蜜桃影像AV

It鈥檚 depth. And if there was any team that lacked it last season, it was the Arizona Wildcats. However, for some players, like redshirt sophomore defensive back Gavin Hunter, the experience last season was a springboard for contributing this season.

The stars aligned for Hunter, who appeared in 11 games last season, in his first-ever start at Arizona.

Hunter started in place of the injured Treydan Stukes, who suffered a knee injury nearly a year ago in Arizona鈥檚 Big 12 opener at Utah, against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors on Saturday. Hunter鈥檚 father, Alfred Hunter, played defensive back for the Rainbow Warriors in the 1990s, and the younger Hunter grew up in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, which is about a 30-minute car ride from the UH campus.

Hunter ended Saturday night with two tackles, a pass breakup and an interception in the end zone to prevent Hawaii from scoring a touchdown.

鈥淚t just felt good,鈥� Hunter said. 鈥淎ll the work we鈥檝e been putting in during fall camp, just to go out there and fly around with the boys and come out with a win, it was definitely a special one.鈥�

Hunter tied safeties Genesis Smith and Dalton Johnson for a team-high 72 defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

鈥淚 thought Gavin played his tail off,鈥� said head coach Brent Brennan. 鈥淚t was the most plays he鈥檚 ever played in a game.鈥�

Realistically, Stukes 鈥渃ould鈥檝e played on Saturday night,鈥� said defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales on Tuesday. Stukes participated in multiple team periods and 7-on-7 periods during training camp and the days leading up to the season opener.

鈥淗e鈥檚 ready to go and chomping at the bit,鈥� Gonzales said of Stukes. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got a lot of football. The experience Gavin gained Saturday night was really valuable, especially for our football team. We鈥檙e going to make sure that Treydan is 1,000% ready to go, and he looks really good in practice. ... I鈥檓 excited for Treydan Stukes to get on the football field and play ball. We鈥檙e going to make sure it鈥檚 the perfect timing.鈥�

Added Gonzales: 鈥淚 think Treydan Stukes has the opportunity to play in the NFL for a long time because he has so much value as a football player in special teams and what he is; he can play corner, he can play safety 鈥� dude can play linebacker because of his knowledge. We鈥檙e going to make sure the timing is perfect.鈥�

Gonzales also said Jeronimo Boche, Arizona鈥檚 associate director of medical services and head football athletic trainer, has taken a conservative and cautious approach with injuries in his first season at the UA after stints at Tennessee and James Madison.

鈥淭here are some things that are more conservative than I鈥檝e been around, but the guys who come back from this conservative treatment have been phenomenal, so it鈥檚 really smart,鈥� Gonzales said.

The plan for Stukes鈥� return is a 鈥渦nique case,鈥� said Gonzales. But the rise of Hunter 鈥� who had 鈥渂y far the best (training) camp that he鈥檚 had鈥� at Arizona, per Gonzales 鈥� has the Arizona coaches reluctant to return Stukes until the highly anticipated game against Kansas State in less than two weeks.

The most promising sign of Hunter鈥檚 maturity and growth was in the fourth quarter against Hawaii, when he surrendered a 26-yard completion inside the red zone on fourth down and was flagged for passing interference on the following play.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have to grab him,鈥� Hunter said. 鈥淚 had good coverage, lost the ball and just grabbed him when I didn鈥檛 need to. That鈥檚 definitely something I can learn from and improve moving forward.鈥�

But he didn鈥檛 wilt or hang his head. Instead, the 6-2, 204-pound defensive back answered with an interception in the end zone and returned it to the UA 28-yard line. Hunter鈥檚 was the fourth turnover of Arizona鈥檚 five-takeaway performance against Hawaii.

Gonzales 鈥� known by the players as 鈥淐oach G鈥� 鈥� 鈥渆mphasized what to do and how to do it, all 11 to the ball with bad humor and keep them out of the end zone,鈥� Hunter said.

鈥淎ll 11 of us on the field buy into that, believe that and my brothers and coaches put me in a good spot where I was able to make a play,鈥� he said.

One start in, the Arizona coaches are 鈥渞eally excited for Gavin,鈥� Brennan said.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a young man that has had a tremendous amount of growth since the end of last season,鈥� added the Arizona coach. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a super hard worker, he鈥檚 a well-liked guy on the team, he鈥檚 a tough guy, a physical guy.

鈥淭o see him respond that way, that鈥檚 been such a huge message to our team.鈥�

Brennan not concerned with receiver penalties

Arizona was the fourth-most penalized team in the Big 12 last season and averaged just under 58 penalty yards per game. The Wildcats were in the neighborhood of last season鈥檚 average, with eight penalties for 54 yards against Hawaii on Saturday.

Two of those penalties were holding calls on wide receivers Isaiah Mizell and Javin Whatley. Brennan said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like penalties, but I love it when receivers block, I鈥檒l tell you that.鈥�

鈥淲hen you think historically how receivers are viewed or how people think about them, they鈥檙e always thrown into the prima donna, selfish category,鈥� Brennan said. 鈥淭o me, the best way they can show us that they鈥檙e not is to block their tails off. I think (Arizona wide receivers coach Bobby Wade) has done a great job of that. I think a couple of those times, they were locked up with somebody down the field and the defender got outside their framework and just didn鈥檛 let them go. But I was encouraged by the effort.鈥�

The effort 鈥� even if it results in a penalty 鈥� is a reflection of the 鈥渞edline鈥� mantra Brennan and Arizona鈥檚 coaches echo every day. Aggressively blocking is 鈥渞edline for a receiver,鈥� Brennan said.

鈥淵ou know a receiver is going to redline when you鈥檙e throwing him a post for a touchdown, right? That鈥檚 the easy one,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e need those guys to redline in the run game. We need them to show up, block safeties and block corners, so those 6-yard runs can become 60-yard runs if we cover up people downfield.鈥�

Extra points

鈥� Gonzales said cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew, who started six games last season and missed the season opener due to injury, practiced on Tuesday. Montana transfer linebacker Riley Wilson聽and defensive lineman Jarra "Bear" Anderson聽are expected to make their Arizona debut against Weber State.聽

鈥� Brennan, on 蜜桃影像AV offensive coordinator Seth Doege calling plays from the coaches鈥� booth in the Arizona Stadium press box: 鈥淗e was great. He feels like he sees it a lot better from there, which I think most of offensive coaches do. The communication was very, very healthy with the assistant coaches on the sideline and the staff. ... I thought it was positive.鈥�

鈥� Brennan, on Arizona鈥檚 two punts that were nearly blocked against Hawaii: 鈥淥ne was protection, one was not doing what you鈥檙e supposed to do, which happens. We鈥檙e trying to eliminate those moments. It was good because (Sunday) we got to see it on film, the players got to see it and we coached them up. I鈥檓 excited, we鈥檒l make the adjustments necessary and we鈥檒l get it right.鈥�

鈥� For the second straight week, Arizona is facing a team with a Tucson native. Weber State sophomore offensive lineman Will Way, who鈥檚 listed on the WSU depth chart as the backup center, played at Pusch Ridge Christian from 2019-22.

鈥� Former Arizona running back Jonah Coleman was named the Big 10 Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 177 yards and two touchdowns in Washington鈥檚 38-21 win over Colorado State. Former UA running back Rayshon 鈥淪peedy鈥� Luke had 10 carries for 96 yards and three touchdowns in Fresno State鈥檚 42-14 win over Georgia Southern.

鈥� Arizona didn鈥檛 win any weekly Big 12 awards, but the UA defensive line was nominated for Big 12 Defensive Line of the Week.