The Arizona Wildcats held their fifth practice of spring Monday afternoon. Here are some notes and observations from spring practice No. 5:
* UA coach Jedd Fisch said the quarterbacks, as a group, had their best practice so far. Jayden de Laura, who continued to take all the first-team reps, definitely had his best day, throwing the ball with conviction and confidence.
* Fisch pitted the offense vs. the defense in a series of one-on-ones. The defense won the best-of-5 competition when cornerback Treydan Stukes forced an incomplete pass. Stukes continued his strong camp, notching a pass breakup and an interception.
* After Stukes’ pick of de Laura, the offense caught fire. Anthony Simpson made a nifty toe-tap grab inside the left sideline, then snagged a TD pass in the back of the end zone from Will Plummer. Dorian Singer made a tumbling TD catch in the back of the end zone on a pass from Noah Fifita. Keyan Burnett made an acrobatic grab just beyond the right pylon for a TD from Jordan McCloud. And Tetairoa McMillan caught a shallow cross from de Laura and raced into the end zone for a score.
* Cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace and defensive end Jalen Harris registered sacks in 11-on-11 play. Nickel DJ Warnell had a tackle-for-loss on a third-and-1 run.
* Three running backs were out because of injuries: Drake Anderson, Jalen John and Stevie Rocker Jr. Michael Wiley and Jonah Coleman took most of the tailback reps.
* Linebacker Malik Reed and defensive lineman JB Brown were among other players who did not participate.
* With Reed out, several players got looks at middle linebacker. Jerry Roberts worked with the first team at middle linebacker early on in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 as he continues his recovery from a broken leg suffered late last season.
* Brown’s absence gave newcomer Tiaoalii Savea an opportunity to run with the ones at defensive tackle alongside Paris Shand.
* Another newcomer, Jeremy Mercier, split time between middle linebacker and “Cat” defensive end.
* Safety Jaxen Turner, who’s been extremely aggressive and physical throughout spring camp, sported a red no-contact jersey but took his full allotment of reps.
* Freshman tackle Jacob Reece still hasn't been cleared to practice.
* Running backs coach Scottie Graham wore a Lauren Ware jersey in support of the UA women’s basketball team, which played in the NCAA Tournament across the street at McKale Center about a half-hour after practice ended.
