TUCSON – The fourth practice of Fall Camp for the Arizona football team saw more of an emphasis on technique during station drills as the Wildcats donned shoulder pads for a second straight day. It was another solid performance by the defense, something that has Defensive Coordinator Mark Stoops very satisfied where is defense is at to this point of camp.
“We are continuing to work hard and play with a lot of energy,” Stoops said. “We need to continue to play smart and compete at a high level.”
During the seven-on-seven drills, senior Willie Tuitama completed eight of 12 passes for 90 yards. Of the eight passes that were completed, Tuitama connected with six different receivers. He and sophomore tight end Rob Gronkowski hooked up three times for 30 yards. The longest play was when Tuitama connected with redshirt freshman David Roberts over the middle for a 35 yard gain.
Freshman quarterback Matt Scott was very accurate, completing eight of 10 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt sophomore Delashaun Dean grabbed two passes for 50 yards and a 40 yard touchdown.
The 11-on-11 period saw Tuitama complete four of six passes for 34 yards, but was “sacked” once by redshirt freshman Apaiata Tuihalamaka. Scott completed two passes in five attempts for 30 yards. Scott threw an interception to junior Vuna Tuihalamaka.
Next, the 11-on-11 focused on third down situations. With less than five yards to gain, the Wildcat offense was 3-for-6, from less than 10 yards it was 0-for-2 and in third and 10 situations the offense was 1-for-6. Tuitama completed four passes in eight attempts for 37 yards. Running backs Keola Antolin and Xavier Smith each carried the ball for a six yard gain apiece.
During the third down situations, the defense again was very impressive. The defense, donning blue jerseys, registered two “sacks,” one by redshirt sophomore Ricky Elmore and one by sophomore Kaniela Tuipulotu. For the fourth consecutive day, the defense pressured the quarterback and got a batted ball at the line of scrimmage, registered by redshirt sophomore D’Aundre Reed. The defense also had good coverage in the secondary. Both Marquis Hundley and Ronnie Palmer were credited for breaking up a pass.
For the third session of 11-on-11, Tuitama and the offense struggled. He completed two passes in seven attempts for 12 yards. Antolin carried the ball twice for eight yards and Smith carried two times for two yards. Tuitama was also picked off by linebacker Palmer. Scott completed one pass in two attempts for four yards, but also had two rushes for 20 yards.
The Wildcats will host their fifth practice of Fall Camp on Friday morning at 6:15 a.m. and will be back at Tucson High as the players will strap on full pads for the first time. The team will then hold two practices on Saturday, including a scrimmage in Arizona Stadium at 6 p.m. that will be open to the public.
NOTES:
- Despite losing starters Spencer Larsen and Dane Krogstad from the ’07 squad, UA’s linebacking corp has played steadily early in camp. Ronnie Palmer returns to anchor the Mike position, while Adrian McCovy and Xavier Kelley are showcasing their abilities at the starting Sam and Will positions, respectively. Behind them, Vuna Tuihalamka and Sterling Lewis are battling for playing time and both have flexibility in playing inside or outside.
- The interior of the UA defensive line has been highlighted as an area of concern by some with the loss of starters Lionel Dotson and Yaniv Barnett from a year ago. But the Wildcats are developing a solid roation that includes Earl Mitchell, an H-Back in 2007. Mitchell has been joined by sophomore Lolomana Mikaele in the first rotation, while Kaniela Tuipulotu and Donald Horton Jr. anchor the second rotation.
- During 11-on-11 action, both the offensive and defensive units worked on blitzing. For the offense, that included reading the blitz, checking into proper plays and picking up the blitz. For the defense, that meant working on discipline of rushing lanes and coverage.
- 2007 kick returners Mike Thomas and Devin Ross return this year, but other guys who could see time returning include Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin. Both took reps during the special teams segment on Thursday.
- Arizona will add defensive back Lamont Long to its roster. Long is a defensive back from Arizona Western CC.
