Asked whether he expected to touch the ball a certain number of times per game in his first season as an Arizona Wildcat, Jacob Cowing said exactly what you’d expect him to say:
“Not at all. I’m a team-first guy. As long as us as a team are getting the job done and we get the win (that’s) what matters to me. I don’t really care about personal stats. I just want to get the win and turn this program around.”
Cowing’s sincerity about winning games and turning UA football around can’t be questioned. The other part, though?
“He’s lying to you,” receivers coach Kevin Cummings said, laughing. “He wants the ball every play. He’s a competitor that way.”
Cowing didn’t come to Arizona to be a decoy, although he could be an effective one at times. He came, at least in part, because he knows Jedd Fisch can help elevate his game and boost his NFL draft stock.
Just ask Stanley Berryhill III, Cowing’s predecessor as a slot receiver and all-around weapon in Fisch’s offense. Berryhill caught 83 passes for 744 yards last year, becoming just the sixth player in school history to have 80-plus receptions in a season.
Berryhill also had 19 rushes and 18 punt returns. All told, that’s 120 touches, or 10 per game.
Cowing is expected to be Arizona’s primary punt returner. He’s also in the mix to return kickoffs. Fisch wants to get him the ball as much as possible in as many ways as possible.
The transfer from UTEP will line up in the slot, on the outside, maybe even in the backfield at times. He’ll go deep, catch bubble screens and run fly sweeps.
“There are not many limitations to his game,” Cummings said. “He can go vertical. He can win man on man. And he’s got the smarts and the savviness to adjust to some of that stuff in the slot, some of those zone coverages, slip defenders.
“It’s on us as a staff to put him in as many different spots as we can to use those skill sets. For him, he’s just going out there playing, and wherever we line him up, he’s done a great job of figuring out where he needs to be and how to run it.”
Cowing was used similarly to Berryhill in some ways last year at UTEP — but differently in others.
Both players lined up in the slot about three-fourths of the time on passing plays, per Pro Football Focus — 75.8% for Berryhill, 75.9% for Cowing.
The Miners threw deep to Cowing much more than the Wildcats did Berryhill. Almost one-fourth of Cowing’s targets — 24.3% — came on passes thrown 20 or more yards downfield. Berryhill’s rate was less than half that (11.9%).
Meanwhile, a whopping 82 of Berryhill’s 118 targets — 69.4% — came on passes thrown 9 or fewer yards. Cowing’s rate was 43.2%.
Cowing rushed the ball only four times but gained 75 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown. Berryhill gained 121 yards on his 19 carries.
Cowing played in a different system at UTEP, and he’ll have a different quarterback here than Berryhill. Jayden de Laura’s willingness to take shots downfield is one of the reasons Arizona pursued him in the transfer portal.
De Laura and Cowing connected for a long touchdown during practice Thursday.
“Our vertical pass game has to be better,” Cummings said. “That’s one of our goals as a staff. I thought he (Cowing) did a great job of showing the team that he can be that guy.”
It’s highly likely that Cowing will have more opportunities to make plays downfield than Berryhill, who signed with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons after this year’s draft and is set to make his NFL debut Friday. Will Cowing match — or even surpass him — in total touches?
As much as they want to get Cowing the ball, Fisch and his staff have more toys to play with. The additions include a trio of prized freshmen: tailback Rayshon Luke, tight end Keyan Burnett and receiver Tetairoa McMillan. Other options include sophomore receiver Dorian Singer, who caught 18 passes in the final five games last season.
Cowing’s deep speed alone — even if he isn’t targeted on a given play — could create opportunities for others.
“It can do a lot for the offense,” Singer said.
The UA offense needs all the help it can get. Arizona scored more than 19 points only twice last season. Each game featured a non-offensive touchdown – a pick-six vs. USC and a blocked punt returned for a score vs. Utah.
‘So dang smart’
Cummings and Singer praised the collective aptitude of the Wildcats’ freshman receivers, a group that includes McMillan, Kevin Green Jr. and AJ Jones.
“They’re so dang smart,” Cummings said.
McMillan is expected to start. Green has been one of the most productive pass catchers in camp and is pushing for meaningful playing time.
Cummings offered the following assessments of the two players:
On McMillan: “T-Mac team is doing great. He’s got to be better with some of our fade balls. That’s a constant coaching point for us just because he’s so dangerous at it. The difference between high school fade vs. college football fade, it’s a lot more physical. He’s starting to learn how to use his physicality to his advantage. He’s got great size (6-5, 205). ... The last two days he’s really opened up, starting to show himself that way.”
On Green: “He’s gotta take the game more serious, whether it’s nutrition, whether it’s study hall, whether it’s meetings, whatever the case may be, he’s gotta continue to mature. But as far as when we’re out here on the field, I couldn’t say enough about him. He catches the easy out route the other day, spins it upfield for 60 yards. He’s a great playmaker. He just gotta continue to grow up.”
Arizona coach Jedd Fisch gives a thumbs-up while players stretch before Thursday's practice on campus.
Extra points
Furthering a camp-long trend, the defense generally got the better of the offense during 11-on-11 play Thursday. Johnny Nansen‘s group nabbed three interceptions (although one could have been ruled a sack). The interceptors were Isaiah Rutherford, Jaydin Young and Malik Reed.
De Laura threw two of the picks, Jordan McCloud the other. De Laura continues to battle inconsistency during camp. He has struggled at times to process plays from the pocket. Some of his best plays have come outside
the pocket. One example from Thursday: the aforementioned deep ball to Cowing.
Picking up where left off in spring, freshman Noah Fifita has been the most impressive quarterback during practice. He has the strongest arm in the group, has shown a knack for making plays and has kept turnovers to a minimum.
Cummings on veteran receiver Jamarye Joiner‘s comeback from foot surgery: “Jamarye has still got some conditioning to do. But he’s come in and competed. He’s coming in with the mindset that he’s ready to play. As a staff, we’ve got to be careful with how many reps he’s getting to make sure that his body stays healthy. But he’s also got to get enough work to where he’s getting in (shape).”
With some veterans being out or getting rest, freshman Jacob Kongaika worked with the first team at nose tackle. Fellow freshman Russell Davis II worked with the second team at the “Cat” edge position.
Defensive lineman Paris Shand notched a pair of sacks during 11-on-11 play.
Cornerback Isaiah Mays, who’s been out for undisclosed reasons, attended practice. He did not participate in drills or side work. Other players who remained out included tailback Jalen John, defensive tackle Dion Wilson Jr. and cornerback Treydan Stukes.
Senior safety Christian Young made The Athletic’s annual list of the freakiest athletes in college football. Young checked in at No. 47.
Country music artist Phil Vassar will play a free concert on the UA mall before the Sept. 10 home opener vs. Mississippi State.
The Wildcats are scheduled to practice at 9:15 a.m. Friday. Their first official scrimmage of camp is slated for 10 a.m. Saturday.
Arizona wide receiver and Maricopa native Jacob Cowing discusses the differences between the offenses at the UA and Arizona, and what he's expecting from his role this season.
Arizona wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings spoke to the media following the Wildcats' seventh practice of training camp.
