Arizona Football Concludes its first Public Scrimmage of 2018

Arizona Football fans salivating for some football action, finally got their fill as the Wildcats held their first public scrimmage of 2018.

On a rather warm, spring day inside Arizona Stadium, the Arizona Football team took to the field to show a rather small crowd of football hungry fans, what to potentially expect in 2018.

As the music blared, and misters blasted players seeking relief from the sun, Kevin Sumlin stood behind the line of scrimmage, arms folded, observing the scrimmage in front of him.

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From the start it was competitive. The defense looked energetic, and the emotion displayed made it feel more like a practice in August or September, rather than one in April.

The defense lined up on the East sidelines, wearing white, while the offense was in blue on the West. Structured very much like a true offense versus defense scrimmage, the Wildcats rotated different players, essentially giving everyone reps.

Position coaches took every opportunity to coach in this one, and it was definitely a different feel from the previous staff. Players seemed to play a bit more freely, but got correction and guidance as needed and when applicable.

That’s not to say the previous staff didn’t coach or weren’t good at what they did, it’s just a different style than from one we’ve seen.

From my observations, here is what I saw from Saturday’s action.

• Arizona’s defense looked far more comfortable out there, making some impressive plays. They played with energy, they played with passion, and flew to the football. They were very active out there.
• This defense I feel will be vastly improved this season, and it helps returning studs like; Colin Schooler, Tony Fields II, and Kylan Wilborn.
• Sione Taufahema looks a bit leaner as well as a step quicker from the video we saw of him coming to Tucson. Coming off redshirt, he should provide an immediate impact on defense.
• Khalil Tate is still an electric player (no surprise). His footwork looked much better out there compared to last season. He did miss on a couple throws, but Noel Mazzone is going to be a great asset for him and the Wildcats this season.
• Nathan Tilford is going to get a lot of carries and rightfully so.
• The offensive line looks talented, but after losing a few pieces from last year, this group will need a little time to gel. Once that happens, it’ll be a very talented group.
• Anthony Mariscal’s move to running back will be a good one. He will get some carries this year, and he looks more than capable at transferring skills. He also had one of the best runs in Saturday’s scrimmage.
• Outside of Tony Ellison and Shun Brown, the wide receiver position is wide open. Shawn Poindexter and Cedric Peterson does return which should help, but Arizona is going to need another player or two to step up. Can Brian Casteel, Devaughn Cooper or Keyshawn Johnson Jr. make that jump?

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At Zona Zealots, we’re excited about the return of football, and are anxious to see what kind of product we have this year! Bear Down, Arizona!