Tyler Slavin catches a touchdown pass with 19 seconds left against Nevada. Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

When the Arizona Wildcats coaches finally called receiver Tyler Slavin’s number at the New Mexico Bowl, he didn’t have his.

He was ready nonetheless.

With a borrowed number and no name on the back of his jersey, the little-used Slavin caught a 2-yard slant pass with 19 seconds remaining in the game. With the extra point, Arizona beat Nevada 49-48 with a stunning comeback that featured Slavin as one of the unlikely heroes.

How about another sophomore receiver, slot Garic Wharton?

He caught a career-high seven passes for 84 yards. Most importantly, he returned Ka’Deem Carey’s fumble 10 yards, also getting out of bounds, on the first play of a drive as Arizona took over trailing by 13 points with 1:48 to play.

How about freshman linebacker C.J. Dozier?

He stopped running back Nick Hale for no gain on third-and-6 from the Arizona 7 with two minutes to go to force a field goal that kept it a two-possession game. That was the last of Dozier’s team-high 15 tackles.

And then there was Slavin.

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Garic Wharton is on his way to a 33-yard score in the second quarter. Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

What is it that coaches always say? If you’re going to make a mistake, make it going full speed?

That’s what Arizona Wildcats sophomore receiver Garic Wharton did Saturday night against Washington.

In the second quarter, Wharton, lined up in the right slot, fully committed to running his route. It just happened to be the wrong route.

Whatever. He still broke free in the middle of the field, and quarterback Matt Scott, as if nothing was wrong, calmly lofted a pass to Wharton, who sprinted for a 33-yard touchdown, the first of his career.

The play gave the Wildcats a 24-3 lead with 4:43 to go before halftime.

“Basically, it was the wrong route,” Wharton admitted. “What happened, I still got in the same spot I would have gotten had I run the right route, so it kind of all worked out. Coach couldn’t be that mad.”

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Matt Scott (right) and David Richards celebrates the first of Arizona’s seven touchdowns vs. Washington. Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

It has happened fast. It was supposed to happen fast, of course, but not this fast.

From the moment Rich Rodriguez was hired last November, we knew the Arizona Wildcats would have a fabulous offense, one on the leading edges of college football.

That’s his track record. Mr. No Huddle. That’s who he is.

Can’t wait to see it all in a few years …

But with senior quarterback Matt Scott leading the way, sophomore Ka’Deem Carey emerging into an All-American-caliber running back and sophomore receiver Austin Hill becoming a touchdown-maker, the Wildcats have cast aside any painful break-in time and gone right into the good stuff.

The latest flurry resulted in a 52-17 victory over Washington on Saturday night at Arizona Stadium, the most points the Cats have ever scored against the Huskies and their largest margin of victory against U-Dub.

Arizona ended a three-game losing streak and improved to 4-3 overall, 1-3 in the Pac-12. Washington lost its third in a row, dropping to 3-4 and 1-3.

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Garic Wharton hopes to find room to run on the outside. Photo by David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic

The hiring of head coach Rich Rodriguez last fall was like a sign from above for receiver Garic Wharton.

“When I first heard he was here, I felt almost like the Red Sea parted,” Wharton said. “I felt like that was my calling.”

Wharton had a good feeling about Rodriguez because of what he remembered of the coach from West Virginia, when he ran fast-paced offenses, emphasizing speed. Wharton was right to have such a hunch.

Rodriguez moved Wharton from inside receiver to outside receiver this spring, gambling that the sophomore’s speed — he could be the fastest player on the team — will lead to big plays.

“He’s a talented guy. I think his time has come,” Rodriguez said.

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Is wide receiver Dan Bucker the Arizona redshirt you are most eager to see? Photo by Michael Chow/The Arizona Republic

With five Arizona football practices in the books, some players who have never seen the field for the Wildcats are either emerging or solidifying key roles.

Before practice began, we ran down our newcomers to watch — those from the most recent recruiting class.

Now, let’s take a look at the top players who redshirted last season at Arizona and will be making their UA debut Sept. 3 against NAU.

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David Roberts (left) and Juron Criner celebrate after Criner's touchdown catch against Arizona State last season. Photo by Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic

Here is the fifth part of our Arizona Wildcats football preview in collaboration with our Gannett partner, The Arizona Republic.

We write the words, and they have taken the cool photographs and put it all together in a slick presentation at azcentral.com.

Check back here and at azcentral.com every Friday as we roll out more of our preview every week, all the way into August.

This week: Wide receivers (I talked to receivers coach Dave Nichol this week, so there are some fresh quotes in this preview):

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Flipping over on your head without catching the ball: Bad.
Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

Football life is good for Arizona Wildcats receivers coach Dave Nichol.

He has an All-American in senior Juron Criner.

He has more trustworthy seniors in David Douglas and Dave Roberts.

He has a touted junior transfer from Texas — Dan Buckner.

He has promising inside receivers of differing sizes — junior Terrence Miller (big) and sophomore Richard Morrison (small).

He has three redshirt freshmen he can deploy this season — Austin Hill, Tyler Slavin and super speedy Garic Wharton.

He has, to sum up, one of the best receiving corps in the country.

“We need to tap the brakes on that,” Nichol said.

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Bug Wright catches the game-winning TD pass aganist Iowa.
Photo by Chris Morrison, US PRESSWIRE

The Arizona football team is deepest at receiver, even with senior Bug Wright no longer with the Wildcats.

“Just a violation of team policies and rules,” coach Mike Stoops said Wednesday morning. “It’s been a chronic problem that hasn’t rectified itself.”

Stoops said he didn’t know what Wright would do next. Wright, who has used his redshirt season, would have to transfer to a lower-division school to continue playing because he wouldn’t have to sit out a year.

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Marquis Flowers was on the cover of the Arizona edition of ESPN Rise magazine in October.

As of late Wednesday night, with all but a trickle of signees still to come across the country, Arizona’s recruiting class was ranked close to the bottom of the Pac-10.

Rivals.com ranked the Wildcats eighth in the Pac-10 and 36th in the nation. Scout.com pegged Arizona ninth in the league and 40th nationally, even below Washington State.

That’s not quite the ratings that were expected after two bowl seasons and plenty of positive momentum in the past two years, but I’m a big fan of taking the rankings as a good dose of entertainment, not gospel.

Arizona signed a total of 23 players, including Texas transfer receiver Dan Buckner (who has to sit out this season under transfer rules) and two mid-year junior college transfers.

Coach Mike Stoops doesn’t need a lot of immediate help on offense, needing mostly depth on the offensive line, which he got. Defense is a different story, with pressing concerns at defensive tackle, linebacker and safety. Stoops and his staff seemed to address that just fine.

So, no, the class rankings aren’t exactly going to send the fan message boards into a buzz, but it appears as if the impact players come at all the right spots … and, at this point, Stoops has earned a bit of trust in the kind of players he identifies and signs.

Here are five players we’re most looking forward to seeing in action right away. Call them the top five impact players:

1. S Marquis Flowers, Goodyear Millennium High School
He’s the headliner of the class, the top-rated recruit in the state, which is a rare get for the Wildcats. “Marquis Flowers is a very unique individual,” Stoops said. “A big safety who can run. A very athletic safety. One of the best I have seen all year.” At 6-3, 200, Flowers gives Arizona two young, big, athletic safeties, joining one of the top recruits from the 2009 class — Adam Hall.

2. DT Willie Mobley, Orange Coast CC
Arizona tried to recruit him out of high school, but Mobley signed at Ohio State, where he redshirted in 2008. He tried to transfer to UCLA (where the Bruins thought he was the answer to their decimated defensive tackle position), but he didn’t qualify, and his recruiting relationship with UA assistant Mike Tuiasosopo led him to Tucson. He didn’t play in junior college and has three seasons of eligibility remaining. Stoops said Mobley, combined with Saneilia Fuimaono and Kirifi Leuta-Taula, are the “best three interior defensive linemen we have recruited in some time.”

3. LB Derek Earls, North Dakota State College
Arizona has to replace all three of its starting linebackers, which meant it was critical to get immediate help. Finding a couple of talented mid-year transfers was critical and Earls (6-3, 230) fits the bill as a NJCAA first-team All-American. Stoops said he saw Earls and the other JC transfer linebacker, Paul Vassallo, work out Wednesday for the first time. “They did some things athletically that I thought we were getting from them, but it’s nice to see it with your own eyes,” Stoops said.

4. LB Paul Vassallo, Sierra College
Stoops said he didn’t know yet where Earls and Vassallo (6-3, 240) might fit into the linebacker group — inside or outside — but that will be sorted out in spring ball. “They’re big; they’re long. These guys are pretty athletic for their size and they give us a lot of different options,” Stoops said. Vassallo redshirted at Nevada for a season before transferring to junior college, where he has 14.5 sacks in 2008. He missed seven games last season because of a concussion.

5. WR Garic Wharton, Las Vegas Valley High
Arizona has dependable possession-type receivers, but is looking for a bit more pizzazz from the position, such as what Mike Thomas brought to the team in 2008. The Wildcats have moved quarterback Richard Morrison to the position and have added Wharton, whom Stoops called “probably the fastest football player in the country coming out of high school.” Wharton (5-11, 168) is a sprinting star who was an all-around skill player in high school, including returning three kicks for touchdown last season. “He has unique size to him and he is a guy who can the distance at any time,” Stoops said. “He has crazy speed.” (JC transfer Dexter Ransom is a 6-4 receiver who could make a quick impact on the outside for the Wildcats.)