The Arizona Wildcats conducted their second practice of training camp Saturday morning. Here are some notes, takeaways and tidbits:
* The quarterbacks, collectively, performed better than in the first practice. They were more decisive and produced more touchdowns. Team drills and 7-on-7 work again were limited to the red zone, forcing quick decisions and small-window throws. The QBs were far from perfect, but they made positive strides.
* After covering Boobie Curry in one-on-ones Friday, Christian Roland-Wallace was assigned Brian Casteel on Saturday. Casteel made a diving catch for a touchdown in their first matchup; Roland-Wallace broke up the next pass headed Casteel’s way.
* Roland-Wallace and Isaiah Rutherford continue to build on their strong springs. They’re head and shoulders above the rest of the cornerback group.
* Curry had a strong day. His best play came on a back-shoulder fade to the right side of the end zone. Curry snatched the ball and stayed inbounds despite tight coverage from Rutherford. Will Plummer put the ball in just the right place.
* Gunner Cruz’s best pass came in red-zone work when he unleashed a fastball to Jalen Johnson streaking across the end zone. Jordan McCloud’s best ball came in 11-on-11 work. With linebacker Anthony Pandy in his face, McCloud lofted a corner route to Stanley Berryhill III for a TD.
* The quarterbacks worked on very specific throws during drills early in practice – back-shoulder fades, corner-of-the-end-zone lobs and high passes just underneath the crossbar.
* Turnovers have been rare so far. Cornerback McKenzie Barnes picked off Plummer during red-zone work, cutting in front of Johnson in the end zone. Tailback Jalen John fumbled during 11-on-11 play but recovered the ball.
* Tailback Michael Wiley had a pair of sharp runs during 11-on-11. He appears fit and healthy after missing time in spring.
* Defensive end JB Brown continued to make plays in the backfield, building on his strong spring.
* Three players are vying for the starting punting job, and second-year freshman Tyler Loop might have gained some early separation. Loop drilled a pair of punts that traveled about 60 yards.
* At the end of practice, a group consisting mostly of freshmen ran through plays in an 11-on-11 setting. We’ll have more on what that’s about later today.
* Most of the freshmen look like they could use a year in the strength program. Cornerback Jakelyn Morgan, for example, moves well but clearly needs to add muscle mass to his 6-foot, 170-pound frame.
* Receiver Jamarye Joiner, linebacker Jabar Triplett, defensive tackle Kyon Barrs and long snapper Seth MacKellar remained limited to side work. Cornerback Treydan Stukes and linebacker Kevon Garcia joined that group Saturday.
