TUCSON, Ariz. -- For the second time during fall camp, the Arizona Wildcats moved their practice on Monday night indoors to the safety of the Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center due to weather.
Following the Cats usual slate of individual and one-on-one drills, the offense took the field to practice their two-minute sequence. Quarterbacks
Khalil Tate and
Grant Gunnell worked with a pair of offensive units to help perfect their end of game strategy.
The Wildcats, now nine days into fall camp, sent safety
Tristan Cooper and wide receiver
Drew Dixon out to speak with the assembled media following the practice session. Complete archives of those interviews can be found here:
Cooper | DixonÂ
For more highlights from Monday night, continue reading below.
Quote of the Night
Safety
Tristan Cooper on quarterback turned wide receiver
Jamarye Joiner, who he faces frequently in one-on-one drills during practice: "He has done a great job, and the crazy thing is he's very physical. You wouldn't think a stereotypical quarterback would be that physical but he's strong as heck ... He should be a great contributor to our offense."
Photo of the Night
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Number of the Night — 6-of-7
The Wildcats defense returns six of their top seven tackles from the 2018 season, giving Arizona a strong, experienced group of players. Overall, the Cats will get back 69 percent (553-of-799) of their total tackles from a year ago, 119 of which came from junior linebacker
Colin Schooler.
A breakout season may be on the horizon for local product
Drew Dixon. Standing at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, he checks in as the second-biggest wide receiver on the Wildcats diverse roster of pass catchers. Dixon redshirted his first season in Tucson in 2017 and saw limited action in 2018 but has impressed thus far in camp while looking to find his place in the Cats receiving corps. Dixon didn't have to go far to kickstart his collegiate career, having come to Arizona from Sabino High School in Tucson. During his prep career he earned four varsity letters in football, three in basketball, and one in baseball. Among his many accomplishments at Sabino, Dixon earned All-Conference honors three times, two selections to the First-Team All-State 3A squad, and one nod as the Southern Arizona Players of the Year.
"He's coming along good," head coach
Kevin Sumlin said of Dixon following Saturday's scrimmage. "He's bigger now, he's more comfortable, tremendous athlete."
Cooper returns to the Cats in 2019 as one of the senior members of the secondary — the senior safety played in 11 games with six starts last year and over his collegiate career has racked up appearances in 35 games with the Wildcats. He was one of the most productive members of the Arizona defense last year, finishing the season ranked third on the team with six pass breakups and seventh on the roster with 35 total tackles. Heading into the 2019 season, Cooper is excited about the talent on defense and the potential for a big year.
"I see a lot of people growing, and I also see myself growing," Cooper said. "Being a vet, you tend to see 'I remember when we didn't know how to disguise [coverage]' or 'we couldn't lock up in man' ... But now you tend to see a different type of energy. You feel it in the locker room, you feel it when you guys are bonding at home as teammates ... You see that the chemistry is there with us now ... We're going to be real good this year."
Roland-Wallace earned a pair of varsity letters at William J Knight High School before taking his talents to Tucson. During his prep career he spent time on both sides of the ball at cornerback — where he'll line up with the Cats — and at wide receiver. On defense, Roland-Wallace racked up 72 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and nine interceptions. On offense he hauled in 976 yards on 65 receptions to go with 14 touchdowns. Coming out of high school he was tabbed as a three-star prospect by most major recruiting services. The tall, 6-foot-0 corner will look to make a push for the Wildcats rotation at cornerback during the final two weeks of fall camp.
"A very underrated and versatile athlete. He is a true defensive back that can play any skill position on the field. He is a great young man with an old soul and hunger to be elite!" the Cats coaching staff said of Roland-Wallace on signing day.
Tweet of the Night
Continued Coverage...
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click HEREÂ or call 621-CATS today.
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