Things are moving along for Arizona as another week gets going for the Wildcats. It was a trying week for the school after the loss of one of the football players, Zach Hemmila, last week but the Wildcats will be able to turn the page and get a fresh start after a long and taxing week. UA will pick things up again Monday morning and because of that we will again focus this week’s War Room on football and the current team coming off a busy week.
Football
It has been said quite a bit already, but there is nothing in the coach’s or team book about dealing with the death of a player. The Wildcats had to learn of the shocking news a week ago Monday that Hemmila had died in his sleep. To help the team process and cope the loss of a teammate UA kept things on the move last week and that meant stops in Tempe and at Fort Huachuca. With better weather expected this week in Tucson the ‘Cats should have no issues staying home this week and getting back to a more normal schedule.
* Arizona held a practice Saturday morning at Fort Huachuca which is something it had not done since 2013. The last two years Rich Rodriguez has just taken his team down to the military installation for a night to meet with the troops and have dinner with them before heading back to Tucson. This year though, it brought the return of a practice and fortunately it was open to the media.
Because of that we were able to get an extended look at the ‘Cats allowing us to bring you a breakdown of each group as things stand now.
- Quarterbacks: Arizona’s quarterbacks didn’t have their best day Saturday in the non-padded, non-helmeted practice at Fort Huachuca. Anu Solomon was picked off a couple times by safety Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and the entire group didn’t have a ton of success going down the field. After watching practice it is again apparent that the deep ball could be an issue again this season. There were a ton of shorter passes and while that is part of the offense the combination of not having too many deep threats at receiver along with the inconsistency in the throws means UA is going to have to be a little creative in finding ways to stretch the field. Solomon and Brandon Dawkins did show flashes, however, with two of the better plays from the practice coming on longer throws that led to deep touchdowns for Trey Griffey (from Solomon) and Samajie Grant (from Dawkins).
After not being able to practice for a short time last week Khalil Tate was back on the field by the weekend and he looked fine health wise. His decision making is improving, but he is going to continue to need to work on his accuracy and fine tuning this throws this season. Even though it hasn’t been specified it is looking more and more like it will be a redshirt season for the freshman.
- Running backs: The running back group continues to be a big positive on the offensive side of the ball for UA. The one-two punch of Nick Wilson and Orlando Bradford has the feel of a duo that will be able to do some damage this season. Behind that group there are some more capable bodies and freshman JJ Taylor is one who could really make an impact in his first year. At this point the plan is to not redshirt him this year as he can help the team in a variety of ways. Brandon Leon and Zach Green have continued to make steady progress and both are competing for UA’s third running back spot with Taylor.
The Wildcats might have to lean on their running game quite a bit this season, but the group looks up the task of handling that load because there are some more options there. Health will remain key once again.
- Receivers/tight ends: The receiver group showed some positive flashes during the open practice and as a group it was probably the most impressive unit of the day at Fort Huachuca. There were several players who made nice plays throughout the day including Cam Denson, Grant, Tyrell Johnson and Darick Holmes Jr. Even though it was a small sample size the team is going to be putting quite a bit on the receiver group to be the playmakers this year. With shorter passes getting the ball in their hands will be important, but what they do after the catch will maybe even more important to moving the ball down the field to keep things moving.
Denson has moved to being more of a slot player these past couple weeks and even though he was always more of an outside threat when he last played offense in high school he looks like a more natural slot player. He had a productive day Saturday and he is steadily making progress. He had one play were he was able to catch a short pass and if it was a padded practice he likely would have scored a touchdown. The ability to take something small and make something big out of it is one of his biggest assets as a player. DeVaughn Cooper and Cedric Peterson are two others we would watch as well going into the season.
Tight end Trevor Wood might end up being one of the other ways Arizona can mix in some plays down the field. He had a couple big catches Saturday that picked up big yards and now that he is healthy he looks every bit the part of a college tight end. He is more of a natural pass catcher than anyone else on the roster at his position and he looked like it on Saturday. If Arizona can work that element with Wood into the offense more it could be a key to some of those bigger plays.
Offensive line: Obviously the death of Hemmila will make an impact on how things come together along the offensive line and for now that has meant Nathan Eldridge being put into a role where he will be a big factor this season. He is adjusting to it well at the moment and when the Wildcats have him in the lineup with some of the more experienced players it gives a good look and makes the ‘Cats look a bit bigger up front. Levi Walton has also moved back to center for the time being after starting camp as a guard. Both players are out front for the starting job at this stage.
Freddie Tagaloa continues to have a productive camp so far and his battle with Christian Boettcher will pick back up soon as the latter gets healthy.
Football
It has been said quite a bit already, but there is nothing in the coach’s or team book about dealing with the death of a player. The Wildcats had to learn of the shocking news a week ago Monday that Hemmila had died in his sleep. To help the team process and cope the loss of a teammate UA kept things on the move last week and that meant stops in Tempe and at Fort Huachuca. With better weather expected this week in Tucson the ‘Cats should have no issues staying home this week and getting back to a more normal schedule.
* Arizona held a practice Saturday morning at Fort Huachuca which is something it had not done since 2013. The last two years Rich Rodriguez has just taken his team down to the military installation for a night to meet with the troops and have dinner with them before heading back to Tucson. This year though, it brought the return of a practice and fortunately it was open to the media.
Because of that we were able to get an extended look at the ‘Cats allowing us to bring you a breakdown of each group as things stand now.
- Quarterbacks: Arizona’s quarterbacks didn’t have their best day Saturday in the non-padded, non-helmeted practice at Fort Huachuca. Anu Solomon was picked off a couple times by safety Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and the entire group didn’t have a ton of success going down the field. After watching practice it is again apparent that the deep ball could be an issue again this season. There were a ton of shorter passes and while that is part of the offense the combination of not having too many deep threats at receiver along with the inconsistency in the throws means UA is going to have to be a little creative in finding ways to stretch the field. Solomon and Brandon Dawkins did show flashes, however, with two of the better plays from the practice coming on longer throws that led to deep touchdowns for Trey Griffey (from Solomon) and Samajie Grant (from Dawkins).
After not being able to practice for a short time last week Khalil Tate was back on the field by the weekend and he looked fine health wise. His decision making is improving, but he is going to continue to need to work on his accuracy and fine tuning this throws this season. Even though it hasn’t been specified it is looking more and more like it will be a redshirt season for the freshman.
- Running backs: The running back group continues to be a big positive on the offensive side of the ball for UA. The one-two punch of Nick Wilson and Orlando Bradford has the feel of a duo that will be able to do some damage this season. Behind that group there are some more capable bodies and freshman JJ Taylor is one who could really make an impact in his first year. At this point the plan is to not redshirt him this year as he can help the team in a variety of ways. Brandon Leon and Zach Green have continued to make steady progress and both are competing for UA’s third running back spot with Taylor.
The Wildcats might have to lean on their running game quite a bit this season, but the group looks up the task of handling that load because there are some more options there. Health will remain key once again.
- Receivers/tight ends: The receiver group showed some positive flashes during the open practice and as a group it was probably the most impressive unit of the day at Fort Huachuca. There were several players who made nice plays throughout the day including Cam Denson, Grant, Tyrell Johnson and Darick Holmes Jr. Even though it was a small sample size the team is going to be putting quite a bit on the receiver group to be the playmakers this year. With shorter passes getting the ball in their hands will be important, but what they do after the catch will maybe even more important to moving the ball down the field to keep things moving.
Denson has moved to being more of a slot player these past couple weeks and even though he was always more of an outside threat when he last played offense in high school he looks like a more natural slot player. He had a productive day Saturday and he is steadily making progress. He had one play were he was able to catch a short pass and if it was a padded practice he likely would have scored a touchdown. The ability to take something small and make something big out of it is one of his biggest assets as a player. DeVaughn Cooper and Cedric Peterson are two others we would watch as well going into the season.
Tight end Trevor Wood might end up being one of the other ways Arizona can mix in some plays down the field. He had a couple big catches Saturday that picked up big yards and now that he is healthy he looks every bit the part of a college tight end. He is more of a natural pass catcher than anyone else on the roster at his position and he looked like it on Saturday. If Arizona can work that element with Wood into the offense more it could be a key to some of those bigger plays.
Offensive line: Obviously the death of Hemmila will make an impact on how things come together along the offensive line and for now that has meant Nathan Eldridge being put into a role where he will be a big factor this season. He is adjusting to it well at the moment and when the Wildcats have him in the lineup with some of the more experienced players it gives a good look and makes the ‘Cats look a bit bigger up front. Levi Walton has also moved back to center for the time being after starting camp as a guard. Both players are out front for the starting job at this stage.
Freddie Tagaloa continues to have a productive camp so far and his battle with Christian Boettcher will pick back up soon as the latter gets healthy.
