Dawkins on pace to start at quarterback
The Arizona Wildcats held an open-tothe-media practice Saturday night on campus. The workout concluded the UA’s first week of training camp. Here are my top five observations:
Digging Dawkins
Brandon Dawkins looked like the most advanced quarterback. Even more important, he appeared to have made progress as a pocket passer, which was easily his biggest shortcoming. Of course, it was only practice, and the defense wasn’t allowed to hit Dawkins. But I liked what I saw on several occasions during the “team” period (11-on-11). A couple of examples: (1) When the defense crept up into a press-man, no-deepsafeties look, Dawkins recognized it and connected with Tony Ellison, who got behind Chacho Ulloa; (2) when the defense blitzed on a third-and-10 play, Dawkins calmly stood his ground and hit Shun Brown on a crossing route for a first down. UA coach Rich Rodriguez said Dawkins is starting to trust the timing of plays more. He looks comfortable and confident. At this early stage, he’s the clear favorite to start the opener.
The other quarterbacks
question Arizona will be deeper and more athletic on defense this season. The Wildcats’ defensive numbers will improve as a result. But with so many projected contributors lacking substantial experience, it’s more likely the big jump will come in 2018 or ’19 – and who knows what will happen to the program between now and then.
Good Wood