TUCSON, Ariz. — The Wildcats hit double digits on Tuesday night as they energetically took to the Dick Tomey Practice Fields under the lights for the 10th practice of fall camp.
After practice, outside linebackers coach
Andy Buh and defensive lineman
Mykee Irving sat down with the media via Zoom to discuss the Wildcats ongoing preparations for the season opener at Utah on Nov. 7.
"We're about 10 days in and we like the way they're working," Buh said of the Arizona defense. "They're learning a new defense, so we're pretty fired up about where they're going and how they're getting there."
To listen to Buh and Irving's full media session, click
HERE or hit play on the featured video above.
Quote of the Night
Irving, who focused on his fitness during the summer, on why it was important to his game: "I felt like last year playing in the season I got tired quickly as the game went on. I wanted to drop weight so I could gain more stamina, so that I could play more and play at a faster speed because college football is a fast game."
Photo of the Night
Numbers of the Night — 4.0 and 6.5
Wildcats linebacker
Jalen Harris figures to be one of the defense's most important players in 2020. Last season, his redshirt sophomore campaign, Harris led the team with
4.0 sacks and placed second on the squad with
6.5 tackles for loss. Buh, Harris' position coach, is excited about working with the big outside linebacker this year.
"He is having a tremendous camp right now," Buh said. "He's probably the one guy that looks the most natural at the position, and that's saying a lot since he had his hand in the dirt for most of his career here."
Featured Returner — DL Mykee Irving
Irving has saw his playing time increase from his freshman season, during which he saw the field in three games as a reserve defensive lineman, to his redshirt freshman campaign when he made appearances on the line in the Wildcats final six games of the year. Irving finished last year with five tackles, two of which came in the season finale against Arizona State.
Before joining the Wildcats, Irving was a two-sport star at Calabasas High School, where he lettered four years in football along the defensive line and two years in basketball as a power forward. He was a two-time All-Conference selection during his prep career.
Marshall joins the Wildcats for his junior season after spending two seasons with Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. The big, athletic tight end pulled in five catches for 58 yards and one touchdown with the Blue Dragons during the 2019 season.Â
"We are really excited about [Stacey] because he brings the size, athleticism, and the versatility of a true tight end that's going to help compliment our offense, especially with guys like
Bryce Wolma that have been taking a bunch of snaps for us," inside receivers coach
Theron Aych said of Marshall on signing day. For more from their film room session, click play on the video below.
Mourning, a stout linebacker originally hailing from Katy, Texas, joins Arizona for his freshman season in 2020. Across three varsity seasons and 20 games at Paetow High School he piled up an impressive 129 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and nine sacks from the outside linebacker position. His breakout senior season saw him tally 75 stops, 10 tackles for loss, and seven sacks en route to being selected to the All-District team.
He chose Arizona because, "It's a nice place to live and I knew some of the players on the team. I knew I'd get the opportunity to play early if I handled my business."
"He's got great length, standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing between 210 and 215 pounds," defensive coordinator
Paul Rhoads said of Mourning on signing day. "Really excited to have him as a late addition to our program. We feel like he's got a lot of growth potential." For more from Mourning's film room session with coach Rhoads, check out the video below.
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