Arizona held its first night practice in Arizona Stadium of spring football on Saturday in what it called “Desert Night Lights”. During the two hour practice, the Wildcats participated in 19 periods, including position group drills, offense and defense specific sessions, and in-game scenarios with a full 22-man lineup. Former UA star wide receiver and projected top 10 draft pick Tetairoa McMillan was also in attendance. Here are some notable takeaways from Saturday’s practice:
Offense:
- Freshman wide receiver (early enrollee) Isaiah Mizell hauled in a 47-yard touchdown pass from Wisconsin quarterback transfer Braedyn Locke.
- Running backs continued to impress in spring practice:
- Kedrick Reescano showed off his versatility as an all-purpose back multiple times, with several runs into the second level of the defense, while also catching a number of passes out of the backfield.
- Quincy Craig continued to impress in spring practice, ripping off several chunk plays, including a long run to set up a 34-yard field goal by Michael Salgado-Medina in a two-minute drill at the end of practice.
- Cornelius “Corn” Warren III showed some juice beating a defender around the edge mid-way through practice.
- Javin Whatley is Arizona’s fastest and most elusive wide receiver on the field. He was able to create separation on both short routes, using his twitchiness and ability to cut, and on deep routes with his speed.
- Receivers Jeremiah Patterson and Isaiah Mizell missed three deep balls during team sessions on Saturday night. During media availability after practice, Brent Brennan took out notecards and said he would be addressing it with them. When asked if playing under the lights had anything to do with it, Brennan joked, “every football stadium they’ve ever played in has lights.”
Defense:
- Marquis Groves-Killebrew intercepted Noah Fifita in the end zone on a pass intended for New Mexico wide receiver transfer Luke Wysong.
- Defensive lineman Leroy Palu, who transferred from Cerritos College, and Deshawn McKnight, the ex-UT Martin Skyhawk, both made their presence felt at the line of scrimmage and in the backfield.
- Redshirt freshman Quinn Olson intercepted quarterback Braedyn Locke during the final period of practice.
Special Teams:
- While Brent Brennan said after practice that kicking and punting is “always something that is being evaluated,” sophomore Michael Salgado-Medina look comfortable place kicking on Saturday. His kicks had a nice arc and good air under them.
- Return specialists worked on a unique “juggling” drill where they had to throw a football up in the air, field a punt, and then re-secure the first ball they threw up.
- Wide receiver Jeremiah Patterson had a 50+ yard punt during work with the return specialists. The Wildcats could have an emergency option available to them in the fall if needed.