Arizona training camp: Top takeaways from Practice No. 12

[Matt Moreno]

(Editors note: Apologies for getting this posted so late, but it's been a hectic 24 hours)

Arizona went back to work Thursday night after getting the day off Wednesday. The coaching staff turned up the intensity a bit with several different situational elements to practice. The Wildcats are treating today and tomorrow like a game weekend with a walk through on Friday before an opportunity to stay at the team hotel tonight ahead of a game simulation scrimmage Saturday inside Arizona Stadium. There will be two teams instead of an offense and a defense for the scrimmage tomorrow. Thursday night was about fine tuning things as the transition from camp to game prep begins. There were definitely some mixed results overall, and here are my top takeaways from the team's last true practice of camp.

Top takeaways

• Mixed bag from the quarterbacks

I had a different view of the quarterback play Thursday night than most of the other reporters who watched practice. I do think there were some stronger plays being made at the position, and the group was definitely making a stronger effort to air it out more than we have seen at any other point in camp. I still thought there were too many mistakes being made at this point in the process. There were mishandled snaps and near interceptions, and Arizona just can't have those types of mistakes from the quarterback spot to have success. I do think it has become clear over the last few weeks that Arizona is going to make its money on play action. Gunner Cruz has done a very good job in those situations, and I imagine that will be the bread and butter for Arizona this season offensively in the passing game. The running back unit is so deep and capable of gaining positive yards that it is setting up easy play action throws. There are enough playmakers at receiver to have success doing that, and I see that as being the key to making the offense go this year. It once again feels like a two-man race right now between Cruz and Will Plummer. Jordan McCloud didn't get a ton of reps during the team portions of practice Thursday night coming off his two-interception day Tuesday. To me he still feels like he needs at least another month in the system before he's truly feeling comfortable. We'll see what happens Saturday night, but the decision is supposed to be my final by Monday.​

• Tayvian Cunningham seals his camp MVP run

Jalen Harris has been my top pick for defensive MVP so far in camp, but overall I think receiver Tayvian Cunningham has him beat out for the honor. The speedy veteran receiver has finally hit his stride as a playmaker for the Wildcats. The coaches have raved about his work in the weight room this offseason, and it has led to him being a more productive player on the field during camp. He has not had a bad day throughout the first 12 practices. Not only that, but he's been one of the top five players in every practice. Cunningham has surprisingly been the biggest threat in the red zone despite not having the height that other receivers have. He finds ways to get behind the defense and make plays in the end zone. He looks poised for a big season and his strong camp continued Thursday as he caught a deep ball from Cruz on a ball that he needed to go up and get over a defender. Whether or not he starts, Cunningham is going to be a big part of the offense as he seems most comfortable with all the quarterbacks involved. He will form an impressive tandem with Stanley Berryhill III who has only continued to build on his momentum from last season and the spring.​

• Ma'jon Wright and Mo Diallo make their camp debuts

Carson Cota was able to make his camp debut Wednesday before Jedd Fisch decided to cancel practice, but the other two newcomers still had to wait a day before they could take the field. Wright and Diallo both suited up and were able to get some work in with first team players. Wright had an opportunity to work with the top group of quarterbacks during some instances as he gets back into game shape with the staff even giving him an opportunity to work a LITTLE bit with the first group during practice. Diallo was a different story. He can play this season and the staff is clearly not going to bring him along slowly. He looks to be in really great shape despite missing so much time over the summer. Though he is thought of as an interior lineman he was being used at defensive end Thursday night and there was no drop off even though he is new to the system and the team. He didn't make any game-changing plays, but he did make things difficult on the offensive line and was generally impressive throughout his time on the field. He adds some extra length on the other end of the line opposite Harris. The Central Michigan transfer is going to play this season it will just be a matter how much and that will have to do with how quickly he can pick things up, but right now he looks well on his way toward being a contributor in the opener.​

• Defensive line starting to return to normal

The Arizona defensive line unit has been a big banged up, but Fisch was adamant last weekend that it would only be a matter of days before the group was back together. Not all of the players were back Thursday night, but the defensive line did receive a boost with the return of Trevon Mason and Dion Wilson Jr. who both returned after missing a few practices. Mason, in particular, looked like someone who could miss an extended amount of time but he was back with the first unit causing disruptions inside. JB Brown returned from home after the birth of his child and he is going to need some time to get back into shape even though he was only gone for a handful of days. So, that could leave the door open for someone else to take his spot if he doesn't rebound quickly from his time away. Diallo took the first team reps Thursday while Aaron Blackwell also worked at that "anchor" position for the Wildcats as he has started to come on late in camp. Nahe Salunga has been steady throughout camp and he continues to be part of the rotation of players at the top along the defensive line as well. Kyon Barrs remains out and he will factor into the equation inside, but UA is certainly in a better spot now than where it was last week.​

• Rhedi Short contributes to a strong night for the secondary

Fisch told reporters before the start of camp that the safety competition would be the one to watch most next to the quarterback battle. It has certainly turned into an intriguing group after being a bit of a mystery in the spring. Chuck Cecil has started to build some depth with his group, and the unit is on the way up entering the end of camp. Jaxen Turner and Jaydin Young continue to look like the most likely options at the two starting positions, but Young is being moved around right now to other spots in the secondary potentially leaving open the door for Gunner Maldonado to make his move into the starting rotation. The Northwestern transfer has been healthy during camp and has made his presence felt. He is the big hitter of the group, and he has shown that on several different occasions over the course of camp. Veteran Rhedi Short had his first opportunity to see the field last year, but he was quiet for most of camp. Over the last few days he has started to come alive. He intercepted McCloud earlier in the week and he nearly had another interception Thursday night against Cruz. The safety group overall has raised its level of play.​

• Donovan Laie remains at left tackle

You don't want to lose someone at this point in the season at a key position like left tackle, but Arizona was without starter Jordan Morgan on Thursday. That meant a veteran moving back to a familiar position for the second straight practice. Laie started his career with the Wildcats at left tackle and had built a strong amount of NFL buzz in the process. Since then he has moved over to left guard allowing Morgan to handle the tackle duties. With Morgan out it means Laie can move back to his natural position giving the Wildcats a proven player at that spot. Josh Baker again was put in at left guard as the "sixth man" of the offensive line group. Arizona is at its best when Morgan is on the field, but there is a certain comfort level for Laie at left tackle. It's clear that he wants to play that spot, but it has been difficult with a natural athlete like Morgan also part of the offensive line group. It will be interesting to see how the staff approaches it when Morgan returns since Laie has looked in his zone playing his previous position.​

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