The Arizona Wildcats conducted their third practice of training camp Sunday night. Here are some key notes, takeaways and tidbits:
* UA coach Jedd Fisch said after practice that “someone needs to separate themselves” at quarterback. That hasn’t happened as of yet. Fisch is seeking more consistency from that position. The next week-plus will be a critical evaluation period for the three contenders.
* Fisch liked what he saw from Jordan McCloud in an unscripted period of 11-on-11 play, including a sideline pass to Jalen Johnson, who made a contested catch while also staying inbounds.
* Gunner Cruz connected twice with Tayvian Cunningham for touchdowns in 11-on-11. On the first play, Cunningham got behind the safeties and did a good job of getting a foot down inside the end line. On the second one, Cruz escaped to his right and found Cunningham, who located a soft spot in the middle of the defense.
* Will Plummer, who had a strong first two days, threw his second interception of training camp. It came in 7-on-7. Safety Gunner Maldonado stepped in front of Plummer’s intended target in the middle of the end zone.
* While Johnson and Cunningham continued their strong camps, Brian Casteel and Jaden Mitchell had some issues catching the ball. The drops were uncharacteristic for Casteel, who’s normally surehanded. Mitchell looks rusty after returning from knee surgery.
* Freshman receiver Dorian Singer just missed a would-be touchdown pass from Cruz. Receivers coach Kevin Cummings told Singer that he could have laid out for the ball. Cruz went right back to Singer on the next play for a first down.
* Linebacker Kenny Hebert and cornerback Treydan Stukes were among the players who did not participate. With Hebert out, Eddie Siaumau-Sanitoa and freshman Jackson Bailey got more playing time. Siaumau-Sanitoa got into the backfield on a couple of occasions.
* Another freshman who got some reps with the second unit: defensive tackle Evan Branch-Haynes. Branch-Haynes is listed at 6-2, 309 and seems to carry the weight well.
* Michael Wiley finished a short TD run by powering through Christian Roland-Wallace at the goal line. Wiley said he has added several pounds of muscle since spring, when he was slowed by hamstring issues. If Arizona played today, the top three running backs would be Wiley, Drake Anderson and freshman Stevie Rocker Jr.
* The team had to move inside on a couple of occasions because of lightning in the area.
* The Wildcats wore shoulder pads and red helmets. They will wear shoulder pads again Monday and go in full pads Wednesday after taking Tuesday off.
