so he can block better.

“I’ve learned how to become a receiver more,” Johnson said. “In high school, I was always at running back, so now that I’m running routes consistently, I’m learning how to break my routes off, how to speed, how to burst, how to stem receivers. It’s just helping me become a better player.”

Johnson played in all 14 games as a freshman, catching 14 passes for 120 yards and averaging 8.6 yards per catch. He returned 29 kicks for 687 yards, 23.7 yards per return.

Johnson said the success on the track doesn’t give him more confidence on the football field.

“It’s different,” Johnson said. “Track, you’re running. You don’t have to worry about no one hitting you, you don’t have to worry about catching the ball, you don’t have to worry about the crowd. It’s just you against that person. On the football field, it’s you and your team.”

The Wildcats are spending the spring trying to replace Hill, who played all the receiver positions and even played some tight end in 2014.

Griffey said Hill was like another coach on the field, but senior David Richards could help take up that role.

“It’s tough because of what he’s meant to the program for so long,” Dews said about losing Hill. “Obviously, he was a guy who could play all the positions, a good leader in the meeting room. So, it’s tough, but it’s like in recruiting ‘on to the next one,’ you just keep developing the ones that are here.”

We’re down by eight," Solomon recalls, stepping in when a reporter pauses. "We have 16 seconds to go. I was aware of the situation. Third down, if I don’t have anything, throw it away we get another shot. We did a roll-out play and I didn’t see anything. But being the true competitor I am… All I can say is I wanted to do everything myself, to make something out of nothing. I was not being smart at that time. Right now, I’d take it back. But I can’t.”

Solomon held the ball too long, waiting for a crack in the Broncos defense that never appeared. Instead, he was sacked by Kamalei Correa for a 2-yard loss and the clock hit zero, a fantastic season ending on a dreary, "What the Heck Was He Thinking?" note.

Solomon struggled over the second half of the season. Through the first seven games, he completed 63.3 percent of his passes with 20 touchdowns and four interceptions. Over the next seven, he completed 50.4 percent of his throws with eight TDs and five picks.

Sure, the second-half schedule was tougher. And, sure, Solomon was playing through multiple injuries -- "foot, knee, ankle," he said. But there's a reason Rodriguez has talked about Solomon this spring as if he's in another QB competition rather than being the first returning starter behind center Rodriguez has had in Tucson.

“I don’t want to use the injuries as an excuse," he said. "My brain wasn’t injured.”

So Solomon isn't shying away from the idea that he needs to distinguish himself from Brandon Dawkins and Jerrard Randall this spring. He has added a few pounds to his 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame from last fall, and he set a team QB record with a 325 pound bench press while running a 4.6 40-yard dash.

“Nothing is guaranteed in life," he said. "Every year in sports you have to earn your spot. As of right now, jobs are open and I’m competing for that spot.”

As for areas of emphasis, Solomon said his pocket presence, accuracy, decision-making and leadership are where he most needs to focus. While Arizona had one of the nation's deepest crews of receivers last year, Solomon admits he and his wideouts didn't develop an intuitive connection, particularly when plays broke down and there was some necessary improvising. A not-infrequent visual was senior Austin Hill gesticulating back toward Solomon after a pass flew off the mark.

"We struggled a lot last season being on the same page," Solomon said.

While the Wildcats are filling three holes on the offensive line, the skill players around Solomon, including running back Nick Wilson and receivers Nate Phillips, Cayleb Jones, Samajie Grant, Trey Griffey and David Richards, are A-list. It's difficult to imagine that, after averaging nearly 35 points per game last year, an improved Solomon wouldn't give Arizona one of the nation's most potent offenses.

As for Rodriguez continuing to, er, help Solomon become comfortable being uncomfortable, as of Wednesday the QB said Rodriguez has yet to unleash one of his trademark epic tirades.

“Not yet," Solomon said. "He’s baby stepping his way there."

The team held a spirited scrimmage that was open to the media. I'll have some observations below, broken down by position. Overall, the offense had the better day and "won" the practice.

The Wildcats hit on a lot of deep balls and the quarterbacks routinely had plenty of time to throw.

Despite losing three starters from last year’s 10-4 team, Rodriguez said the UA offensive line has had a positive spring.

At the tackle spots, Cal transfer Freddie Tagaloa has stepped in for Mickey Baucus on Solomon’s blind side. Lene Maiava, preparing for his fifth season with the Wildcats, is likely to take over for Fabbians Ebbele on the right side.

Tagaloa, listed at 6 feet 8 inches and 316 pounds, has taken every rep with the first-team this spring and had a strong showing against Reggie Gilbert in the recent scrimmage.

Rodriguez said Tagaloa is still adjusting to Arizona’s scheme, but has fit in well.

“He’s going to see things for the first time in this offense, but the thing Freddie brings to us is his passion to play,” Rodriguez said. “He’s going to be the first guy here, the last one to leave. His work ethic is second to none.”

Maiava has been moved around a lot since returning from a torn ACL in 2013, but he now appears to be locked in at right tackle.

“Lene has taken hold of it pretty well,” Rodriguez said. “We’re going to try to keep Lene at one position. We moved him to four different positions since we’ve been here, and he’s so much more comfortable at one, particularly right tackle.

“He’s having a pretty good spring.”

At guard, Jacob Alsadek and Cayman Bundage, both full-time starters from a year ago, are back.

Scooby Wright, the owner of nearly every major defensive award from a year ago, referred to Zellers as his "bodyguard."

And despite weighing just 1 pound less than Zellers, Wright wasn't joking.

In the UA's 3-3-5 odd-stack defense, the middle linebacker is only as good as the nose guard in front of him.

Or as Wright said: "The Mike (linebacker) and the nose play off each other. It's like a puzzle piece, pretty much."

"I was looking last night on film and we were standing next to each other, and I looked bigger than Parker," Wright said. "But I was like 'well, you get it done; that's all that matters.' Parker plays his heart out.

"He's one of the toughest football players I've ever played with, and I'd rather choose that than somebody with size any day."

"He's had a pretty good spring," Rich Rodriguez said of Mashack. "He's a physical guy. I think he loves football. He's learned a lot and his head's spinning sometimes but he looks like a guy that could help us. He's gotta get in shape...but by August he should be in shape and ready to go."

"I think I've come a long way," Mashack added. "I'm starting to really get the technique down. I feel like I've progressed pretty good."

Everyone has one major weakness, and with Mashack, he says that it's his footwork and spending more time in the film room.

Coming out of high school, Mashack was a consensus top-100 cornerback in the nation. Now he finds himself below guys like Jarvis McCall, Cam Denson, DaVonte' Neal, and maybe even Devin Holiday and Devon Brewer. But he knows that he has a lot of competition.

There may be a time down the road when DaVonte' Neal reflects on his football career and says, "I should have moved from offense to defense a long time ago."

If that turns out to be the case, well, that'll be a good thing for the fourth-year junior who's still trying to find his sweet spot with the Arizona Wildcats.

"It's why I'm over there," said Neal, who earlier this year asked to move from receiver to defensive back.

"DB is a passion for me. It's where I want to be. It's not that offense didn't work, but my love is somewhere else (now). And it's on defense."

Senior Carter Wood subbed late last season for starting center Steven Gurrola, who was suspended for parts of two games, and he was working with the first team early in the spring. When Wood was limited because of injury, junior Zach Hemmila stepped in.

Another candidate is senior David Catalano, a Tucson Canyon del Oro High grad and San Jose State transfer who joined the team this semester as a walk-on. Rodriguez has praised Catalano's strength, but the transfer is learning the center position on the fly.

"Every once in a while, he'll snap the ball over the stadium," Rodriguez said. "When he doesn't snap the ball over the stadium, he actually does a pretty good job."

With the way Rodriguez and offensive line coach Jim Michalczik talk about the inconsistent snapping, it's pretty clear what the group has to work on before fall camp.

"If the snap isn't there, it doesn't matter what we do," Michalczik said. "It's going to be a battle, and it's going to be a battle into fall."

By that time, another player might have joined the battle. Matt Hegarty, an immediately eligible graduate transfer from Notre Dame, visited campus late last month. He also has visited Florida State.