Notes and takeaways from Arizona Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez’s weekly news conference Monday afternoon at the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility:
* Rodriguez said senior receiver Cam Denson didn’t play against Northern Arizona because he’s “still a little bit nicked up.” Denson suffered a foot injury in spring, and Rodriguez said he hasn’t been fully healthy since training camp started. Denson is week to week. Rodriguez didn’t rule out the possibility of the Tucson product redshirting.
* Rodriguez said quarterback Khalil Tate “should be fine” after landing hard on his right shoulder in the third quarter. Tate, the backup to Brandon Dawkins, had to come out of the game.
* Arizona isn’t completely sure what to expect from Houston because the Cougars haven’t played a game yet. We’ll have more on that situation later today.
* Rodriguez on Houston star defensive tackle Ed Oliver: “He’s a first-rounder. Tremendous player. He plays with great leverage. He’s strong. He’s active. He runs to the ball. Everything anybody would want in an interior defensive lineman, he has it.”
* Rodriguez on the passing game vs. NAU: “We did not throw the ball nearly as well as we needed to Saturday. I was disappointed in a couple plays we didn’t hit.” UA quarterbacks finished 7 of 14 for 89 yards.
* Rodriguez said slot receiver Tyrell Johnson is finally healthy, giving Arizona a speed element it rarely had last season. “He’s a guy you want to try to get the ball to,” Rodriguez said. Johnson scored a 55-yard touchdown on an end-around and had a 58-yard kickoff return vs. the Lumberjacks.
* Asked about freshman kicker Lucas Havrisik, Rodriguez joked that he “looks like this mic a little bit. He’s kind of slender.” Nonetheless, Havrisik produced nine touchbacks in 10 kickoffs vs. NAU.
* Rodriguez acknowledged that the defensive backs didn’t play the deep ball well and need to sharpen their technique in all aspects of coverage.
