Arizona will have a couple more practices before Saturday's game but it went back to work Tuesday with a full pads practice. Rich Rodriguez wasn't in a great mood and it feels right now that he's a little more nervous about things than he has been. It's been a little while since he's said the team has had a good day and it's clear there are some concerns about the uncertainty of many positions and aspects of the team.
I had a chance to talk with Brandon Dawkins, Bryce Wolma and Donovan Walker today after practice as well so here are today's quick notes.
* It could just be the time to flip the switch, but Rodriguez is not the same cheery guy he was early in camp. As the season is ready to get going he has continued to be a bit more serious about things and today was one of those days. He wasn't angry but certainly a bit peeved about some things.
"It was OK," Rodriguez said about Tuesday's practice. "I thought maybe they'll be a little tired of practicing and ready to play a game – and there was a little bit of that – but I still thought we got some quality work in. The scout team guys were continuing to push to give us a good look. It's a good group of freshmen and the young guys on the scout team. I think we got better, but it wasn't probably as as good as I would have hoped at times but it was still a solid practice."
The depth chart is one of the things that is bothering Rodriguez. He said Tuesday that the media can essentially throw it away and you get the sense people questioning certain things about it is why he doesn't like to put one out. A question about Nathan Tilford not being on there was answered like this ...
* Rodriguez is high on this group of freshmen and newcomers and he's hopeful that the class can stay together and excel all together over the next few years. He even had a meeting with just those young players after practice to talk about that topic.
"I think that's one thing that does stand out about this freshman class that does stand out is that it's a bunch of guys that love football," he said. "I just met with them real quickly and told them this is a great group and if they hang together the next four years it could be pretty special."
* Thiyo Lukusa is officially on the roster and has been for a little while now, but the former Michigan State offensive lineman is now practicing and was in full pads today with the rest of the team. There are going to be questions about him until he sticks out the process but being able to show that he wants to play football is fully bought in this semester will be important and give Arizona the answers it needs to put him on scholarship.
* Wolma is someone who is second on the depth chart behind Trevor Wood at tight end and right now it is more out of necessity than anything. Bryce Gilbert has dealt with a concussion issue that we mentioned early in camp while redshirt freshman Jamie Nunley has had some back problems to work through. As the only other healthy tight end Wolma has found himself in a potentially important position. Arizona wants to use its tight ends more and that could mean having a couple of them on the field at the same time. Wolma is going to get his shot to show what he could do and he's happy about that.
"I've been put into the No. 2 role for now and it's been good to take advantage of that and see my hard work," he said. "Everything is starting to click. The offense is starting to get easier for me to understand and all that kind of stuff, so to see that in print (on the official depth chart) is pretty cool."
Wolma said the biggest adjustment for him has been mentally where he has now started to understand the offense even better where it was a struggle at first. He said he is thinking less now than earlier in the month and he said things are going a lot better now from that standpoint.
The freshman tight end said he's heard about how Arizona always plans to use the tight end more than it does, but he said with Calvin Magee taking over the group along with the running backs he feels things will be a little different this year. Wolma can already see some changes in the approach and he thinks the tight ends will factor into things more this season.
* Donovan Walker said things started to click for him more back in the spring then it went into overdrive a bit over the course of camp. Where the redshirt junior from UTEP has been able to make progress is helping Arizona on deep routes. He said it hasn't always meant catching passes but he has a knack for drawing penalties down the field with defensive backs holding him. It was something Trey Griffey showed last season can still be impactful for the offense and moving the chains. He said he has confidence that he can help take the top off the defense and extend the field for Arizona this season and that is how he's approaching things.
* Dawkins was keeping things short and sweet today and not wanting to expand on too much, but he he is happy to see the offense at full strength and ready to go for the start of the season. It was something he talked about back in the spring and he thinks having everyone healthy will mean an improved overall look for the Wildcats this year.
I had a chance to talk with Brandon Dawkins, Bryce Wolma and Donovan Walker today after practice as well so here are today's quick notes.
* It could just be the time to flip the switch, but Rodriguez is not the same cheery guy he was early in camp. As the season is ready to get going he has continued to be a bit more serious about things and today was one of those days. He wasn't angry but certainly a bit peeved about some things.
"It was OK," Rodriguez said about Tuesday's practice. "I thought maybe they'll be a little tired of practicing and ready to play a game – and there was a little bit of that – but I still thought we got some quality work in. The scout team guys were continuing to push to give us a good look. It's a good group of freshmen and the young guys on the scout team. I think we got better, but it wasn't probably as as good as I would have hoped at times but it was still a solid practice."
The depth chart is one of the things that is bothering Rodriguez. He said Tuesday that the media can essentially throw it away and you get the sense people questioning certain things about it is why he doesn't like to put one out. A question about Nathan Tilford not being on there was answered like this ...
* Rodriguez is high on this group of freshmen and newcomers and he's hopeful that the class can stay together and excel all together over the next few years. He even had a meeting with just those young players after practice to talk about that topic.
"I think that's one thing that does stand out about this freshman class that does stand out is that it's a bunch of guys that love football," he said. "I just met with them real quickly and told them this is a great group and if they hang together the next four years it could be pretty special."
* Thiyo Lukusa is officially on the roster and has been for a little while now, but the former Michigan State offensive lineman is now practicing and was in full pads today with the rest of the team. There are going to be questions about him until he sticks out the process but being able to show that he wants to play football is fully bought in this semester will be important and give Arizona the answers it needs to put him on scholarship.
* Wolma is someone who is second on the depth chart behind Trevor Wood at tight end and right now it is more out of necessity than anything. Bryce Gilbert has dealt with a concussion issue that we mentioned early in camp while redshirt freshman Jamie Nunley has had some back problems to work through. As the only other healthy tight end Wolma has found himself in a potentially important position. Arizona wants to use its tight ends more and that could mean having a couple of them on the field at the same time. Wolma is going to get his shot to show what he could do and he's happy about that.
"I've been put into the No. 2 role for now and it's been good to take advantage of that and see my hard work," he said. "Everything is starting to click. The offense is starting to get easier for me to understand and all that kind of stuff, so to see that in print (on the official depth chart) is pretty cool."
Wolma said the biggest adjustment for him has been mentally where he has now started to understand the offense even better where it was a struggle at first. He said he is thinking less now than earlier in the month and he said things are going a lot better now from that standpoint.
The freshman tight end said he's heard about how Arizona always plans to use the tight end more than it does, but he said with Calvin Magee taking over the group along with the running backs he feels things will be a little different this year. Wolma can already see some changes in the approach and he thinks the tight ends will factor into things more this season.
* Donovan Walker said things started to click for him more back in the spring then it went into overdrive a bit over the course of camp. Where the redshirt junior from UTEP has been able to make progress is helping Arizona on deep routes. He said it hasn't always meant catching passes but he has a knack for drawing penalties down the field with defensive backs holding him. It was something Trey Griffey showed last season can still be impactful for the offense and moving the chains. He said he has confidence that he can help take the top off the defense and extend the field for Arizona this season and that is how he's approaching things.
* Dawkins was keeping things short and sweet today and not wanting to expand on too much, but he he is happy to see the offense at full strength and ready to go for the start of the season. It was something he talked about back in the spring and he thinks having everyone healthy will mean an improved overall look for the Wildcats this year.
