Notes and takeaways from Arizona coach Kevin Sumlinโs weekly Monday news conference as the Wildcats prepare to face Cal:
* Sumlin acknowledged that quarterback Khalil Tate has been limited at times during practice because of his sore left ankle and that his backups have received more reps than usual. Sumlin said the idea of sitting Tate to give his ankle time to heal has been discussed, but no change is in the works as of now. Iโll have more on this situation later today.
*ย Sumlin said โthere could beโ a change at placekicker, where sophomore Lucas Havrisik has made only 4 of 9 field-goal attempts and has missed two extra-point tries. Arizona has a veteran alternative in senior Josh Pollack.
*ย Sumlin on linebacker Colin Schooler, who leads Arizona in tackles (57) and leads the Pac-12 in stops for losses (10.5): โHeโs as good a football player as there is in this league.โ
*ย Sumlin was pleased with the defenseโs performance in the fourth quarter. The unit did two things it hadnโt been doing with any consistency: get stops on third down and take the ball away.
*ย Sumlin said โStudโ Kylan Wilbornโs recent improvement (eight tackles, two sacks in past three games) is a product of three things: his continued hard work, some schematic changes and the return of defensive lineman PJ Johnson, who occupies blockers.
*ย Regarding the goal-line offense and the use of J.J. Taylor in those situations, Sumlin said itโs a โteam effort.โ The line has to get more of a push.
*ย Sumlin has been impressed with the recent work of โSpurโ safety Tristan Cooper, who has been active on special teams and has used his length and athleticism to make open-field tackles.
*ย Sumlin said he considered calling for an onside kick when Arizona kicked off from the 50-yard line in the third quarter but thought the risks outweighed the potential benefits.
