The Wildcats returned to Arizona Stadium for their second round of spring football practice, or “Desert Night Lights”, on Saturday. The two hour session consisted of 19 periods, including position-specific work, offensive and defensive splits, and 11-on-11 drills throughout the night. On a night where the offensive line struggled, the defensive front seven, including linebacker Riley Wilson, shined. Noah Fifita and Kris Hutson’s emerging chemistry was also on display throughout the evening. Check out our full takeaways from Saturday’s practice below:
Offense:
- Wide receiver Devin Hyatt was the most explosive and fluid he has looked all spring after suffering a gruesome ankle injury last fall against ASU. The Wildcats have reloaded at receiver, but Hyatt is another piece for Bobby Wade to use as he looks to replace T-Mac’s production.
- The offense had a number of explosive touchdowns in 11-on-11 drills tonight:
- Freshman quarterback Sawyer Anderson uncorked a 69-yard touchdown to Brandon Phelps in the early sessions.
- Former Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke connected with Kansas State transfer Tre Spivey III on a 65-yard touchdown to round out Saturday’s practice.
- Chris Hunter hauled in an impressive 22-yard back shoulder pass from Noah Fifita for a touchdown in the north end zone mid-way through the evening.
- Offensive line was a concern, giving up a number of sacks throughout the night. Arizona’s starting offensive for much of the evening was Michael Wooten at left tackle, Ka’ena Decambra at left guard, Grayson Stovall at center, Alexander Doost at right guard, and Tristan Bounds at right tackle. Josh Oglseby also utilized combinations that included converted defensive tackle Chubba Ma’ae, Matthew Lado, and Zarius Wells, but each lineup was porous. Brent Brennan said after practice that the offensive line is “always a work in progress.”
- Freshman running back Cornelius “Corn” Warren III has now had back-to-back Saturday’s with a 20-yard touchdown run where he beat the defender to the edge and broke free for the score.
- Left tackle Rhino Tapa’atoutai continues to emerge as a vocal leader while recovering from a season-ending knee injury a year ago, cheering on his teammates from the sideline.
- Noah Fifita and Kris Hutson’s developing chemistry was on display on Saturday. Fifita often looked for Hutson, who had a step ahead his defender on most reps, as a relief valve throughout the evening.
Defense:
- Danny Gonzales and Joe Salave’a had to be pleased with what they saw from Arizona’s front seven on Saturday. The defensive lineman, ends, and linebackers were all feasting in the backfield throughout the night.
- Montana linebacker transfer Riley Wilson was able to get home against Noah Fifita twice on Saturday, with both sacks coming later in practice.
- Eduwa Okundaye also tallied a sack on Saturday, while Jarra Anderson was able to stop former Texas State running back Ismail Mahdi for a two-yard tackle-for-loss mid-way through the night.
- San Jose State transfer Michael Dansby had a strong pass breakup on a ball from Braedyn Locke intended for Tre Spivey III.
- Tia Savea, Chase Kennedy, and Chancellor Owens also each broke free into the backfield throughout the night.
Special Teams:
- Field goal kicking was more consistent tonight than last week in the stadium. Cash Peterman connected on field goals from 39 and 48 yards, while Michael Salgado-Medina had a miss and a make from 43 yards.
- Salgado-Medina had one shanked punt went 10-15 yards, but was able to recover and send the remainder of his kicks down the field with ease.
- Redshirt junior Jordan Forbes also took a number of reps at punter on Saturday. It will be interesting to see if Craig Naiver decides for Michael Salgado-Medina to own all kicking responsibilities, or balance things out between kicking and punting.
Arizona concludes spring football on Saturday, April 19, with its Spring Showcase. The showcase will include events for all ages, including an Easter egg hunt, beer garden, field goal kicking contest, post-game showing of Cars, and more. The event is free and doors open at 6 PM next Saturday.
Notes from the Arizona Wildcats’ spring football practice on April 5 can be found here.