In front of roughly 300-500 fans at Arizona Stadium, the Arizona Wildcats held its "First Look" scrimmage Saturday night.
Besides the crisp 85-degree weather in August, here are the most pertinent notes and takeaways from Arizona's scrimmage two weeks ahead of its season opener:Β
* The Wildcats committed 20 penalties on Saturday β 10 on offense, eight on defense and two on special teams.Β
* Arizona senior running back Michael Wiley and sophomore Rayshon "Speedy" Luke returned kickoffs. Wiley returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown after fellow running back Jonah Coleman trucked linebacker Brandon Craddock for a critical block.Β
* Arizona mixed and matched different lineups on defense. A group that could be a preview of Arizona's opening-day lineup based on Saturday: defensive end Taylor Upshaw, defensive tackle Tyler Manoa, defensive tackle Bill Norton, edge rusher Isaiah Ward, linebacker Jacob Manu, linebacker Daniel Heimuli, cornerback Ephesians Prysock, nickel back Treydan Stukes, safety Gunner Maldonado, safety Dalton Johnson and cornerback Dylan Wyatt, who's recently ascended as one of the Wildcats' top defensive backs. The Wildcats also rotated defensive linemen in platoons periodically. UA defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen said on Saturday that "Mike" linebacker competition between Heimuli and Oregon transfer Justin Flowe is "neck and neck."Β
* Luke, who broke out in Arizona's scrimmage last week, was used as a running back and sometimes flexed out as a wide receiver. Luke caught a ball in the flat and turned it into a 12-yard gain, then subsequently had an eight-yard run.
* Arizona left tackle Jordan Morgan started on Saturday, but sat out the second half while Sam Langi played left tackle. Morgan, left guard Wendell Moe, center Josh Baker, right guard Raymond Pulido Jr., who had a false-start penalty on third-and-one, and right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea made up the Wildcats' starting offensive line. The second unit: left tackle Elijha Payne, left guard Leif Magnuson, center Grayson Stovall, left guard JT Hand and right tackle Rhino Tapa'atoutai.Β
* UA slot receiver Jacob Cowing had an impressive turnaround catch for a 30-yard touchdown from quarterback Jayden de Laura. Cowing also took a screen pass from de Laura for a 35-yard gain. De Laura tossed the ball to running back D.J. Williams, who then turned around to pass back to de Laura before crossing the line of scrimmage; de Laura then completed a 33-yard pass to Cowing.Β
* Wildcats kickers were 2-for-6 at field goals. The longest field goal made was a 47-yarder by BYU transfer Cash Peterman, who missed a 45- and 49-yard attempts. Tyler Loop also made a short attempt on Saturday, but missed his first 49-yard attempt on the left hash mark. UCLA transfer defensive tackle Tyler Manoa blocked the final field-goal attempt of the night.
* Manu, Upshaw and freshman linebacker Kamuela Ka'aihue each had a sack. Safety Isaiah Taylor and junior-college defensive tackle Keanu Mailoto each had a TFL. Freshman safety Genesis Smith stretched out for a pass breakup defending de Laura's deep ball to wide receiver and Colorado transfer Montana Lemonious-Craig. Junior-college transfer Charles Yates Jr. intercepted de Laura's pass on a similar play call. Johnson and freshman cornerback Emmanuel Karnley also had pass breakups on Saturday.Β
* Slot receiver Kevin Green Jr. hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Noah Fifita.Β
* Punter Kyle Ostendorp had an impressive punt that pinned receiver and returner Tetairoa McMillan at the four-yard line.Β Β
* After missing the last week, offensive tackle Joe Borjon returned but wore a red jersey and was limited; Tia Savea wore the uniform but didn't have shoulder pads and stood on the sideline. Arizona walk-on receiver Chris Hunter was also limited. Running back Brandon Johnson, who's missed the last two weeks of training camp, remained out. Safety DJ Warnell, who's in the mix to potentially start this season, dressed out rehabbed on the sidelines and didn't play.Β
* After the scrimmage, de Laura, McMillan, Cowing, Lemonious-Craig and Green worked on routes for about 20 minutes.Β
