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.

Slavin had to switch jersey numbers during the game from his usual No. 11 to No. 18, which belongs to injured wideout Terrence Miller. Because of injuries, coaches needed to deploy Slavin on special teams and had to avoid a conflict with another No. 11, freshman defensive back Will Parks.

It’s a penalty to have two players with the same jersey number on the field at the same time.

Slavin didn’t enter the game on offense until late in the game.

“Fresh legs,” coach Rich Rodriguez said with a smile.

Slavin caught three passes, all in the final two minutes as Matt Scott directed two touchdown drives. Slavin had receptions of 12 and 9 yards on the first scoring drive, and then the touchdown catch.

“That’s a memory for a lifetime,” Slavin said.

On the game-winning play, he lined up to the right of the formation, outside of Austin Hill, who was in the slot. With the ball on the right hashmark, Slavin lined up wider than usual to give himself more space.

On the TD pass that happened 27 seconds earlier, Hill and Slavin were in the same formation. They run slant-outs, with Hill making the catch as he broke back toward the sideline.

This time, it was just a slant.

“I just got off the line and the ball was thrown and I caught it,” Slavin said.

What an ending to an up-and-down season for Slavin, who had 19 receptions in the regular season and struggled with dropped passes.

Against Nevada, he might not have played at all if Dan Buckner hadn’t been sidelined again with an ankle problem. Miller has been out since midseason and is trying to get a medical redshirt. Redshirt freshman David Richards saw a lot of time earlier in the game as an outside receiver.

But it was Slavin — even though he continued to be misidentified as Miller 48 hours later in reports of the game — who caught three passes in the final two minutes.

“(Receivers coach Tony Dews) and I talked about it, saying we’ve got to get Tyler in there because our receivers were running a lot of deep routes,” Rodriguez said. “When he got in there, he performed. I was really proud of him. He was the guy that was open. …

“Our execution was not very good for the most part at times. But it was when we really had to have it. Tyler was a part of that in the end.”

Isn’t that what bench players are supposed to do? Be ready.

Wharton had seven catches in the first 11 games … and then 13 in the final two. He had two catches for 42 yards, plus the key fumble return, in the final two minutes against Nevada.

Dozier had 13 tackles in the regular season … and then 15 in the bowl game.

Slavin caught the first touchdown pass of his career.

Scott and Carey get the majority of the headlines, but winning and losing is always a team effort. Everyone has to be ready. Even those with strange numbers and no name on the back of their jersey.

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.”

True. It worked out so well that coach Rich Rodriguez couldn’t do much complaining, at least during and after the game, about Wharton busting his route. Hmmm. Maybe there will just be some gentle teaching in the film room instead.

“I didn’t yell too much because he scored,” Rodriguez said. “But Matt saw it, and Garic is a fast guy, so it worked out pretty well.”

Wharton hasn’t played much this season, not even on kick returns, where he presumably could put his great speed to use. He returned 14 kickoffs last season, when he didn’t have a catch.

He had played in just four of six games this season before Saturday night’s 52-17 win. He had one reception for 6 yards.

Wharton had three catches for 59 yards against the Huskies.

“I’m just happy, man. Blessed,” he said.

“A lot of hard work. A lot of games when I didn’t see action, I was just wondering if I should even be here, if I deserve to be here. It feels good to prove myself.”

Rodriguez’s first instinct this spring was to use Wharton’s sprinter’s speed as a deep threat, so the coach moved him from the slot to outside receiver, looking for one-on-one opportunities down the sideline.

But Wharton (5-11, 164) was recently moved back inside — Rodriguez would like his receivers to eventually learn all the positions, anyway — helping to fill the second slot position opposite Austin Hill.

Given Richard Morrison’s struggles in the slot, and the ankle injury that kept Johnny Jackson out of the Washington game, Wharton played with the first-string Saturday night.

He said his “consistent hard work” in practice helped earn him that shot.

“After all the games when I didn’t see a lot of action, didn’t get to play, I still practiced hard. I still brought my game in there. When the opportunity opened up, people got hurt, that’s when I stepped up. Hopefully, I will be used more.”

Wharton, who ran 100 meters in 10.39 seconds in high school, will still be living by the same mantra: Play fast.

“Don’t be hesitant. I feel that’s what really works,” he said.

“Don’t second-guess yourself. Keep thinking that is what you have to do. The route, just run it as hard as you can and anything can happen.”

First career TD tonite, feels unreal#ThankYouLord

— Garic Wharton (@GEEbby16) October 21, 2012

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.

“It’s endless, man. Endless,” sophomore receiver Garic Wharton said of the capabilities of the offense. “We’re just rolling. We can do anything.”

The victory re-injected energy and optimism into Arizona’s season, and this will be a week full of hope leading up to Saturday’s home game against USC.

At this point, you have to ask of Arizona’s offense: Who is going to stop these guys?

The Wildcats stopped themselves in the shutout at Oregon, going scoreless in six red-zone opportunities. Otherwise, consider this:

Arizona has scored more points this season than anybody against Oklahoma State, Oregon State and Stanford. Its 52 points Saturday night matched what the Ducks used to smack down the Huskies.

“It feels great,” Carey said of the win. “When we can finish a game like this against a good team like Washington, all you can do is celebrate.”

Arizona is averaging more yards (548.7 per game, fifth nationally) than Rodriguez ever did when he was winning three Big East titles at West Virginia, and the points per game (39.1, 20th nationally) are a hair better than what the Mountaineers averaged in 2007 when Rodriguez had them a game away from playing for the national title.

What learning curve?

“I think our tempo was good in our heyday back then, but that was several years in the making,” Rodriguez said.

“This is the fastest transition to this tempo that I’ve had, but it’s also been more of an emphasis since day one. We’ve made it more of an emphasis than ever before, and, frankly, we’ve done different things to make our tempo faster.

“There are other teams that go fast. We want to be the best at it. I don’t know if we’re the best at it right now.”

Close enough.

Arizona’s tempo against Washington was particularly impressive in the first half, when the Wildcats scored on their first five possessions.

“I thought our pace was pretty good in the first half,” Rodriguez said.

“The second half we dialed it back a little bit. But in the first half, that was a key. Because, let’s face it, we’re not big and strong enough just to move people off and let them know, ‘Here we are, here we come.’”

And yet Arizona kept coming in the first half, taking a 31-17 lead into the break. It could have been a bigger advantage, but Washington linebacker Travis Feeney intercepted Scott at midfield in the final minute, returning it 47 yards to set up a touchdown.

While Carey kept pounding away on the ground for a career-high 172 yards on 29 carries — “running angry,” Rodriguez said again — Arizona had more of the explosive plays that the coach says has been missing:

A 27-yard touchdown pass to David Richards to start UA’s scoring; a 33-yard scoring pass to Wharton; a 53-yard touchdown pass to Hill; a 63-yard punt return by Richard Morrison.

The Cats went 4-for-4 in red-zone opportunities, too.

This isn’t Rodriguez’s typical read-option offense that keeps defenses off-balance with the quarterback running the ball, but Scott is dabbling just enough in that to keep opponents guessing.

What’s impressive is that Arizona had offensive success against Stanford with Scott passing 69 times, yet the Wildcats down-shifted against Washington, throwing only five times after halftime.

“It worked out great,” Scott said. “Any time we can do that and get an outcome like this, that’s fine by me.”

At this rate, Arizona will shatter the school record for total offense (471.9 yards per game, set in 1999). UA also is ahead of the school-record pace for scoring (38.5 points per game, 1954).

It’s all working, very quickly, in Rodriguez’s first year.

“There is a lot more we need to accomplish,” Rodriguez said.

“Trust me, this is a really nice win and we’re going to enjoy it. But I’m here to tell you that there is a whole lot of stuff we’ve got to get better at. But from day one … everybody has pulled in the same direction. Everybody has bought in.

“There are going to be lots more bumps in the road, but it’s good when the momentum is all pulling with you, even when you lose.”

For the first time in more than a month, though, the Wildcats are celebrating a win … and the offense keeps rolling along.

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.

Every coach is looking for speed, of course. The former Arizona staff was no exception, but other than putting Wharton back on kick returns last season, there wasn’t a lot of room for him in the offense.

Now that Juron Criner, David Douglas, Gino Crump and David Roberts have graduated from the receiving corps, Wharton can race right through the open door of opportunity with a new coaching staff.

“They like speed a lot, and I do that,” Wharton said.

“Last year, (receivers) coach Dave Nichol told me I would probably be an outside receiver, but he never moved me. I don’t know why.”

Wharton, who ran 100 meters in 10.39 seconds in high school, returned 14 kicks last year but didn’t have a catch. Wharton (5-11, 163) said he likes being on the outside.

“There’s not as much contact,” he said. “Since I’m a little lighter than everyone else, when I have to go around a safety or an outside linebacker, it kind of makes it hard for me. But now I’m able to run more freely.”

He has still been working as a kick returner in spring practice, but added that he never developed an appetite for punt returns.

“I’m honestly a little skeptical of it,” he said. “I’m not into looking up when somebody is coming at me like that. So I just left that one alone.”

Rodriguez and his staff are working without anything resembling a firm depth chart this spring while they continue to evaluate their new personnel, so it’s hard to say where Wharton stands in the pecking order at wideout. The Wildcats have Dan Buckner, sophomore Tyler Slavin, sophomore Austin Hill (who has been out this spring with a neck injury) and Wharton, among others.

“So far, I’m taking advantage of it, just working hard and doing what they tell me,” Wharton said.

Fans will get a chance to check out Wharton and the Wildcats on Saturday in the spring game. It will be held at Kino Stadium, beginning at 1 p.m.

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.

5. Jourdon Grandon

He’s a good athlete who also played quarterback at Avondale’s Westview High School, although he missed much of his senior season because of injury. He arrived at Arizona in a class full of standout defensive backs — Marquis Flowers, Jonathan McKnight and Shaquille Richardson — so he has been a bit off the radar … until now.

“I tell you, Jourdon Grandon has been a bonus for us,” defensive coordinator Tim Kish said after Monday’s practice.

“Coming out of spring, we weren’t 100 percent sure where he could play in our defense. He can play nickel, he can play corner, we may look at him at safety. He’s competing. He’s comfortable. He’s confident. When you have that, you have something going.”

Grandon (6-0, 180) is listed as a backup at strong safety … and it is at the safety positions where the Cats could use an extra dose of depth.

Kirifi Taula is looking as if he will be the top backup at defensive tackle. Photo by David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic

4. Kirifi Taula

He’s one of several promising, young defensive tackles for Arizona, and he might even be versatile enough to give the Cats a 280-pound defensive end in some situations.

“That big sucker can play, but they won’t let me (have him),” said defensive ends coach Jeff Hammerschmidt.

“In spring, he jumped out one time to end and played pass rush and we went, ‘Wow.’ A 280-pound defensive end would be OK, but Kirifi is such a good player inside right now.”

Joe Salave’a, who coaches the defensive tackles and really oversees the entire line, agreed that he wasn’t ready to let Taula jump outside (although Taulu did get a few reps there in practice Monday.)

For now, Taula is a second-string tackle.

“Kirifi needs to earn his stripes before he decides to do something else,” Salave’a said. “We have to make sure we lock down the interior. You can’t go worry about the outside yard when the inside is not stabilized.”

3. Tyler Slavin/Austin Hill/Garic Wharton

OK, so we’re cheating here. We can’t pick just one, but we’re not sure which player should be rated ahead of the others. So we’re going to list all three receivers as one entity.

In any other year, these guys could all be breakout players, but they will be fighting for time behind talented veterans. How much will they play? We’ll see.

Beep, beep ... Garic Wharton is coming through. Photo by David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic

Safe to say, though, this is the deepest and most talented receiving corps in school history. Including true freshman Patrick Onwuasor, Arizona seems to go fairly comfortably 10 deep at receiver.

Wharton could make the biggest impact among the redshirt receivers, if only because he’s the fastest player on the team — just ask him — and he will be returning kickoffs. He’s a slot receiver, behind Richard Morrison on the depth chart.

Hill and Slavin are outside receivers who each have caught plenty of passes in fall camp.

“They’re going to be pretty special receivers for this school,” said quarterback Nick Foles.

“This year, they are going to help us a lot and they could do down as some of the top receivers in school history. I think they’re that good.”

2. Mickey Baucus

It’s somewhat unsettling to have a redshirt freshman at left tackle. On the other hand, it’s really enticing to think that Baucus is going to have a chance to be a four-year starter at left tackle.

Before he left last December for West Virginia, then-UA offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh said Baucus and fellow redshirt freshman Fabbians Ebbele had the chance to be as good as any tackles he had ever coached.

The responsibility to coax that potential out of him now falls to new offensive line coach Robert Anae.

“I think you will see a lot of improvement with that group early,” coach Mike Stoops said of the five new starters on the offensive line. “I think they’ll compete. They’re athletic.”

1. Dan Buckner

After sitting out last season because of NCAA transfer rules, the former Texas Longhorn is ready to join Juron Criner as big-play threats in the Arizona passing attack.

“The sky’s the limit for him,” Foles said.

“It’s really how good does he want to be. He’s a very talented guy. He’s matured a lot since he’s been here. … We have to keep pushing him. He can’t be satisfied with what he is right now.”

Buckner caught 44 passes for 445 yards for Texas in 2009, when the Longhorns advanced to the national title game.

In addition to his size (6-4, 220) and speed, he’s known for his high spirits, one of the “characters” on the team.

“He’s a breath of fresh air,” Foles said. “Football is a serious game, but at the same time, it has to fun. You have to play loose and Dan keeps that looseness out there.”

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):

INTRO

Big and tall. Short and quick. Proven and promising. And deep. Very deep.

Arizona’s receiving corps, led by potential All-American Juron Criner and with an intriguing combination of route-runners and run-away threats, pretty much has it all.

This is the Wildcats’ best position group and one of the best in the nation, as the receiving corps is ranked No. 5 by Lindy’s and Phil Steele’s preseason magazines. The team will look to Texas transfer Dan Buckner to add another element of danger.

But receivers coach Dave Nichol says he wants to “tap the brakes” on any of the hype.

“Whenever we turn on the film from last year, for however talented people think we are, we realize we have a lot of stuff to work on,” he said.

Juron Criner

Criner has a chance to be the best Arizona receiver ever; certainly, the Wildcats haven’t had this combination of size, skill and passing offense at the same time. Coach Mike Stoops says Criner should be a “100-catch guy” this season.

Criner, 6-foot-4, was a unanimous All-Pac-10 selection as a junior, when he caught 82 passes for 1,233 yards and 11 touchdowns while playing through an assortment of injuries.

“Juron’s greatest attribute is he’s a very complete player,” Stoops said. “He has the ability to break short throws into big plays, to break tackles. He has great strength. He has separation speed. He has great timing, so he can up after jump balls.

“He is going to have every opportunity to make a play.”

Dan Buckner

The Texas transfer gives Arizona a 6-foot-4 bookend to Juron Criner, potentially setting up a pick-your-poison scenario for secondaries who can’t double-cover both wideouts.

Buckner caught 44 passes for 445 yards and four touchdowns in 2009 as the Longhorns advanced to the BCS title game against Alabama. He was especially effective early in the season when Texas was using more of a short passing game, the kind that Arizona figures to lean on this year.

Stoops has said that Buckner has first-round talent, but the goal in the offseason was to improve his timing with quarterback Nick Foles.

“We want to be the best receiving corps in the nation,” Buckner said in the spring. “We have a lot of good guys returning. Hopefully, I can add on.”

Coaches know they will get a consistent effort from David Douglas. Photo by David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic

David Douglas

Douglas was the team’s second-leading receiver last season with 52 catches for 515 yards and five touchdowns. He can play outside in UA’s four-wide spread offense but is set to return to an inside position this season with the addition of Dan Buckner.

Douglas gets tagged as a “possession” receiver, although he’s more athletic than most think. But having good hands is part of his skill set; coaches use him at punt returner when all they want is for someone to catch the ball.

“It’s just a consistency thing with him — how he shows up ready to work in the weight room, on the practice field and in games,” said Nichol. “He’s a great example for the rest of our group.”

David Roberts

Roberts has been a reliable option for the past two seasons, mixing in some big games (12 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown against Washington in 2009) and big plays (stretching for a 38-yard reception on the game-winning drive against Iowa last season).

Roberts, who caught 43 passes in 2009 and 44 last season, is much like the receiving corps’ other David — David Douglas. They are consistent and lead through the example of their work ethic.

“Even when he’s a backup, he is going to find a way on Saturdays to do the right thing,” Nichol said. “It’s simple: He tries really hard. He has a personal pride and a team pride.”

Richard Morrison stretches to catch a pass in spring practice. Photo by Michael Chow/The Arizona Republic

Richard Morrison

It wasn’t considered much of a big deal offensively when senior-to-be Bug Wright was dismissed from the team in the offseason; that’s because Morrison is ready for a bigger role.

Morrison, a converted quarterback, becomes the team’s shorter, shiftier threat at slot receiver — kind of like Mike Thomas was a few years ago. Morrison’s development was slowed in 2010 by a midseason shoulder injury, but he finished with six catches for 66 yards in the Alamo Bowl (and had a 44-yard TD reception nullified by penalty).

In the spring game, Morrison made four catches for 63 yards and two scores.

“I think I’ve matured a lot more and I’m starting to read the defenses better,” Morrison said. “I’m really comfortable at the position.”

Terrence Miller

Tight end Rob Gronkowski sat out the 2009 season because of a back injury and then turned pro, so Arizona was without a middle-of-the-field threat for much of the past two years — until Miller emerged late last season.

Miller, at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, will serve as Arizona’s big target from a slot position. He started to put it all together late last season, when 25 of his 29 receptions came in the final five games.

“He is definitely a different body type,” said Nichol, “and many plays in our system really fit him.”

Miller’s best game last season came against USC when he made seven catches for 116 yards.

Austin Hill breaks free from cornerback Trevin Wade in a spring scrimmage. Photo by David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic

Austin Hill

Hill might have been the most ready of Arizona’s three true freshman receivers last season, but coaches were able to preserve his redshirt season. Hill flashed the ability to make difficult catches in camp last season.

At 6-3, 205 pounds, Hill is a little bigger than fellow redshirt freshman Tyler Slavin — a high school teammate at Roosevelt High in Corona, Calif. — and both have good speed from an outside receiver position.

“Boy, if they raced, I don’t know,” Nichol said.

Like Slavin, Hill’s playing time this season likely will come only in spot duty, barring injuries to other receivers. But both figure nicely into the team’s long-range plans.

Tyler Slavin

Slavin made the two-deep for parts of last season after an impressive fall camp — and he was on the travel squad — but he never played as a true freshman.

“He’s really smooth,” said Nichol. “His pad level and the way he sinks his hips coming out of cuts … he does that naturally. But he probably had a few more drops than I like in the spring.”

The thing with Slavin and fellow redshirt freshman Austin Hill is consistency, Nichol said, and soaking up the leadership from the veteran receivers.

“Guys like Austin and Tyler, I need to feel good about, ‘Hey, man, you can go and do it,’” Nichol said. “We’re getting there.”

Garic Wharton

Wharton might be the fastest player on the team, and he’ll at least show that speed on kick returns, where he will replace the departed Travis Cobb. On offense, Arizona hopes Wharton will be a breakaway threat in the slot.

“We have to get his hands on the ball five to eight times a game,” Stoops said.

That could mean by Arizona’s usual variety of short passes, or on end arounds or other sorts of handoffs. Wharton recorded a 100-meter time of 10.39 seconds in high school.

“The thing with him is having great ball security,” Nichol said.

Gino Crump

Crump, based on his 2010 performances in spring and fall camps, seemed to be on the verge of being a rotation player, although that didn’t materialize last season. He had four catches for 39 yards in the first two games, but no catches after that.

Crump will be battling in fall camp for a backup role at outside receiver.

“We have a lot of competition,” Nichol said. “He is right in the mix. He has done everything we have asked of him. He played some important plays for us last year.”

Crump walked on in August 2009 after redshirting at West Virginia in 2008.

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.

For as good as this position group might be, for all the preseason praise it might be hearing, Nichol is taking a glass-half-empty approach to the spring. He took some of the receiving corps’ worst moments from last season and cut up a video entitled, simply, “Bad.”

Poor blocks. Dropped passes. Misalignments. Wrong assignments. Substandard routes.

“It was too darn long, I’ll tell you that,” Nichol said of the length of the video. “Every now and again, when they get all ‘whatever,’ I’ll just remind them of that tape.”

Said Douglas: “Yeah, there are quite a bit of plays on there. We had way too many mistakes last year. It makes you see, man, we have a lot of stuff we have to get better at if we want to be as good as they’re talking about us as a group.”

Call it some preventative medicine. It’s not that Nichol is seeing signs of his receivers growing out-sized egos — not that an out-sized ego is the worst thing for a receiver. It’s just that he wants to keep the temperature turned up on the competition in Arizona’s four-wide spread offense.

“They know what it takes,” Nichol said.

“They know you can’t just show up. If you just show up, you’re going to be average. That goes for Juron, too. He’ll get covered up in a heartbeat if he doesn’t work. That’s a fact.”

Criner showed up last season to the tune of 82 catches for 1,233 yards and 11 touchdowns, despite often battling injuries.

Douglas had 52 receptions for 515 yards and five scores. Roberts made 44 receptions for 487 yards and two touchdowns.

Coaches know what these guys can do.

Then there’s Buckner, whom coach Mike Stoops has said has first-round talent.

Miller emerged late last season as an inside receiver; 25 of his 29 catches came in the final five games. He’s not big enough (225 pounds) for a tight end role, but, at 6-4, he’s potentially the target over the middle that was missing for much of the past two seasons.

“That’s a work in progress quite honestly with us as coaches and him at practice in terms of how we use him,” Nichol said. “There are things he can do, there are different things he can’t do.”

Slavin (6-2) and Hill (6-3) are outside receivers. They will be, at worst, insurance against an injury to Criner or Buckner.

“We’re a play away from them playing a lot,” Nichol said.

“There were times last year when I left Juron in because Juron at 70 percent was still better than other guys at 100 percent. … Where I want to get is if Juron is huffing and puffing, I can give him a breather. I didn’t feel like I could do that all the time last year. That’s where their playing time, I think, comes in.”

Wharton, who should see ample time as a kick returner, might be the fastest player on the team. Coaches are giving him a long look this spring, or, as Nichol put it, “I’m repping the dog out of him.”

“He is so fast, but guys don’t always play fast. It ain’t track,” Nichol added. “He has got to play fast.

“He’s willing to learn and he’s competitive. That’s what I like about him. He’s probably tougher than people would think he is being a quote, unquote, track guy. He’s hungry.”

As much as anything right now, that’s what Nichol wants to see from the entire group.

And if the guys aren’t listening, he’ll just point them to the new addition to his video collection: “Bad.”

It just might help them be great.

NOTES
Stoops said after Monday’s practice that safety Adam Hall and running back Greg Nwoko were scheduled for surgery next Tuesday to repair torn ACLs. As for the shuffle in the second, Stoops said Robert Golden will move back to strong safety, which leaves free safety as something of a question mark for now … With a few offseason departures (WR Bug Wright, LB Trevor Erno, LB R.J. Young), Stoops has some scholarships available. He said those could go to walk-ons who prove themselves; he added that the coaching staff is also keeping its eyes open for transfers or late additions to the recruiting class.

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.

Stoops announced the suspension of Wright on Nov. 23, clarifying that it wasn’t for legal or academic reasons. Wright was reinstated for the Alamo Bowl, where he promptly muffed the first punt of the game, giving the ball and early momentum to Oklahoma State, which converted the turnover into a 7-0 lead.

Wright made 25 catches for 294 yards and two touchdowns last season, including making the game-winning touchdown catch against Iowa.

As a 5-foot-9 inside receiver, Wright caught 51 passes in three seasons with the Wildcats. He had a punt return for a touchdown against Washington State in 2009.

Arizona has plenty of options for Wright’s “small” inside receiver spot, notably sophomore Richard Morrison, who had six catches for 66 yards in the Alamo Bowl. Morrison, who converted from quarterback before last season, had started to become a factor at midseason before a shoulder injury kept him out for about a month.

“Richard Morrison emerged in the bowl game,” Stoops said. “And Garic Wharton is a guy we have to get involved in this offense because he has tremendous speed. We feel like we’re good at that position.”

Wharton, who redshirted last season as a freshman, might be the fastest guy on the team. Stoops said Wharton is slated to be the team’s primary kick returner following the graduation of Travis Cobb. Wharton likely will get a tryout at punt returner, too.

“We have to get his hands on the ball five to eight times a game,” Stoops said.

As for replacing Wright at punt returner, Arizona could turn to receiver David Douglas, who filled in last season and is the team’s “hands” punt catcher. He’s not much of a threat for a big return, though.

For those explosive plays, Stoops said the coaching staff will look at some of the team’s young defensive backs, including Joe Jonathan McKnight and Shaquille Richardson, as well as senior cornerback Trevin Wade.

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.)