Quick hitters from the Arizona Wildcats’ post-practice media availability Wednesday morning:
* UA defensive coordinator Marcel Yates said he has simplified the scheme a bit recently to improve communication. Players are still getting used to his defense.
* Coach Rich Rodriguez said it's easier to make in-game adjustments on offense because everyone has grown up in the same system. It’s been harder on defense, where everyone is still learning.
* Improving third-down defense is a big theme for Arizona this week. I'll explore that topic a little more in depth later today.
* Arizona didn’t experiment with any more new running backs today, Rodriguez said. Receiver Samajie Grant continued to take reps there. It’s still possible Nick Wilson could play against UCLA. The overall RB situation is TBD.
* Quarterback Anu Solomon had a sleeve and brace on his injured left knee as he walked from the practice field to the locker room. He has missed the past three games.
* Rodriguez likes what he has seen from cornerback Dane Cruikshank, who has gotten better each week (including his first career interception vs. Washington). Cruikshank is a junior-college transfer but is still relatively inexperienced.
* Rodriguez said Arizona’s four-game losing streak against UCLA and recent blowout losses to the Bruins don’t matter, or at least they shouldn’t. "What happened last year is completely irrelevant," Rodriguez said.
* UCLA will be Arizona's first road game, but Rodriguez believes the UA’s "semi-road" opener vs. BYU in Glendale has prepped the Wildcats for an away environment.
* UCLA also will be the first road start for QB Brandon Dawkins, but as Rodriguez noted, Dawkins played extensively at ASU last season.
* Rodriguez on the current state of UA recruiting: "I like where we’re at, and I’m pretty excited about what the next few years are going to look like for us."
