Quick hitters from the Arizona Wildcats’ post-practice media availability Tuesday morning, plus some Stanford updates:
* In a fall-camp flashback, UA coach Rich Rodriguez said he has two starting quarterbacks in Brandon Dawkins and Anu Solomon, both of whom are available against Stanford. Rodriguez added that both will play, although it’s unclear whether he was being literal or specific about Saturday’s game.
* Dawkins believes the Wildcats can win their last five games. He is determined to stay healthy and play in a bowl game, which would require winning at least four of the last five.
* Dawkins on being out because of injuries: "It was killing me inside to not be able to go out there and help the guys." I’ll have more on Dawkins later today.
* Freshman quarterback Khalil Tate is still getting some reps in an effort to keep him engaged. Rodriguez said that “because there’s a lot of ball left” the goal is to “keep him in tune so he’s learning and not just playing one or two games in his mind.”
* Stanford coach David Shaw said the Cardinal are preparing for Rodriguez’s system as opposed to the individual skill sets of the quarterbacks. Every coach has said that about Arizona despite clear differences between Dawkins and Solomon.
* After appearing on the weekly Pac-12 coaches’ conference call, Shaw announced that Keller Chryst will start at quarterback vs. Arizona and that cornerback Alijah Holder will miss the rest of the season.
* The Stanford offense has struggled under veteran QB Ryan Burns. Chryst, a redshirt sophomore, has completed 7 of 18 passes this season for 63 yards with one interception. He went 4 for 4 for 39 yards and a TD in mop-up duty vs. the Wildcats last season.
* Rodriguez said his offensive system is not to blame for Dawkins and Solomon getting hurt. “A lot of people say running quarterbacks get hurt. I think that’s just kind of a blanket statement,” Rodriguez said. “As many pocket passers get hurt nowadays. Quarterbacks get hit sometimes. I don’t look at the scheme."
* One of the key issues for new Arizona running backs Samajie Grant and Matt Morin is ball security. It’s hard to simulate game-type hits and strips in practice.
* Grant on moving from receiver to tailback: "It’s not too difficult. I’m getting it day by day. I played it all my life."
* RB coach Calvin Magee on Grant: "He’s going back to his roots. He knows the offense. It’s just little things he has to pick up on."
* Morin never has played running back before but said he has ample running experience from his quarterback days in high school. Morin rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a high school senior.
* With Grant at running back, redshirt freshman Cedric Peterson becomes a "starter" at receiver. Rodriguez said more important than that designation is that the coaches trust Peterson now.
* Rodriguez said right tackle Gerhard de Beer has been battling an ankle injury for much of season. The hope is that he's as healthy now as he has been since fall camp.
* Regard stealing signals – which became a huge controversy before and after the Arizona State-Washington State game – Rodriguez said Arizona has multiple guys giving signals and regularly changes who does it. The UA tries to decipher opponents’ signals as well, as most teams do.
* Arizona’s injuries have had a trickle-down effect on special teams, Rodriguez said. Second-teamers have had to move up, forcing more youngsters and walk-ons to play in those situations.
