To celebrate his birthday last week, Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura enjoyed a Hawaiian dish — Lau Lau — that his aunt brought down from Phoenix. For de Laura, who’s from Honolulu, this was comfort food at its finest.
Finding a comfort level on the football field has been a process. De Laura’s play at the outset of training camp could best be described as up and down. He was making plays but also throwing too many interceptions.
De Laura has looked like a different player the past four practices. He has thrown only one pick during team periods open for media observation, none in the past three sessions. He’s also firing the ball downfield with greater frequency, taking advantage of the receiving weapons Jedd Fisch and his staff have assembled.
De Laura, who transferred to Arizona from Washington State in January, felt it was only a matter of time before everything started to click.
“Just needed a couple of days for me and the other guys on the offense to get on the same page,” de Laura said Tuesday. “We just got better day by day.”
Regarding his inconsistency early in camp, de Laura theorized: “Maybe because I still was trying to get used to the offense. It was small things, little reads. It was just getting back into practice mode again, getting my game flow.”
De Laura never lost his footing as the Wildcats’ starter, but the gap between him and hard-charging freshman Noah Fifita appeared to shrink a bit. Fifita’s play hasn’t fallen off, and he seems to have established himself as the backup. But de Laura has elevated his game in a noticeable way.
“We’re seeing him become more confident in the scheme and where the answers are,” quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty said. “He’s starting to master things. He’s starting to get really comfortable.
“He’s continuing to be really good under center, as well as all the different stuff that we’re doing. Pretty much the whole offense is in at this point. He’s doing a great job with all of his checks, knowing where to go with the ball, seeing the defense — and making great decisions with the ball mostly. That’s why you’ve seen him play better.”
Arizona is hopeful that de Laura and the other offseason additions will lift an offense that ranked 124th nationally in scoring last season at 17.2 points per game. With de Laura taking most of the snaps, Washington State averaged 27.8 points. He led the Pac-12 in passing yards (2,751) and touchdowns (23).
The Cougars operated a run-and-shoot offense. De Laura said it wasn’t difficult to purge that system from his brain. Learning new terminology and techniques in Fisch’s pro-style scheme was “hard at first,” de Laura allowed. Even with the benefit of spring practice and player-run workouts, de Laura hadn’t reached that master level when training camp began.
But he remained patient and, critically, never lost his confidence.
“It’s everything,” de Laura said. “It starts from calling the plays. If you’re calling the play and the whole huddle doesn’t hear a confidence in your voice, then they’re not going to trust you or want you back there.
“And then the confidence in making throws, confidence in making reads, confidence off the field. It’s needed to be a quarterback.”
De Laura never stopped believing in himself. He also never felt threatened by Fifita. But the rookie has impressed the veteran.
“Just the moxie he’s got,” de Laura said. “You wouldn’t really think he’s a freshman. The way he carries himself, confidence, his throwing. He throws some throws and I’m like, ‘Dang.’ “
Dougherty said de Laura and Fifita support each other, describing their relationship as “big brother-little brother.” Fisch said they have similar skill sets — niftiness in the pocket, elusiveness out of it, arm strength, vision. They approach their craft the same way as well.
“They work hard at it in the classroom, in meetings,” Dougherty said. “They’re taking great notes. Both those kids are really football smart.”
If there’s a Will ...
While the top three quarterbacks are firmly established — de Laura, Fifita and veteran Jordan McCloud — Will Plummer has reminded the staff in recent days that he’s still around.
Plummer has begun to throw in drills about four months after undergoing surgery on this throwing shoulder. Plummer’s regimen is still limited. If he had his way, it wouldn’t be.
“We’ve got to slow him down sometimes,” Dougherty said. “He’s really tough, and he’s champing at the bit to get out there. He wants to throw 40-yard passes.
“It’s like, ‘OK, we’ve got to take our time and just listen to the trainers.’ He’s coming back pretty fast. He’s anxious.
“We’re being patient with him right now, just working through it. He’s trying to push the envelope a little bit. It’s good to see. Good to have him back out there.”
Plummer started seven games last season, including the final six, as a second-year freshman. He passed for 1,610 yards with six touchdowns and nine interceptions while also rushing for two scores.
Plummer battled shoulder pain for much of the season. He participated in most of spring practice before it was decided that he needed surgery.
If he were to redshirt this season, Plummer would have three more years of eligibility at the UA or elsewhere.
Arizona coach Jedd Fisch claps while the Wildcats stretch during before Tuesday's practice on campus. The team will practice Wednesday through Friday before holding a mock game on Saturday night at Arizona Stadium.
Extra points
Receiver Dorian Singer had perhaps his best day of camp Tuesday. In team drills, Singer made several impressive catches, including a leaping grab at the goal line for a 40-yard touchdown from de Laura. Ephesians Prysock had perfect coverage on the play, but Singer high-pointed the ball and came down with it. Singer later snared a well-thrown pass from de Laura just inside the right sideline. Singer appeared to tweak an ankle during that series and sat out the final portion of practice.
Veteran cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace displayed his savvy and skill on another deep ball thrown to Singer. De Laura’s pass was on target near the right pylon, but at the last moment, Roland-Wallace knocked it away.
The Wildcats began practice with an 11-on-11 period from the 10-yard line. On the first play, tailback Michael Wiley spun out of a tackle, broke another and scored. Fisch then summoned the second team on both sides and tried to make things difficult for the offense. D.J. Williams appeared to have scored but was ruled down at the 2. A penalty and a sack wiped out the next two plays and pushed the ball back to the 11. On fourth-and-goal, Fifita connected with Kevin Green Jr. for a touchdown in the left corner of the end zone.
Williams got banged up during that period and did not return. Receiver Jamarye Joiner also exited early with an apparent injury.
Freshman edge rusher Russell Davis II continued to make his presence felt in the backfield, registering a sack and a tackle-for-loss. Jalen Harris and Hunter Echols also recorded sacks.
Receiver Anthony Simpson scored on a bubble screen. He has been making plays throughout camp and looks like one of Arizona’s most explosive athletes.
Receivers Jacob Cowing and AJ Jones attended practice but did not participate. It was the second practice in a row that Cowing missed.
Other players who did not participate included tailback Jalen John, defensive lineman Tiaoalii Savea, linebacker Jeremy Mercier and cornerbacks Isaiah Rutherford and Treydan Stukes.
Cornerback Isaiah Mays, who was limited last week, practiced in full, as did defensive tackle Kyon Barrs, whose reps have been managed throughout camp. Linebacker Jacob Manu also returned after missing a handful of practices.
The Wildcats are scheduled to practice Wednesday through Friday before their mock game at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Arizona Stadium. The mock game is open to the public.
