The Arizona Wildcatsโ first spring under Kevin Sumlin came to an end Saturday, and the defense again got the better of the offense.
The defense forced five turnovers in front of about 5,000 fans at the UA spring game at Arizona Stadium. Afterward, Sumlin said the linebackers had stood out more than any other position group throughout spring camp.
But Sumlin saw signs of hope on the other side of the ball.
He praised the work of the running backs, whose ranks included some surprise standouts. And he really liked that the offense scored on its first possession of the second half after trailing at halftime 42-16.
โWe didnโt really get in a rhythm offensively too much early,โ Sumlin said in his first meeting with the Tucson media since the start of spring ball March 19.
โThe good news was that we went into halftime and came out and scored quickly with a long drive. It was good to see the team respond like that after sitting down for a while.โ
Quarterback Khalil Tate connected with receiver Shawn Poindexter for a pair of passes covering 55 yards on the three-play, 58-yard scoring drive. The first was a 51-yard strike down the left sideline. The second was a 4-yard fade pass into the left corner of the end zone. On both plays, Poindexter used his 6-foot-5 frame to get the better of 5-10 cornerback Lorenzo Burns.
The efficient drive was an encouraging sign after an uneven first half, which featured struggles with the snap count, multiple penalties and all five of the aforementioned turnovers. The half resembled the Wildcatsโ open scrimmage the previous Saturday, one that the defense generally controlled.
Tate was involved in only one of the turnovers, an interception by safety Chacho Ulloa that was tipped at the line by defensive end Justin Belknap. Tate, who encroached on the Heisman Trophy race as a sophomore last season, is coming along as an all-around quarterback. Heโs just not there quite yet.
โHeโs a dynamic player,โ Sumlin said. โHeโs explosive. The big thing for him, everybodyโs gotta remember โฆ heโs not that experienced a guy. Heโs still an inexperienced player. Heโs gotta come to work and work at it every day.
โHeโs getting better. Youโve got a different system. Heโs got different terminology, a lot of things going on. And weโre going fast.
โHeโs still a work in progress. I donโt think thereโs anybody on our football team where you can say, โWoof, heโs made it.โ This is a work in progress, and heโs part of that.โ
Tate is working on becoming a more vocal leader and on โplaying in the phone boothโ โ the phrase quarterbacks coach Noel Mazzone uses for making plays within the confines of a tight pocket.
Tate showed off his running skills on a handful of occasions, but more often than not those plays were whistled dead whenever a defender got close to him. So the full Khalil was not on display.
โAs long as you guys know,โ Tate said, smiling, โthatโs all that matters.โ
Arizona made most of its big offensive plays on the ground, and it wasnโt just 2017 Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year J.J. Taylor doing the damage.
Sophomore Nathan Tilford had a dominant second-half series, which he capped with the first of two short-range touchdowns. Tilford buried cornerback Azizi Hearn with a stiff arm on a 9-yard run.
โOh man,โ Taylor said. โI feel bad for whoever he did it to.โ
With sophomore Gary Brightwell sitting out after suffering an apparent knee injury last week, Anthony Mariscal and Branden Leon got plenty of work. Mariscal, a redshirt junior, again showed promise with the ball in his hands after moving from safety earlier in the offseason. Leon, also a redshirt junior, had a pair of 40-yard runs. He earned a scholarship last year after starting his UA career as a walk-on.
โI thought all of them competed,โ Sumlin said. โI thought they ran hard. That was a great sign, to have some depth behind J.J. Heโs a smaller guy; you canโt play him a bunch of snaps.โ
The running backs werenโt perfect. Taylor fumbled in the first half, as did Tilford.
Belknap forced and recovered Taylorโs fumble; cornerback Jace Whittaker did the same to Tilford. Safety Jarrius Wallace had a pair of interceptions, both against backup quarterback KโHari Lane. Lane threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Cedric Peterson in the first quarter.
The defense won the spring game 55-46.
Safety suspended
Sophomore safety Scottie Young Jr. is currently suspended from the team, Sumlin said.
Sumlin declined to specify the reasons behind the suspension, which went into effect before the start of spring practice.
โWeโre just going to see where that process goes,โ Sumlin said.
Young started nine games as a true freshman last season, ranking sixth on the team with 53 tackles. He also had 3.5 stops for losses and an interception.
Last September, Young was arrested in connection with a domestic-violence incident and charged with a misdemeanor. Heโs due for a diversion check next month.
Young did not miss any game time as a result of the incident. He remained on the roster handed out to media members before the spring game.
Extra points
- Defensive tackle Dereck Boles got shaken up early. He jogged off the field but did not dress for the second half.
- Receiver Devaughn Cooper had a boot on his left leg in the second half and left the field on crutches.
- Center Nathan Eldridge, tackle Tshiyombu Lukusa and safety Isaiah Hayes did not play.
- Arizona hosted numerous recruits, including safety Noa Pola-Gates of Gilbert Williams Field; cornerback Logan Wilson of Dallas; cornerback Nick Harvey, a potential graduate transfer from Texas A&M; linebacker Jalen Williams of Phoenix Shadow Mountain; and defensive end Stephon Wright of Los Angeles. Wilson committed to Arizona shortly after the spring game ended.
