Hard Edge Camp Week 3

[ANGCatFan]

The Pac 12 Network's Arizona Training Camp will be on at 9 tonight for its first showing.

[ANGCatFan]

Monday AM



Arizona Athletics release:

Play of the Day:

Quarterback Anu Solomon found receiver David Richards on an out route and Richards was able to keep his feet in bounds and took off up the left sideline for a 65-yard touchdown.

Stat of the Day:

As a junior, receiver David Richards caught 23 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown.

Coach Rod Said It:

On defensive lineman Luca Bruno…
“I think he is more familiar with what we are doing defensively. You can just see him being more active as far as getting off the blocks. He has done a great job in the offseason. I think our defensive line needs to get a little bit bigger and we’ve made that pretty well known. Players like himself and the freshman who needed to get in the weight room did that.”

On offensive lineman T.D Gross…
“He has been here long enough and it’s time for him to be in the mix. He has worked pretty hard in the weight room and football is important to him. He knows our schemes and he has played tackle and guard on both the left and the right side. He knows what we are doing now and we just have to keep him healthy.”

On safety Tellas Jones…
“Tellas (Jones) has been doing well. He loves football and he is a very active player. He has the capability to blitz and to cover. He is one of those guys that has a knack for the ball and we think he can have a big year for us.”

On incorporating yoga into the schedule…
“The yoga we did yesterday was very good. I think Nicole who came over and ran it did a great job. I asked the team if they wanted to do it every week throughout the season and it was unanimous. From a flexibility standpoint, it really loosens them up. A lot of it is just learning how to relax and it’ll be a part of our weekly routine from now on.”

On different activities during camp…
“We had the yoga yesterday and the team video on Saturday and we also had fun meeting Sunday. I think it helps camp from becoming so monotonous every day. It’s such a tedious time, it’s all about football and up until last week, school as well. You hope that they love football enough that they enjoy it. I think that one day a week doing something a little different creates the diversion that helps them to refresh their minds. We are more into recovery and being conscious of our guys after practice and workouts. We want to do a good recovery job so we have been working on that as a staff. This weekend we will have our mock road trip and we’ll have a little talent show. I think that is one of the highlights of camp.”

In their Own Words:

Quarterback Coach Rod Smith
On quarterback Jerrard Randall’s progression…

“I think he has gotten better. He is starting to understand more of what we are trying to do. He’s throwing a lot more. The kid has a laser for an arm. He throws the football about as hard as anyone I’ve seen. That’s good and bad because he has to learn when to take some off. I think he has gotten better at that. He's showed some touch here in the fall camp and that is very impressive for us.”

On quarterback Brandon Dawkins…
“The biggest thing for him is to continue to learn what we are doing. He needs to continue to work on his fundamentals. I like Brandon Dawkins and I think he has a bright future ahead of him. He needs to get ready for this year, not the future. We are pushing him and I think he just needs to continue to get reps and continue to grow and learn what we are doing. He can work on where his eyes need to be and making sure he’s reading coverage correctly and all of those things. He probably has the most work to do out of all of them but at the same time he is progressing.”

Cornerback DaVonte’ Neal

On transitioning from wide receiver to cornerback
“I am still working and I am still getting better and working on my technique. I know, as coach Lockwood would say, I haven’t arrived. I hope I am not playing like I have arrived. I am just out here trying to make plays for my team and be in the right spot. It is 12 weeks straight and I just want to get on the field and contribute like the rest of my teammates do.”

Safety Tellas Jones

On being a leader:
“Right now I am taking a bigger role. The coaches are giving me a little more room to move around. I am feeling a lot more comfortable. Will Parks has helped me out a lot from working out in the weight room to on the field. We all work together on the field. All of the guys on the back end get better as a group. I don’t like to talk much, I like to go out there and show what I can do.”

[ANGCatFan]

[ANGCatFan]

From ESPN blog:

With very little continuity and minimal depth, Arizona would prefer to get its starting line sorted out quickly -- especially after it lost projected starting center Carter Wood for the season. The loss of Wood required Cayman Bundage to move from left guard, thus creating a position battle that the coaching staff wasn't expecting. Based on reports out of Tucson, it will come down to Zach Hemmila or T.D. Gross, although Hemmila is also getting reps at center. Both players are in their fourth years in the program, but neither has much experience with only spot duty during over the past two years.

Here is what Rodriguez had to say about Gross (via the Arizona Daily Star): "He’s been here long enough; it’s time for him to be in the mix. He’s worked pretty hard in the weight room. Football is important to him. He knows our scheme. He’s played tackle and guard. He’s played on the right side, the left side. He knows what we’re doing, so now we just have to keep him healthy and keep progressing."

Hemmila might have received a small boost with Gross slowed for a few days due to injury, but the Daily Star also noted that is was Gross running with the first team during the portion of Monday's practice open to the media.

Arizona will also start new players at left (Freddie Tagaloa) and right tackle (Lene Maiava), leaving right guard Jacob Alsadek as the lone remaining starter on the offensive line.

The last line is misleading. Bundage is also a returning starter. He is just moving from guard to center.

[ANGCatFan]

Matt Moreno at GoAZCats with a free story on Worthy. Sounds like a guy ready to be more of a factor in the defensive line rotation.

[gronk4heisman]

Maiava also started a few games last year at guard and Tagaloa has also started in the PAC 12, just not for us.

[ANGCatFan]

Tuesday evening's practice from Arizona Athletics:

Play of the Day:

Quarterback Brandon Dawkins scrambled to the right on a broken play and heaved the ball 35 yards on the run towards the end zone. Receiver Abraham Mendivil jumped among multiple defensive backs and was able to snatch the ball out of the air for the touchdown.

Stat of the Day:

In the 2014 season, 18 Wildcats found the end zone for a total of 61 touchdowns.

Coach Rod Said It:

On quarterback Anu Solomon…
“Anu (Solomon) has gotten a bit stronger in the weight room. I’ve seen improvement particularly in his deep throws. He has been pretty good with them all along but I think that he has some more zip on them this year. We have not tested how far he can throw but he looks stronger.”

On the kicking game…
“We have been kicking field goals pretty good. Today I think we were average. Drew (Riggleman) has been punting the ball pretty well. We haven’t done a lot of kickoffs but Casey (Skowron)’s kickoffs have been really good throughout camp. There are only two kickers and two punters in camp so we have to make sure that they don’t over kick themselves. They are doing a good job of following the schedule that Coach (Charlie) Ragle has given them. They have 21 periods to work on their craft which is good, but at the same time we have to make sure that they do not overdo it.”

On the depth chart…
“Sunday I am going to meet with the coaches to gain some clarity on a depth chart. There is just about two weeks until our first game and I think it is good to have a tentative depth chart to discuss for special teams, offense and defense. It won’t be set in stone but it will give us a better idea heading into the first game. We are going to scrimmage Saturday morning and probably get about 70-80 plays and that will help clarify it.”

On the secondary…
“I think the young guys in the secondary have done a pretty good job. I was worried about the inexperience coming into camp but it seems like the secondary has come along pretty well. I would say that that is one pleasant thing I have seen.”

On the offensive linemen…
“The offensive linemen have time to improve. I think that is a harder position to look good when you have seen a lot of blitzes. In their defense, it takes a little bit longer to get to the point where they don’t have to think as much. They are thinking a lot right now. They are a hard working group and they will get it done. Coach (Jim) Michalczik will get them right.

In their Own Words:

Kicker Casey Skowron

On onside kicks...
“The biggest thing is getting that bounce and you have to make sure it goes 10 yards. We like to get that bounce just a few yards away from the sideline. We try to hit that spot so it pops up right over the guy on the edge of the sideline. It has gotten to the point where I have the same stroke and I have been pretty consistent with it."

Defensive Lineman Sani Fuimaono

On the first few weeks of camp...
“It is definitely a lot different from last year and everything is coming together for me. The biggest thing this offseason was getting healthy and it has been paying off for me. I feel more comfortable playing the nose guard. Last year I was worrying about too many other things and this year I'm just worried about taking care of my job."

Offensive Lineman Jacob Alsadek

On playing alongside Cayman Bundage...
“Cayman (Bundage) helps a lot because he is getting good movement. You can play faster and a lot more physical. That is one of his best qualities. He knows what he is doing because he has been in the system for four years."

[ANGCatFan]

Jordyn Owen interviews Reggie Gilbert for GoAZCats.

[ANGCatFan]

Wed AM from Arizona Athletics:

Play of the Day:

Anu Solomon dropped back to pass and had his eye on receiver Cayleb Jones. Solomon fired it to Jones, but cornerback DaVonte Neal laid out to his right after running to his left and intercepted the pass.

Stat of the Day:

In 2014, DaVonte Neal caught two touchdown passes as a receiver and ran a punt back for a touchdown as well.

Coach Rod Said It:

On walk-ons…
“A couple of the guys that have been here have impressed me during camp. Safety Carter (Hehr) and wide receiver Abraham (Mendivil) are a couple guys that have performed well during camp. They will definitely help us on special teams and have back up roles on offense and defense. We have a really good freshman class of walk-ons. Running backs Branden (Leon) and Weston (Barlow) are a couple of really good walk-ons. It’s a really good group. The freshman walk-ons are probably the best group that we have had since we have been here, there are about 11 of them.”

On offensive lineman Gerhard de Beer…
“Compared to when he was first here, it is night and day. He wasn’t even sure how to put his thigh pads in. He has done a good job. He has not been with us full time because he throws for track and field too. He has gained a lot of weight and he’s a hard worker. He is a smart guy but it is still new to him. He is working through it. He is going to be helpful to us this year because of his size. He’s athletic and with our lack of depth at the offensive linemen position, he is going to have a chance.”

On offensive lineman Layth Friekh…
“He has put on a lot of weight to become the big guy that we need at the offensive linemen position. He is a tough guy that is still learning. I think he has to be ready to contribute this year. It is important to him so he is working really hard.”

On transition of Josh Kern to tight end…
“I knew we were putting an athletic guy there. We knew he needed to get bigger and get ready to mix things up a bit. Josh is a smart guy and a very good athlete. It is a physical position and he has had to adapt to that a bit. He has been doing some pretty good things.”

On free safety Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles…
“He is a really good athlete. He has the perfect body type for the free safety position. He is tall and long and that is an advantage for him. He has shown a lot of physicality. He is probably one of the freshman that will play this year. At the beginning of camp you could tell that he didn’t play last year. You could tell he was getting adjusted to it again. We didn’t know for sure if he was going to be eligible until the end of the summer. He’s done a pretty good job and think he is going to have a really good career.”

On linebacker Sir Thomas Jackson…
“He is in great shape. He worked his tail off this summer to really prove himself. He had a really good spring and he’s having a pretty good camp. It’s really important to him. He is one of those guys that started as a walk-on and earned a scholarship. He kind of leveled off there for a bit and then he took another step up in the last four months. He is definitely a special teams guy and he is going to help us in certain defenses this season too. You want all your seniors to have their best year heading out and I think he will have that.”

In their Own Words:

Wide Receiver David Richards

On quarterback Anu Solomon...
“He has your back. He is a guy that embeds that. He is cool, calm and collected. You don't see him getting flustered and he just goes out and does his job every day."

Cornerbacks coach David Lockwood

On cornerback Sammy Morrison...
“You look at his background and he has a great family with good genes. His dad played here and played in the league. He is a sharp kid and has good character and a lot of pride. He knows what he is doing and I attribute it to his upbringing."

[ANGCatFan]

Bartel at AZDS with a story on TD Gross. Will be a starter or at least a key back-up.

[ANGCatFan]

Congrats to Abraham and the Mendivil family! Walking on to a D1 program and earning a scholarship is a huge deal!

[azpenguin]

Congrats to Abraham and the Mendivil family! Walking on to a D1 program and earning a scholarship is a huge deal!

RichRod has mentioned him several times in the past and if you're a walk on who he's noticing, that's a good thing. Means you're busting it and doing well.

[ANGCatFan]

Congrats to Carter also. Well done!

[UAEebs86]

[FightWildcatsFight]

The locker room is going nuts lol

In other news, anyone know what credentials are required to watch the scrimmage saturday?

[azpenguin]

The reaction and the speed they cleared out of there with is hilarious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3kw4k0 ... e=youtu.be

(Just a bit of salty language)

[ANGCatFan]

Not new, I just embedded penguin's video link.

[RazorsEdgeAZ]

Assuming Scooby on the video saying "F*cker"... thought it was interesting school released with that. Or they missed the edit which seems hard to believe. Not sure I've seen that before.

So assume they did with some intention. Cred, rep, who knows. I don't care, just thought it was interesting and obvious inclusion.

[ANGCatFan]

New Sports Guys with Jake Fischer and Andy Lopez. Love Jake's optimism!

[BearDown89]

New Sports Guys with Jake Fischer and Andy Lopez. Love Jake's optimism!

As I said quite a few times last year, I thing Jake is really good at this. He's a natural. Really enjoy listening to him.

[HaCats]

I thought the same thing with Scooby on that video. But I watched it again and I think he yelled 'Parker' as in Zellers.

[RazorsEdgeAZ]

I thought the same thing with Scooby on that video. But I watched it again and I think he yelled 'Parker' as in Zellers.

Think you're right... Just played it loud on better speakers. Had son listen to it couple times. "hey Parker"..

[ANGCatFan]

AZDS interviews Trey Griffey. Notable because it is the first story on Trey since he arrived at Arizona where his father is not mentioned. We've turned the corner. He is now a Wildcat football player and not the son of a celebrity.

But these freshmen have come in, taken the bull by the horns, and are learning really quick.

Question: Is that because of the new summer workout rules where they can spend time with coaches?

That helps out a lot, honestly. Just as far as conditioning-wise, being able to find out the scheme, and it's our advantage as the upper classmen to help out the freshmen as far as learning the schemes and how the coach wants it. When we come into camp, we hit the ground running. There's no first day, second day we're going to do this, we're going to do that. We're going right into it and we're showing the coaches what we can do.

[ANGCatFan]

After a night off the team was back at it Friday morning.

From Arizona Athletics:

Play of the Day:

QB Jerrard Randall dropped back to pass and fired the ball toward the tight end, but he over threw him and CB Devon Brewer laid out and was able to intercept the pass before it hit the ground.

Stat of the Day:

In 2014, seven Wildcats recorded an interception and the team finished with 13 total.

Coach Rod Said It:

On spread offense and tempo affecting the middle linebacker position...
“I don’t think that is the middle linebacker’s role. The role of defensive coordinator has changed. The situational defense that everyone used to play is not much of a factor anymore because you don’t have time to substitute your nickel or dime in. I think it is harder to be a defensive coordinator in these days and not only because of that but because you’re getting kids that are more skilled coming out of high school. Most of the guys are throwing and catching year round and they are spreading the defense out using different formations. If you turn on the film from 20 years ago, you have wide outs in three point stances. Now, it is a whole different dynamic. Without question it is harder to be a defensive coordinator than it’s ever been.”

On the importance of film from tomorrow’s scrimmage…
“It is pretty critical so that we can figure out the depth chart and the top two at each position. We will go live and will probably go 100 plays. Some of the proven guys won’t scrimmage as much. For a lot of the guys it is not about just proving themselves, it’s about getting in game shape. We are two weeks away from our home opener and we are not in game shape yet so I have some concerns about that.”

On a possible lull in camp…
“I think there has been a little bit of a lull earlier in the week. Today was average but we are in shorts so I expected that. I am interested in seeing the intensity in tomorrow’s scrimmage. If the intensity is good, the scrimmage will be shorter and we won’t run after practice. If the intensity is bad then it will probably go a little longer and we will run after practice so there is a little bit of an incentive there for them. Our guys do a pretty good job of working when they get here so I think that will carry into tomorrow.”

In their Own Words:

Linebacker DeAndre Miller

On returning from injury...
“I'm coming back to do what I do best. I had an injury and faced adversity, but I recovered and I am trying to get bigger, faster and stronger so I can help the team. It was an intense recovery but I was motivated to rehab. I'm 100% right now so I'm just trying to make up for last season."

Cornerback DaVonte Neal

On the change from WR to CB...
“I have a lot of knowledge for the game and for defense so it was just getting back in the flow of it and I feel like I'm comfortable. I still have a lot to learn but I think I'm learning at a good pace. The biggest adjustment was running backwards instead of forwards. I have to flip my hips a lot more, but it's not an adjustment I couldn't make."

[ANGCatFan]

[azpenguin]

Nice to see Jones run a route on that vid. Looks great.

[ANGCatFan]

Rose Valenzuela from GoAZCats interviews Cam Denson.

[MrBug708]

Are you guys going to make up that practice?

[Chicat]

No. The staff had built in some open dates as a way to keep the guys fresh. This one just came as a surprise.

Open dates make sense since they play 12 weeks in a row. Can't burn the kids out before the season even begins.

[MrBug708]

Got it. Kind of weird that the players don't know the open dates, but might just be RichRod's things.

[ANGCatFan]

Just got back from the scrimmage and here's my take. I apologize for any errors, I am doing it all from memory.

Offense won the day and defense got the privilege of doing push-ups with Coach Rod.

!st team offense scored on every drive and were matched against the 2nd team defense.

2nd team offense only scored 1 time against the 1st team defense.

3rd team offense was about 50/50 with the 3rd team defense.

The line-up for the first team offense was what you'd expect and they gave different backs and receivers a chance to play with the first team as the scrimmage progressed.

1st team defense was interesting. Ippolito and Miller were lined up with Scooby and the Freshman Morrison was opposite Neal at corner. Denson and Mashack ran with the second team.

Play of the game. On first down with a long field (guessing 10 yard line) Solomon hit Jones streaking down the left side over Mashack. Mashack was able to force him out of bounds, but it was a 60+ yard gain.

Run of the game was by Leon Branden. Broke one up the middle and had a long TD run with the 3rd team offense.

Green also had a very strong run, but looks like he may have dropped behind Bradford in the rotation.

In the second half of the scrimmage Anu stayed on the sidelines and Werlinger started to take the 3rd string reps.

It appeared both Randall and Dawkins got a chance to run the 1's. I think Dawkins had a better scrimmage than Randall, but Dawkins probably got more yelling from Coach Rod so it is hard to tell. Anu is miles ahead of where he was last year at this time and Randall and Dawkins both look like serviceable backups, but Randall's throws are still inconsistent.

Tight ends certainly got some balls thrown their way, but were not used as much as they were in the spring game.

The 3rd team offense on one drive stayed almost exclusively in a 2 back set which I had rarely seen us use.

They ended the scrimmage with a 2 pt conversion drill. It was the only time all day the first team offense lost the battle.

Small crowd, hot morning, but I would say both sides of the ball are ahead of where they were last year.

Oh, special teams. Every field goal and extra point attempt at the beginning of practice was good. Most hit the riser holding the camera crew which is aligned with the center point.

Riggleman's punts looked great! His back-ups were a clear drop off.

Huge group shagging punts including Neal, Grant, Phillips, Johnny Jackson and several others, but outside of Neal I think they were all offensive players.

[azgreg]

Great work as always ANG!

[ANGCatFan]

Forgot the best news. This is by far the fewest players wearing green jersey's (out, no contact) that I have seen in a fall camp. Only one player was in a green jersey and he was fully dressed, but wearing a walking boot on his right foot. Usually, there are 6 or more players out at this time.

[ANGCatFan]

Bartel at SB Nation with more on the scrimmage.

"We still gotta get better at the twos," Rich Rodriguez said after practice. "Just judging from my view, the two on offense and two on defense, we gotta get more guys ready to play, because we can't play just eleven on either side with our schedule and expect to last, so we gotta get that developed pretty quick."

. . .

Jerrard Randall struggled mightily at the beginning when facing the true starters on defense before some guys started to get rotated out.

"I think Jerrard was okay at times, and other times he made a few mistakes here and there," coach said of his backup quarterback. "He's a talented guy, but one thing about Jerrard is it's really important to him, so he'll keep working to correct his mistakes."

Anu Solomon certainly wasted no time showing why he's still the clearcut starter. He led the offense to a touchdown drive each time he was on the field, and showed off some deep ball passing skills with a bomb to Cayleb Jones. One thing that stood out though was that Nate Phillips seemed to be the primary target for Anu.

"Nate's been consistent all camp," Rodriguez stated.

"It more feels good just to get back out there and doing it again," Phillips said about coming back to full action after suffering a foot injury last year. "I haven't been restricted at all this camp. They just try to limit me on some individual stuff to give my foot a break, but other than that, all the live stuff feels good."

[ANGCatFan]

From Arizona Athletics:

Play of the Day:

In a scrimmage mostly dominated by the offense, quarterback Anu Solomon was sharp leading the first team offense. His best throw came when he hit Nate Phillips in stride on a seam pattern for a 50-yard touchdown.

Stat of the Day:

Saturday’s scrimmage, which was open to Wildcat Club members, marks the end of an 16-day preseason camp. With only 12 days left until the season-opener, the Wildcats begin classes and enter the regular season practice phase on Monday.

Coach Rod Said It:

On today's intensity..
“I thought it was okay. It was probably a typical end of camp scrimmage where there is some pretty good intensity. I don’t see anyone with the trainers, so that’s a good sign. I don’t think we tackled very well and we have to clean up some stuff. We got about 95-100 plays in. There was a little bit of heat so we were tested a little bit which is good. I’ll have a better idea after I watch the film. We’ll watch it as a team this afternoon before we go to the hotel tonight."

On quarterback Anu Solomon's impact to the game..
"I think more than anything, he understands and anticipates not just the situations that come up, but the calls that are made after and where he’s going to go with the ball. You can almost equate it to being a point guard. A quarterback in our system is a little different. He has got to be in tune on every play. He has to know where all 11 of our guys need to be and where all 11 of those guys are going to be."

On wide receiver Nate Phillips..
“Nate has been consistent all camp. He is a veteran guy who knows what we are doing. We have some veteran receivers and a little experience at quarterback now, so those guys did some good stuff today."

In their Own Words:

Wide Receiver Cayleb Jones

On connecting with quarterback Anu Solomon and the offense..
"I think all around he has gotten more comfortable. He has become a much better player even off the field. He is tougher physically and mentally. He forces us to learn the different routes and coverages so we become better as an offensive unit. Last year we didnt know what was going to happen with each position and now we are more solidified and more comfortable."

Wide Receiver Nate Phillips

On coming back from last year..
"It feels good to be back out on the field. The coaches have worked with me on some of my individual stuff. Going live after last year feels good. It has been good getting connected with the offense again. We have a lot of chemistry this year."

Cornerback DaVonte' Neal

On his comfort level at the cornerback position..
"I am ten times more comfortable just because I am doing what I was doing in the spring but now I am used to it. I know all of the concepts and the coverages. I know where I am supposed to be as well as wher everywhere else is supposed to be and that helps out a lot."

Cornerback Jamar Allah

On the defensive performance in camp..
"I think there is a lot of room for improvement. We have to fine tune things before the first game. I think we have done much better than I thought we would do with having a lot of new guys coming in. We have come together as a unit and we all work together pretty well so far."

Up Next:

Arizona will have its annual local media day on Sunday, Aug. 23rd. Media day will be closed to the general public.

[Chicat]

Got it. Kind of weird that the players don't know the open dates, but might just be RichRod's things.

I think they want those days to be flexible so they can account for things like weather, injuries, fatigue, etc.

[MrBug708]

Ya. The weather can be brutal. UCLA holds its camp on San Bernadino for that reason. Pretty much every practice was over 100, which has certainly helped UCLA.

Sark ended practice early so the team could eat snow cones.

[dc4azcats]

Everything I've read today in regards to the scrimmage has Anu looking very sharp. He looked very sharp at the Spring scrimmage and he did again today. Somebody had him going 16-18 today with 3 TD's but I'm not sure how accurate that is?

[ANGCatFan]

And he threw at least 2 balls away due to coverage.

[Luuuuuuuute]

Bartel at SB Nation with more on the scrimmage.

Anu Solomon certainly wasted no time showing why he's still the clearcut starter. He led the offense to a touchdown drive each time he was on the field, and showed off some deep ball passing skills with a bomb to Cayleb Jones. One thing that stood out though was that Nate Phillips seemed to be the primary target for Anu.

"Nate's been consistent all camp," Rodriguez stated.

"It more feels good just to get back out there and doing it again," Phillips said about coming back to full action after suffering a foot injury last year. "I haven't been restricted at all this camp. They just try to limit me on some individual stuff to give my foot a break, but other than that, all the live stuff feels good."

Maybe I'm just not reading enough practice reports or following closely enough, but it seems to me that Phillips' return is kind of being overlooked in terms of the importance he has, in my eyes anyway. Before he got hurt last year, he was one of the most consistent receivers we have from his first game as a true frosh. I think his return is going to go a long way toward opening things up on the outside for Cayleb Jones even more this year.

[FightWildcatsFight]

Bartel at SB Nation with more on the scrimmage.

Anu Solomon certainly wasted no time showing why he's still the clearcut starter. He led the offense to a touchdown drive each time he was on the field, and showed off some deep ball passing skills with a bomb to Cayleb Jones. One thing that stood out though was that Nate Phillips seemed to be the primary target for Anu.

"Nate's been consistent all camp," Rodriguez stated.

"It more feels good just to get back out there and doing it again," Phillips said about coming back to full action after suffering a foot injury last year. "I haven't been restricted at all this camp. They just try to limit me on some individual stuff to give my foot a break, but other than that, all the live stuff feels good."

Maybe I'm just not reading enough practice reports or following closely enough, but it seems to me that Phillips' return is kind of being overlooked in terms of the importance he has, in my eyes anyway. Before he got hurt last year, he was one of the most consistent receivers we have from his first game as a true frosh. I think his return is going to go a long way toward opening things up on the outside for Cayleb Jones even more this year.

I think missing him most of last year took him off of a lot of peoples radar but he was huge for us in the games he played. I'm very excited for these receivers.

EDIT: Its really easy to accidentally submit a post on mobile

[MrBug708]

Everything I've read today in regards to the scrimmage has Anu looking very sharp. He looked very sharp at the Spring scrimmage and he did again today. Somebody had him going 16-18 today with 3 TD's but I'm not sure how accurate that is?

My math says it's 88.88% accurate!

[azpenguin]

Bartel at SB Nation with more on the scrimmage.

Anu Solomon certainly wasted no time showing why he's still the clearcut starter. He led the offense to a touchdown drive each time he was on the field, and showed off some deep ball passing skills with a bomb to Cayleb Jones. One thing that stood out though was that Nate Phillips seemed to be the primary target for Anu.

"Nate's been consistent all camp," Rodriguez stated.

"It more feels good just to get back out there and doing it again," Phillips said about coming back to full action after suffering a foot injury last year. "I haven't been restricted at all this camp. They just try to limit me on some individual stuff to give my foot a break, but other than that, all the live stuff feels good."

Maybe I'm just not reading enough practice reports or following closely enough, but it seems to me that Phillips' return is kind of being overlooked in terms of the importance he has, in my eyes anyway. Before he got hurt last year, he was one of the most consistent receivers we have from his first game as a true frosh. I think his return is going to go a long way toward opening things up on the outside for Cayleb Jones even more this year.

I believe the term you're looking for is "embarrassment of riches." There is so much quality at WR that it's too easy to overlook Phillips.

[ANGCatFan]

[ANGCatFan]

Camp ended with media day today. Here is KVOA Channel 4's report.

[ANGCatFan]

Jordyn Owen interviews Sammy Morrison for GoAZCats. What a mature and well spoken young man.

[azcat49]

Thought the same ANG. looks like pappa Morrison did a really good job along with Mom

[Gimino]

Here's my story on Sammy Morrison (plus video), and with quotes from dad Darryl...

[azcat49]

Great stuff AG. Love the legacy's in all sports. Makes for great stories

[Carcassdragger]

Yep, great article Anthony. I don't live in Tucson and would've missed that one. Thanks for posting and please continue to post your articles.