SPRING GAME • TOMORROW, 1 p.m. • ARIZONA STADIUM
The foundation for the 2005 football season gets laid tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. in Arizona Stadium when Arizona takes the field for its annual Spring Game.
The intrasquad showdown is the last workout in Arizona's 25-day spring season.
"No one should be better equipped to stop a team than the team itself," head coach Mike Stoops said.
The Wildcat offense and defense will be on opposing sides, and the score will be kept with a modified system that rewards big plays on both ends of the ball.
"We aren't going to run anything too fancy, but we will play good, fundamental football," Stoops said.
Arizona has played three controlled scrimmages this spring with a set number of plays.
Stoops said tomorrow will differ from previous Saturday workouts because of the real game feel.
Regular season rules and situations will apply, with the only difference being 12-minute quarters as opposed to the normal 15.
"It will be good for us, because the guys need to see game situations," Stoops said.
Junior Adam Austin remains Arizona's lone quarterback as last season's starter Richard Kovalcheck recovers from back surgery.
Austin has passed for nearly 750 yards in three scrimmages and earned the coaching staff's praise.
Offensive coordinator Mike Canales said Austin's emergence in spring practices gives the team depth at the position, something it will need in the fall.
The receiving corps looks to continue its play tomorrow. Anthony Johnson has been the top target each of the last two outings.
Junior college transfer B.J. Vickers has been a positive addition at wideout, said sophomore cornerback Wilrey Fontenot.
Senior Copeland Bryan sparks the defense at defensive end. He recorded a team-high three sacks in both the April 9 and April 16 scrimmages.
Stoops said a theme of spring workouts has been the team's ill health.
Seven Wildcats, including senior safety Darrell Brooks, Arizona's leading tackler in 2004, are sidelined.
"We want to come out injury free while getting good execution on both sides of the ball," Stoops said.
Stoops said tomorrow's game should indicate the strides Arizona has made in the last month, but he added that from a coaching standpoint, there is no true winning side.
"The thing about these team scrimmages is, one side comes out feeling good, and the other doesn't," he said.
Arizona continues team workouts this summer, as it prepares for the 2005 season opener at Utah Sept. 3