Notes and takeaways from Arizona coach Kevin Sumlin’s weekly Monday news conference as the Wildcats enter their bye week:
* Arizona will practice today, Tuesday and Thursday before the players get the weekend off. The coaching staff, including Sumlin, will hit the road to recruit starting Thursday night. The practice plan will follow two tracks: Veterans who’ve played a ton of snaps will get a chance to rest their bodies, while younger players will get more reps in hopes of building depth for the stretch run.
* Sumlin said he talks to the players after every game about staying out of trouble, so that message doesn’t change this week. What will be different is that some players will have a chance to go home this weekend for the first time since summer.
* The TV networks are exercising a six-day pick window for the Pac-12 slate on Nov. 17, including Arizona’s trip to Washington State. The kickoff time and TV assignment are expected to be announced Sunday.
* Sumlin said tailback J.J. Taylor displayed balance, desire and intelligence while helping Arizona finish off Colorado. We’ll have more on Taylor later today.
* Sumlin said sophomore tailback Nathan Tilford has talent and works hard but that inconsistency has kept him out of the rotation. We’ll have more on Tilford later today as well.
* Sumlin on Khalil Tate playing hurt and then sitting out at UCLA: “You always appreciate something that you like to do but can’t do. That’s been the struggle for him. It had to be a struggle to go to Los Angeles (Tate’s hometown) and not play.”
* Sumlin credited Lucas Havrisik for continuing to work hard after losing the placekicking job to Josh Pollack. Havrisik remained the long-distance kicker and drilled 49- and 55-yard field goals against Colorado.
* Sumlin said redshirt-freshman “Stud” Jalen Harris looks like “a different guy” compared to where he was in spring in terms of strength and explosion. Harris has started the past two games. For the season, he has 25 tackles, including 2.5 sacks.
* Sumlin said cornerbacks across the country are being asked to play more one-on-one coverage than ever because defenses are determined to stop running backs and running quarterbacks. Despite missing several veterans at the position, UA defensive coordinator Marcel Yates hasn’t hesitated to put his corners on the proverbial island.
