ALBUQUERQUE β The Arizona Wildcats will be without four regulars for the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday.
Defensive lineman Luca Bruno (foot), guard Freddie Tagaloa (knee), linebacker Derrick Turituri (hip) and tailback Nick Wilson (knee) are listed as out on the official injury report released Thursday afternoon.
None of those is considered a surprise. Bruno got hurt during the regular-season finale vs. Arizona State and has been walking around town this week in a boot. Tagaloa missed the final three regular-season games. Turituri has been out since Week 4 and could seek a medical redshirt. And Wilson hasnβt been 100 percent for a while despite starting the final two regular-season games.
Meanwhile, here are some notes and observations from the open portion of Arizonaβs practice Thursday at New Mexicoβs campus facility:
- Tagaloa did not practice and spent a portion of the workout running up a hill adjacent to University Stadium. He had a brace on his right knee. Redshirt sophomore Gerhard de Beer, who started the final three games, is expected to take Tagaloaβs place.
- Brandon Dawkins took most of the second-team reps at quarterback during the early walk-through portion of practice, so it appears heβll be the primary backup to starter Anu Solomon. As has been reported previously, Jerrard Randall was working at wide receiver.
- Wilson did not practice and was among several players wearing a yellow no-contact jersey. Senior Jared Baker is expected to start, with freshman Orlando Bradford as his primary backup.
- Arizona initially was told that the fields were too wet to practice outdoors, but when Rich Rodriguez and his staff arrived, they deemed the conditions playable. So the equipment staff hurriedly moved whatever was needed from the indoor practice bubble to the outdoor grass field so the Wildcats could practice as scheduled.
- The parts of practice we were able to watch included walk-through plays for the offense, stretching and special-teams work.
