Scottie Graham played six seasons in the NFL. He touched the ball 413 times. He never lost a fumble.
So it should come as no surprise that ball security is a major point of emphasis in the running back room Graham now oversees.
The first-year Arizona running backs coach has a quote posted in the room. It is credited to John Heisman — you know, the guy they named the trophy after.
“Gentlemen, it is better to have died as a small boy than to fumble this football.”
That seems extreme. But it’s an illustration of just how seriously Graham approaches that particular aspect of the craft. He expects the same from his group.
Third-year back Michael Wiley said Graham always emphasizes four pressure points when it comes to carrying and protecting the ball. Three are physical: the wrist, biceps and chest. The fourth is mental.
“It's that mindset,” fellow tailback Drake Anderson said. “Football, obviously it's physical. But that mental edge is very important. You can’t neglect that.”
Graham has no secret sauce in terms of technique. Back in his playing days — before there was a YouTube how-to video for literally everything — he searched the Internet for one and couldn’t find anything. So he simply resolved to hold onto the ball no matter what.
“It was important to me,” Graham said. “I didn't play a lot. I played fullback in college, so when I got the ball I made sure I wasn’t going to fumble it. When I got to the pros, I morphed into the role of a fourth-down back, a goal-line guy. Got (to be) dependable to win the game in fourth quarter.”
Wiley has yet to be charged with a fumble during his UA career. He has touched the ball 88 times.
Former Northwestern running back Drake Anderson, center, figures to see plenty of action for UA this year. He has fumbled five times in 238 career touches.
Anderson played his first three seasons at Northwestern before transferring this past offseason. He has fumbled five times in 238 career touches.
Those two are the leaders in what UA coach Jedd Fisch described as a “three-horse race” at running back. He also put freshman Stevie Rocker Jr. in that top group.
The position is as deep as any on the team, and multiple backs are expected to play.
“I think the days of the Emmitt Smiths and the days of just giving 28-32 carries to one guy have kind of gone by the wayside,” Fisch said. “Running back by committee, hot hand ... I think there's a role for more than certainly two running backs.”
That approach could work in Arizona’s favor when it comes to ball security. The fresher you are, Graham believes, the less likely you are to fumble.
“Usually bad things happen when you get tired,” Graham said. “Most running backs fumble when they get tired or when they go to the ground.”
It’s hard for any team to win when it loses the turnover battle; it’s especially hard for a team like Arizona, which is still trying to build up its talent base. The Wildcats turned the ball over seven times, including four fumbles, in last year’s calamitous finale against Arizona State.
“You just can't fumble,” Wiley said. “That's the main point.”
No separation at QB
Arizona had concluded three practices when Fisch addressed the media Sunday night. It didn’t sound as if he was any closer to figuring out the identity of the Wildcats’ starting quarterback.
“Someone needs to separate themselves,” Fisch said, “to figure out whatever that competitive edge is, to find a way to be a difference maker. ... Right now, we haven't seen the separation we're looking for.”
A similar pattern played out in spring, when Gunner Cruz and Will Plummer jockeyed for position and ended up in a virtual dead heat. Jordan McCloud has since joined the battle. All three have had ups and downs through the early portion of training camp. Fisch is looking for one of them to string together multiple positive series and/or days.
“Consistency moving the football,” Fisch said. “We go no huddle and we hit three or four passes (in a row). We have a team period, and the ball doesn't get on the ground. (In) 7-on-7, there's really no excuse to throw incompletions. The good teams don't throw a lot of incompletions. There's no pass rush.”
Fisch expects the competition to start sorting itself out over the next week. He likened the upcoming stretch of five practices, Wednesday through Sunday, to “moving day” in a golf tournament.
“They're all trying,” Fisch said. “They're all working hard at it. They all want to be good. ... They get frustrated. So I'm happy with that.
“I love how they're competing. We're always looking for that one person that has that ability to say, ‘I’m going to compete harder than everybody else.’ ”
Fisch on Bowden
Fisch began his college coaching career at Florida. He considers Steve Spurrier one of his biggest influences.
But Fisch has the utmost respect for the coach who elevated UF’s rival to national prominence.
Fisch got to meet Bobby Bowden a handful of times while at Florida. The legendary Florida State coach died Sunday at 91 after battling pancreatic cancer.
“I send my condolences to the Bowden family,” Fisch said. “He's an icon. From 1987-2000, never had a team not in the top five. Imagine that. That's an unbelievable 14-year run.”
Bowden is credited with 377 career victories, second most among major college football coaches.
“It's a lot of wins,” Fisch said. “I've got one, so we'll try to see if we can add to that.”
Extra points
- Fisch liked what he saw from McCloud in an unscripted period of 11-on-11 play Sunday night, including a sideline pass to Jalen Johnson, who made a contested catch while also staying inbounds.
- Cruz connected twice with Tayvian Cunningham for touchdowns in 11-on-11. On the first play, Cunningham got behind the safeties and did a good job of getting a foot down inside the end line. On the second one, Cruz escaped to his right and found Cunningham, who located a soft spot in the middle of the defense.
- Plummer, who had a strong first two days, threw his second interception of training camp. It came in 7-on-7. Safety Gunner Maldonado stepped in front of Plummer’s intended target in the middle of the end zone.
- Freshman receiver Dorian Singer just missed a would-be touchdown pass from Cruz. Receivers coach Kevin Cummings told Singer that he could have laid out for the ball. Cruz went right back to Singer on the next play for a first down.
- Linebacker Kenny Hebert and cornerback Treydan Stukes were among the players who did not participate. With Hebert out, Eddie Siaumau-Sanitoa and freshman Jackson Bailey got more playing time. Siaumau-Sanitoa got into the backfield on a couple of occasions.
- The Wildcats wore shoulder pads and red helmets. They were scheduled to wear shoulder pads again Monday and go in full pads Wednesday after taking Tuesday off.
