Jacob Konst/Arizona Daily Wildcat Sophomore quarterback Richard Kovalcheck

The Arizona football team has vacated Jimenez Practice Field for another day, with a matchup against nationally ranked Purdue just three days away.

But one man remains, throwing pass after pass beneath the facility's artificial lighting.

This is the kind of dedication the Wildcats will need all season from redshirt sophomore quarterback Richard Kovalcheck, who, according to teammates and coaches, is essential in the team's quest for a bowl bid.

"Since we got here, there's been a big change in him, not just on the field, but off the field as well," said Arizona offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Canales. "He's making the commitment in the classroom, spending time watching film, and I think that's all part of becoming a starting quarterback in the Pac-10, or at any level for that matter."

Kovalcheck's progression from the sideline to being a field general was a quick one. In 2004, his first season of collegiate eligibility, he took the snaps for Arizona's last four games.

"Any experience you have is good," Kovalcheck said. "The more game experience you get, the better you're going to be."

Kovalcheck fell on his share of rough experiences early, throwing six interceptions from behind center.

But he also saw success, leading Arizona in two of its three victories, including a 34-27 defeat of rival ASU in November's Territorial Cup game.

Armed with last season's knowledge, what Canales calls a "gunslinger" mentality and having successfully returned to action from offseason back surgery, Kovalcheck said he's poised to take Arizona somewhere it hasn't been since 1998 - the postseason.

"Win games," he said of his top priority on the field. "(We) just want to get to a bowl game."

Thus far in 2005, Kovalcheck has nearly matched his touchdown total from a year ago with six, throwing for four scores against Utah and NAU. He has accrued 510 yards, just 370 shy of his 2004 output.

"He's really savvy," said senior tailback Mike Bell.

The duo of Kovalcheck and Bell feed off each other's play, both have said. Of Arizona's eight total touchdowns this season, five have come from one of the two athletes.

"He does a lot of great things downfield," Bell said. "He's not scared to take a risk."

That risk-taker mindset has paid off at times this season, notably Saturday against NAU, when Kovalcheck called an audible after reading the Lumberjack defense and connected with sophomore receiver Anthony Johnson for a 25-yard touchdown.

"He has a lot of different ideas, and he likes to express them, which is a good thing because we know he's studying a lot of film," Canales said of Kovalcheck's play-calling at the line of scrimmage.

The 6-foot-2 quarterback's ability to change plays before the snap is just another facet of his ongoing maturation.

"We want to be able to control what he's doing, yet let him have the freedom to make good decisions on the field," Canales said. "He's done that. He's got us out of some bad plays."

An area where Canales and Arizona head coach Mike Stoops have said their offense needs to improve is in the red zone, a process that begins with Kovalcheck.

The Wildcats have sputtered within opponents' 30-yard line on three occasions this season, something Kovalcheck will look to rectify tomorrow against the No. 12 Boilermakers.

"I just take everything one game at a time and just go out and play football," he said.

Every day presents a new challenge for the young Arizona quarterback, and he continues to reach for those challenges for the good of the team.

"I'm constantly challenging him to make big plays," Bell said. "When he's successful, the whole team's successful, so we as an offensive unit have to keep his confidence high."