Arizona returned to Dick Tomey Practice Fields for the second week of fall training camp. Here are pertinent notes and observations from the Wildcats' sixth practice on Wednesday.Â
* Arizona star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who has been rehabbing a left leg injury he suffered in the spring, returned to practice in limited fashion. McMillan participated in individual drills and ran routes, but wasn't involved in one-on-one drills or any of the 7-on-7 or teams periods. McMillan also participated in Arizona's final walk-through in practice alongside returning starter Montana Lemonious-Craig and junior-college transfer Jeremiah Patterson. Arizona is being extremely cautious with McMillan's rehab. Expect to see his involvement in practice ramp up as the season opener approaches.Â
* Arizona left guard Wendell Moe was limited to individual drills, but returned to the starting lineup during team periods. Moe said on Wednesday he was dealing with a "soft-tissue" injury. Center Josh Baker was held out again and was replaced by redshirt sophomore Grayson Stovall. Arizona's first starting offensive line had left tackle Rhino Tapa'atoutai, left guard Alexander Doost, Stovall, San Jose State transfer Ryan Stewart at right guard and right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea; Moe later replaced Doost in the starting lineup.
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* The first-team defense had a mixture of starters and second-team players. The starting defensive line had San Jose State transfer edge rusher Tre Smith, defensive tackle Isaiah Johnson, Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei — who has mostly played defensive end — at tackle and Utah defensive end transfer Chase Kennedy. The linebackers were sophomores Taye Brown and Kamuela Ka'aihue, with cornerback Tacario Davis, "Star" defensive back Genesis Smith, free safety Gunner Maldonado, strong safety Dalton Johnson and Louisville transfer Marquis Groves-Killebrew in the secondary. Starters Treydan Stukes and Jacob Manu returned to the starting lineup in practice.Â
* After missing the last two practices, defensive tackle Chubba Ma'ae returned.Â
* New punter Lachlan Bruce made his UA practice debut on Wednesday. The Oregon transfer and Geelong, Australia native, who will don 96 as his jersey number, kicked a series of punts. Three of his punts unofficially had a hang time of 4.04, 4.23 and 4.16 seconds. Patterson continued to return punts, along with running backs Rayshon "Speedy" Luke and Brandon Johnson.
* Luke broke out for a roughly 70-yard touchdown run up the middle in the first team period. Luke's breakaway speed is arguably the best on the team.
* Defensive standouts include redshirt sophomore defensive end Sterling Lane II, who blocked a pass and intercepted the ball. Redshirt freshman Emmanuel Karnley had his best day of training camp with a tackle for loss and pass breakup. Cornerback Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine intercepted backup quarterback Anthony Garcia, and Groves-Killebrew had a pass breakup. Brown and Colgate transfer Owen Goss also had tackles for loss. Maldonado had a sack, courtesy of a safety blitz. Â
* It was another solid day for Arizona's tight ends. Junior Keyan Burnett pirouetted and high-pointed a pass near the sideline for a 25-yard gain. A few plays later, Burnett picked up a first down with a 12-yard slant route. Second-year tight end Dorian Thomas had a nifty grab down the sideline in a one-on-one drill. San Jose State transfer Sam Olson ran a deep corner route inside the red zone and hauled in a pass thrown by quarterback Noah Fifita, who launched the pass while rolling to the right.Â
* Fifita's accuracy and ball placement, coupled with his arm strength, have been impressive in training camp. Fifita threaded a fastball over the middle through multiple defenders to wide receiver Chris Hunter.Â
* A scout from the New York Jets was in attendance. Â
Contact Justin Spears, the Star's Arizona football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports
Justin Spears
Sports Reporter
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