Day 5 of training camp is complete for the Arizona Wildcats. Here are some key notes, takeaways and tidbits from their nighttime practice Wednesday:
* Jedd Fisch again split the squad into two groups. This time, the group mostly consisting of young players worked in the evening.
* Will Plummer served as the main quarterback. Jordan McCloud filled that role Monday. Gunner Cruz will take his turn later on during camp, Fisch said.
* Plummer had a good night in terms of accuracy, but several of his passes weren’t caught. Freshman Anthony Simpson, who got open several times, had particular trouble hanging onto the ball.
* Receiver Jaden Mitchell, who’s trying to come back from a second ACL surgery, also had difficulty completing catches and missed the end of practice after getting banged up.
* Freshman JT Hand got a ton of reps at center and seemed to have no trouble whatsoever with snaps.
* Fisch singled out freshman linebacker Kolbe Cage, who was exceptional in one-on-ones with the running backs and had a tackle-for-loss during 11-on-11 play.
* Freshman linebacker Matt Weerts struggled early in one-on-ones. Defensive coordinator Don Brown urged him to use a counter move, and Weerts was able to win his last rep.
* Freshman tailback James Bohls had a tough go during one-on-ones, getting overpowered at times. He has a strong build but needs work on using leverage.
* Freshman Viper Ammon Allen had a pair of pass breakups, one during 7-on-7, the other in 11-on-11 work.
* The defense had trouble covering tailback Bam Smith out of the backfield. Smith twice caught passes in the flat and was able to turn upfield.
* Weerts, Regen Terry and Jason Harris registered QB pressures during the final 11-on-11 period.
* If you’ve been out at practice, you might have noticed a player wearing a gray jersey. What does that mean? It’s a countdown. Treshaun Hayward, No. 24, wore the gray jersey during the morning session Wednesday because there are 24 days until the season opener. Stevie Rocker Jr., No. 23, will wear it Thursday.
* The Wildcats again practiced in shoulder pads and helmets. The full squad is scheduled to work in full pads at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
