Notes and takeaways from the Arizona Wildcats’ media availability after practice Tuesday morning:
* I asked quarterback Brandon Dawkins how he felt in the immediate aftermath of the Houston game, in which he misfired on some critical passes: "I just felt like I let my guys down, let my team down." More to come from Dawkins later today.
* Running backs coach Calvin Magee on whether Nick Wilson will be back vs. UTEP after missing the Houston game because of an ankle injury: "He’s doing OK. I’m hoping he is. Last week it was a game-time-type thing."
* Magee said he completely trusts freshman Nathan Tilford, who didn’t get any backfield work vs. the Cougars. There just happen to be others ahead of him on the depth chart for now.
* Coaches and players had a lot of praise for tailback J.J. Taylor's unique vision and cutback ability. I’ll have more on that later today.
* Center Nathan Eldridge said he never had snapped on placement kicks in a game before doing so vs. Houston. He was the best of the three short snappers Arizona used in place of the injured Nick Reinhardt.
* UA coach Rich Rodriguez said the reason the quarterback sweep didn't work as well vs. Houston was that the Cougars got off blocks better than Northern Arizona did. He said the blocking assignments were "solid."
Arizona Wildcats QB poll: Who would you like to see starting behind center vs. UTEP?
— Michael Lev (@MichaelJLev) September 12, 2017
* Rodriguez likes how hard Arizona’s receivers have played and how intelligent they are but said of the group: "I don’t think we’ve had our best game."
* Rodriguez said receiver Shawn Poindexter, who couldn't come down with two contested throws in the end zone, has made similarly difficult catches in practice.
* RichRod joked that tight end Bryce Wolma's initial commitment to another school (Northwestern) was "temporary insanity on his part." Wolma has been friends with Rhett Rodriguez since they were youths in Michigan, so Rich Rodriguez has known him for a long time.
* Wolma started vs. Houston in place of Trevor Wood, who no longer had a boot on his injured left ankle as he walked from the practice field to the locker room.
* Rodriguez said he's aware of prospect rankings, but they're "not the determining factor" in whether Arizona recruits a player. "Would I take a class of 25 five-stars? You bet,” Rodriguez said. “We just try to get the best guys we can get for our program."
* This is a condensed week for Arizona with the UTEP game being on Friday. The Wildcats did a lot of scout-team work Tuesday. Rodriguez would like them to “talk ball” and watch film on the four-plus-hour bus ride to El Paso on Thursday.
