Tedy Bruschi’s energy and passion made him a fan favorite at Arizona. Photo by Stephen Dunn, Getty Images Sport (1994)

The Arizona Wildcats head into a long, hot summer of informal football workouts, with the words of Tedy Bruschi pushing, prodding, inspiring them forward.

Bruschi, as part of alumni weekend, was one of the former Arizona players who talked to the team Friday, delivering a fiery speech that hit on the theme of “football truth.”

“He had everybody on the edge of their seat,” said coach Rich Rodriguez. “More than half of them were scared.”

With the natural passion of one of his sack dances from 20 years ago and the communication skills honed as an ESPN announcer since his retirement from the New England Patriots before the 2009 season, Bruschi challenged the Wildcats to be great, pointing to every player in the room, linebacker Jake Fischer said.

“It was like you were sitting in the middle of a movie and someone is doing that amazing pregame speech that is scripted. But, yeah, he came in there with nothing scripted. He just came in,” Fischer said.

“At first, he was getting himself riled up just because he was talking about how he used to play here and how he used to be so good, but no one gave him respect and he was always fighting for that respect, always trying to prove people wrong.

“And he came back again and was all riled up again. He was like, ‘I never want to see any of you guys lay down in the fourth quarter,’ and he went off,” Fischer continued.

“One thing he harped on was that football is unlike anything else, because it tells you the truth every play. It will tell you whether or not you worked hard enough to make the tackle, whether or not you worked hard enough to make the catch. It tells you the truth every play. It’s not forgiving.

“It was awesome. Awesome. He was at the top of his lungs. You look around and you could tell by the look in some of the guys’ eyes, they were like ‘Holy, sh–.’”

When it was over, some players took to Twitter using the hashtag #footballtruth.

Tedy Bruschi

“When he walked out of there, we were like, ‘Let’s go. When’s the kickoff?’” Rodriguez said.

“His legendary intensity showed up. I texted him afterward and told him, ‘It was classic and it was perfect.’ It was the perfect message for our guys leading to the summer. Fantastic.”

Arizona wrapped up spring ball Saturday a day after a who’s-who of Wildcats celebrated the upcoming 75th birthday of former UA coach Dick Tomey. Bruschi and Lance Briggs — who both played for Tomey and are two of the most accomplished NFL players among former Wildcats — were among those who addressed the team.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Shadow Williams, who said the current group of linebackers watches “old-school tape” of the Desert Swarm days, said Bruschi’s message will stick with him all summer.

“It got me so pumped up,” Williams said.

“I wanted to play football, strap up right then. I thought he was just going to go in there and talk and be the normal guy who is on ESPN. Nah, he was the real Tedy Bruschi. I got goosebumps listening to his speech. It was definitely cool. I can’t even wait to get started for next year.”

The shame of it is, Rodriguez said, is that the nobody filmed Bruschi’s speech.

“I’m regretting it,” Rodriguez said, “because I would be playing it quite a bit this fall.”

Just another reason to bring back Bruschi to Tucson next spring.

Related: Put him in: Bruschi on college Hall of Fame ballot for fourth time

Will Arizona senior quarterback Matt Scott go out a winner? Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

ALBUQUERQUE — College football’s bowl season stretches across 23 days, and it all begins when Arizona and Nevada kick off shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday in the New Mexico Bowl.

This is just a little postseason appetizer — the chips and salsa? — between teams that finished 7-5 and had dreams of bigger things at some point of the season. But when you’re playing in a low-level bowl game, chances are you’re dealing with some amount of disappointment.

That’s not to say this shouldn’t be fun.

Let’s go to five things to watch …

1. Ka’Deem Carey vs. Stefphon Jefferson

We’ve written this to death (here, here and here to pick a few), but that doesn’t stop making it cool that the top two rushers in the nation are playing against each other in a bowl game.

The rushing title is more than a statistical bauble, it would be something each school would loudly and proudly tout (assuming whoever emerges after this game keeps his lead following the conclusion of the other 34 bowls).

One more time for the record:

Carey has 1,757 yards, an average of 146.4 per game (numbers I have typed so often, I no longer have to look them up). Jefferson is at 1,703 yards and 141.9 per game.

No matter what the coaches might say, I have to believe that if the circumstances are right to pad stats in the fourth quarter, they’ll do it. I remember Arizona’s Mike Thomas coming back into 2008 Las Vegas Bowl on the final play to catch a short pass and become the Pac-10′s career leading receiver.

Bottom line: If one of these running backs needs fed in the fourth quarter, they are going to chow down.

Jefferson, a junior, doesn’t have Carey’s moves, but he has exceptional straight-line speed. Nevada’s run-based offense does tend to produce star college running backs.

“It’s been a success story for us,” Nevada coach Chris Ault said. “Stefphon has been one those guys who has benefited from it and gotten better. His work ethic during practice is as good as we’ve ever had.”

Carey and Jefferson met early this week for the first time. As for their discussions about the game …

“We just said good luck, and we’re going to leave it out on the field,” Carey said. “Let the best man win.”

2. Motivation

Always a huge deal in a bowl game. Nevada lost four of its final five games. Arizona collapsed in the fourth quarter of its regular-season finale against rival Arizona State.

Who’s up for this game?

In any case, the teams are largely going to have to be responsible for their own energy. Nevada sold only about 1,000 tickets from its allotment. Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne said Friday that the Cats had sold a little more than 1,000 and had distributed about 2,400 tickets from its total of 5,000.

The locals don’t seem particularly thrilled either, and there is a possibility for a record-low attendance for the seventh-year bowl. The bottom was 24,735 in 2008 for a game between Fresno State and Colorado State.

Both teams are putting on happy faces as best they can, but we won’t really know the answer to the motivation question until the teams start popping shoulder pads. I’ll give Arizona the benefit of the doubt because I believe in Rich Rodriguez’s ability to motivate.

The senior leadership on this team has been good, too, another point in UA’s favor.

“I’m going to miss these guys so much,” said senior center Kyle Quinn. “So I want to go out and get a W.”

Cody Fajardo leads a Nevada offense that is averaging 502.8 yards per game. Photo by Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

3. Defending the Pistol

Nevada’s offense — scheme, execution and personnel — is very good.

I asked Arizona junior linebacker Jake Fischer if the Cats could take anything from playing against UCLA in 2009 and 2010, when then-coach Rick Neuheisel tried to run a version of the Pistol, which features the quarterback in a short shotgun snap and read-option elements.

Fischer chuckled.

“Nevada runs it a little better than UCLA did,” he said.

“Their coach knows what he’s doing. Honestly, they run it better than anybody.”

With a pair of All-Mountain West players up front — guard Chris Barker and tackle Jeff Nady — Nevada could choose to run downhill at a suspect Arizona defensive front until the Cats show they can stop it. Or Nevada could test Arizona’s discipline with option plays to the outside. Or the Wolf Pack could take aim deeper behind the arm of quarterback Cody Fajardo.

He has thrown for 2,530 yards and 17 touchdowns, with only seven interceptions. Fajardo, a sophomore who inherited the job from Colin Kapernick, also has 981 rushing yards.

“They have so many different options off of every play,” Fischer said. “Everyone has to do their job on every play, and if we don’t do that very well, it’s not going to be pretty.”

Arizona fans might want to get used to seeing Fajardo. He will be a senior when the teams meet in the regular season in 2014.

4. Another talented tight end

Arizona just can’t catch a break. After having little luck defending big, talented tight ends —
Stanford’s Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo, Washington’s Austin Seferian-Jenkins and UCLA’s Joseph Fauria to name a quartet — here comes another one.

Nevada senior tight end Zach Sudfeld has caught 43 passes for 553 yards and six touchdowns.

That last name might be familiar. He is the older brother of quarterback Nathan Sudfeld, who was committed to Arizona last year before the coaching change. The pass-throwing Sudfeld ended up at Indiana, following former UA coordinator Seth Littrell in becoming a Hoosier.

5. The fourth quarter

Do you trust either defense to hold a lead?

Arizona gave up a late 75-yard drive to Oregon State, who scored with 1:09 left for a 38-35 win. The Cats coughed up two touchdowns in the final 6:34 of regulation, then lost at Stanford in overtime. And they allowed 24 fourth-quarter points in the 41-34 loss to ASU.

As for Nevada …

The Pack gave up a 56-yard touchdown pass with 38 seconds left to lose 32-31 to South Florida. They gave up 17 fourth-quarter points to San Diego State and fell in overtime when the Aztecs passed for a two-point conversion.

The season just might come down to the final play. That would be fun.

Jake Fischer leads Arizona with 106 tackles. Photo by Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Wildcats started four walk-ons on defense in their most recent game.

Less than 5 percent of the team’s tackles have come from senior defenders.

Four players listed as second-string are true freshmen. Another pair of backups are walk-ons.

Arizona’s middle linebacker is a mere 6-foot, 215 pounds.

Too small, too thin, too young …

Is it any wonder the Wildcats are allowing a school-record 485.67 yards per game?

“The thing is, we’re young. We’re going to learn,” said that middle linebacker, junior Jake Fischer.

“When you watch the games, it’s not that we were doing a lot of stuff wrong, it was just one flaw in our technique that ruined the whole play.”

That makes Saturday’s New Mexico Bowl against Nevada a tricky matchup for the Cats. Wolf Pack coach Chris Ault is the inventor and top practitioner of the Pistol offense, which features the quarterback in a short shotgun formation with the running back lined up behind him.

The offense mixes elements of a Rich Rodriguez-favored read-option attack, with a downhill running game and passing spread formations. Nevada is the only team in the country to average more than 240 yards rushing and passing.

“They have so many moving parts,” Rodriguez said.

“You have to have great discipline and you to have great technique. The guys have to do their assignment first. There are a lot of option-type principles that our guys have to adhere to Saturday.”

Rodriguez, from the preseason, expressed concern about his defense, so the struggles are no surprise. He is playing starters for too long and backups before their time. It’s just the way it is.

This hasn’t been a failure of coordinator Jeff Casteel’s 3-3-5 scheme; in any system, you have to have the horses. Arizona doesn’t. Freshmen and walk-on account for 21.3 percent of Arizona’s tackles. Here is why the Cats are short on personnel.

And yet, for all its limitations while being shorthanded and learning a new system, the defense hasn’t been that bad.

When considering the “worst defense in school history” argument, comparing just the yards-per-game stat doesn’t cut it.

The Wildcats’ increased tempo under Rodriguez skews those “counting” stats. A better gauge is how much the defense allows per play, rather than per game.

Is Arizona’s defense good? No. But it’s better than last season, when the Cats allowed 6.59 yards per play. This unit is allowing 5.95 yards per play.

The difference is that this defense is having to defend 81.7 plays per game — 12 more per game than last season.

Translation: If Arizona played at the same tempo as last season, it would be allowing “only” 416 yards per game. Again, not good … but easier to take than 486.

“There are a lot of things we can learn, I’ll say that,” Fischer said.

“It’s hard being out there so long. I think what we need to improve upon most is our third-down efficiency. If we stop people on even 50 percent of the third downs in some games, we’d decrease our plays by 25. We kind of messed that up on our own.

“Our offense did great keeping us in some of the games when we didn’t play as well. Thank goodness for our offense.”

Arizona, which is allowing opponents to convert 43.2 percent of their third-down opportunities, hasn’t been able to be as exotic defensively as it would like to be. The young guys aren’t ready to digest the later chapters in the playbook, and the starters have enough on their plates having to be on the field so much.

“We have been playing vanilla at times,” Fischer said.

“And then some of these teams, like an Oregon or a Nevada, they try to run so many different things at you and they tempo you. If you try to throw in more stuff, you’re going to get screwed up and then they’re going to drive down and you’re going to be wondering what hit you.”

That could happen Saturday against the Wolf Pack. Running back Stefphon Jefferson is second in the nation to Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey in rushing (141.9 yards per game) and quarterback Cody Fajardo is 11th nationally with 319.2 total yards per game.

One more time, Rodriguez just needs his defense to just hang on — make a few key stops, get a couple of turnovers and let the offense do the rest.

Then, in the offseason, time will be on the side of this young defense, which will be more experienced, deeper and, hopefully, healthier in 2013. And at least a couple of junior college transfers — linebacker Brandon Golson and cornerback Prince Holloway are on the way.

“If we do our job, in a couple of years we’ll be playing 22 or 23 guys on both sides of the ball,” Rodriguez said. “Then you have a deep football team, and we’ll all sleep a little better at night.”

Tucson kid Jake Fischer didn’t get to play against Arizona State last season. Photo by Rick Scuteri-US PRESSWIRE

The first-year coaching staffs at Arizona and Arizona State are eager/determined/desperate to get the stronger foothold into in-state recruiting, and striking first in the Territorial Cup couldn’t hurt.

Todd Graham’s first recruiting class at ASU included running back D.J. Foster, who might turn into the Devils’ version of Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey.

Rich Rodriguez hired Scottsdale Chaparral High coach Charlie Ragle, establishing a pipeline to a school that traditionally has sent players to Tempe. Ragle is UA’s assistant operations director and liaison for high school relations.

Graham countered by hiring veteran Valley high school coach John Wrenn to a similar position.

Both programs have work to do. Of the top 10 in-state prospects last year, as ranked by Rivals.com, seven of them left the state — including five to rival Pac-12 schools.

Here’s a look at 10 in-state prospects who stayed and who could make a difference when Arizona and Arizona State clash Friday night:

Arizona RB Ka’Deem Carey, Tucson Canyon del Oro High

Well, of course. He has 570 rushing yards just in the past two games (which is more than Tulane and Washington State have had all season).

Carey’s best day as a freshman came in last season’s win over Arizona State — 13 carries for 92 yards, four catches for 47 yards and a touchdown.

Carey is the nation’s leading rusher this season with 1,585 yards, and can you imagine how bitter Arizona fans would be if he was wearing ASU colors? He nearly committed to ASU — he called it a “great school” this week — but picked the Cats on Signing Day.

So, he’s a hometown hero who has especially impressed with how hard he plays, how tough he runs.

“I love contact,” he said. “If you’re not going to come at me 100 percent, then you’re going to pay.”

As for ASU?

“They are going to come with than 100 percent, so I have to be ready for that,” he said.

Arizona State CB Deveron Carr, Scottsdale Chaparral

The senior is an experienced cornerback who has started 32 games in his career, including every one this season. He has 21 tackles this year, with one interception and seven pass break-ups. Graham said last week: “I think Carr is probably the most improved player in the program.”

Carr had five tackles and a pass break-up vs. Arizona last season.

Arizona LB Jake Fischer, Oro Valley Ironwood Ridge

The junior is Arizona’s leading tackler with 98, putting together a successful comeback season after missing 2011 because of a torn ACL.

He remembers his first trip to play at ASU in 2009, walking out of the tunnel at Sun Devil Stadium.

“You had 60, 70-year-olds with ASU stuff on, flipping the guys off as they were walking out,” he said after Tuesday’s practice. “It shows that no matter how old you are, you’re always going to rep your colors. I like that.”

Arizona LB Marquis Flowers, Goodyear Millennium

The junior is adjusting better all the time to linebacker after being moved from safety late in fall camp. Flowers has 38 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and two sacks, in the past four games. He also has two interceptions, both against USC, in that span.

“He’s still learning. It’s like going to job training,” defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel said a few weeks ago. “For him to be doing some of the things he’s doing is remarkable.”

Flowers has the kind of ranginess and athleticism Arizona likes in its outside linebackers, although this could be just a one-year thing at outside linebacker, depending on how next year’s defense shapes up.

“He’s done it unselfishly,” Casteel said. “That I think speaks volumes for the way he is. I’m sure he’s thought of himself as a safety. He’s helped our football team immensely.”

D.J. Foster scored on this 23-yard run vs. Oregon. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Arizona State RB D.J. Foster, Scottsdale Saguaro

Foster was the centerpiece of Graham’s first recruiting class, and he hasn’t disappointed, sharing caries in the backfield with Cameron Marshall and Marion Grice, and being active in the passing game.

Foster has 85 carries for 443 yards and is third on the team in receptions with 34 for 484 yards. He has six total touchdowns.

Graham, in one of his weekly press conferences last month, recalled his first impression of Foster during recruiting.

“I watched him score 10 touchdowns in one game. My first impression on film was, ‘Wow, this guy’s a special player,’” Graham said.

“The dynamics of his ability to run the ball and his ability to catch the ball are special. He’s not a very big guy but he’s a really good inside runner. He’s a complete back. On film, I thought, ‘This is a guy we have to get.’ …

“He’s a guy that’s all in and is buying in. I think he is becoming a leader as a true freshman and that’s pretty hard to do.”

Arizona S Jourdon Grandon, Avondale Westview

He missed the Colorado game two weeks ago because of a concussion, then was used in a reserve role last week at Utah. Before that, he started the first nine games, and he ranks fifth on the Wildcats with 55 tackles.

In a banged-up secondary, the more he can play Friday, the better it will be for Arizona.

Arizona State NT Jaxon Hood, Chandler Hamilton

This has been one of the storylines of the week with the Hood family having a player on each side of the rivalry. Jaxon is a true freshman at Arizona State. Tevin is a junior nose tackle for Arizona.

“I won’t go out of my way to say anything (this week), but I’ll let him know what the deal is,” Tevin said.

And what’s the deal? Jaxon figures to have a chance to make a bigger impact. He has started every game at nose tackle — remarkable for the true freshman — and has three sacks. Tevin will see time behind Sione Tuihalamaka.

Arizona State FS Keelan Johnson

Johnson, a senior who has four interceptions and 73 tackles, can’t forget Arizona celebrating on the Sun Devil Stadium turf last season.

“When they were down here they stomped on the pitchfork,” he said this week. “That’s one of the things I’ll remember and I’ll use it to my advantage.”

And what kind of challenge does he see from the Arizona offense?

“It all comes back down to what we need to do,” he said. “As long as we can stop the run and rattle the quarterback, everything else should take care of itself.”

Arizona State WR/PR Jamal Miles, Peoria High

He has had a disappointing senior season after being one of the nation’s top all-purpose threats a year ago. Miles scored nine times in 2011 — six by receiving, two on kick returns and one on a punt return — but has zero scores this season.

All it takes is one good game — one key play — against Arizona to change how everyone feels about his senior year.

Arizona S Jared Tevis, Tucson Canyon del Oro

The former walk-on has been quite a find for Rodriguez, and Tevis was probably the team’s best defender through the first month of the season before being sidelined by an ankle injury.

That kept him out for two games, and he hasn’t made as many big plays since his return, although you never know when those big plays are going to happen. He had two interceptions and three forced fumbles in the first four games.

Jake Fischer was at the center of a defense-only meeting last week. Photo by Rick Scuteri-US PRESSWIRE

Quarterbacks Matt Scott and Matt Barkley will have a lot to say about which team wins the Arizona-USC game this afternoon. But you knew that.

Let’s take a look at five other things that make not be so apparent:

1. Arizona’s defensive confidence

When the Wildcats got off the bus at the team hotel last week, junior linebacker Jake Fischer called for a defense-only players meeting. They gathered in a conference room. Fischer was the first one to speak.

“We really wanted to talk about where the defense is headed for the rest of the season. Because against Oregon State and Stanford, we didn’t play very well,” he said.

“We went in there and had an open discussion. I told them what I expected of everybody. Others stood up and had some things to say.

“I feel like if you’re going to be a really good defense, you have to trust the person next to you, and the best way to trust the person next to you is to get to know them. We really got all that out on the table, and I think we’ll be better because of it.”

Arizona did play well against Washington, coming up with four sacks and holding the Huskies scoreless in the second half of a 52-17 victory.

USC is a different beast, and the fundamentals about the UA defense haven’t changed — it is still a small, thin unit without an elite pass rusher. But the meeting was a rallying point with emotional and motivational benefits that could carry over into today.

“We just needed to quit playing like there’s an ‘I’ in team,” said defensive end Reggie Gilbert. “If one of us messes up, just pick him up and move on to the next play.”

2. Penalties

Here’s a big statistical edge for Arizona. The Wildcats lead the country in a somewhat obscure stat — opponent’s penalty yards. UA foes are averaging 98.3 penalty yards per game. USC is the most penalized team in the nation (9.86 per game for an average of 80 yards).

Is there a correlation between the opponent’s penalty and Arizona’s fast pace?

“The tempo maybe helps us create some opportunities that way,” coach Rich Rodriguez said.

“Sometimes, you get lucky. Or maybe guys just get frustrated. If guys continue to strain, sometimes they get frustrated against you and grab you. We talked quite a bit about that (before the last game). If we can strain a little bit and if you’re not making a play, at least try and cause a penalty.”

3. Turnovers

USC, in the Pete Carroll glory days, usually ranked at or near the top of the national stats in creating turnovers. The Trojans are back at it again.

They have created 22 turnovers, tied for the second-most in the country, and that is partly due to the disruptive play of the defensive line. That was supposed to be a weakness, especially after end Devon Kennard was lost for the season in late July to a pec injury, but junior college transfer Morgan Breslin has stepped in with seven sacks.

USC has intercepted 14 passes, four by linebacker Dion Bailey.

4. USC’s tight ends

With all the other offensive skill, it’s easy to forget how effective Randall Telfer and Xavier Grimble can be. They have combined for a modest 21 catches, but five have gone for touchdowns.

Arizona has had difficulty matching up against the Pac-12′s best at tight end. Stanford’s Levine Toilolo and Zach Ertz combined to make 11 catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns against the Cats. Last week, Washington’s Austin Seferian-Jenkins made eight receptions for 110 yards and a score.

“I wish we had some magic pills to make our guys grow to 6-5 and be able to cover them,” Rodriguez said. “Isn’t it amazing in our league, the quality of the tight ends? I don’t think there is another league that’s close.”

Said Fischer about seeing talented tight ends again: “We have to step up and be as physical as they are, even more physical. Just try to lay the wood. That’s all you can try to do.”

5. The battle of No. 25s

Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey has been superb, earning some midseason All-America honors and being added to the watch list for the Maxwell Award, given to the nation’s top player. He has rushed for 155 times for 842 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Silas Redd has played an increasing role for USC after his preseason transfer from Penn State. Redd has 104 carries for 583 yards and six touchdowns, taking the lead role from Curtis McNeal.

It will be interesting to see if the Trojans try to establish the run in a more definitive way than Washington did last week against UA.

“When you can get one of the best running backs in the country to transfer in — that’s a pretty good deal for them,” Rodriguez said. “They are big up front and they have a couple of NFL guys on their offensive line. I think Redd is a sure-fire NFL guy as well.”

Jake Fischer tries to bring down Toledo quarterback Terrance Owens on Saturday night. Photo by Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

Arizona junior Jake Fischer has gone from an ACL injury to the man in the middle of the Wildcats’ defense.

And, in his first game after redshirting the 2011 season, Fischer was chosen the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week.

“It’s a honor,” he said Monday, “but there are so many other things I could have done better.”

Fischer made a team-high 13 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, and forced a fumble as the Wildcats slipped past Toledo 24-17 in overtime at Arizona Stadium on Saturday night.

He moved from an outside linebacker spot to middle linebacker a couple of weeks ago because of injuries. He figures to stay there, with converted safety Marquis Flowers and Hank Hobson (when healthy) at the outside linebacker spots.

“I actually prefer it,” Fischer said of moving inside. “I like being in the middle of the field and making all the calls and everything. That’s what I did in high school.”

Fischer was one of the Arizona players who was on the field for all 94 defensive plays on Saturday.

“I was pretty sore,” Fischer said.

“There was a little stiffness and everything, but it was actually good to have that feeling back. I know we all felt it. We all played as fast as we could, as hard as we could. Especially after a victory, it’s a lot sweeter.”

Coach Rich Rodriguez said the defense “hung in there” against Toledo, and fatigue didn’t seem to be a factor. Arizona held the Rockets to 132 yards after halftime and didn’t allow Toledo to convert any of seven third-down opportunities after the break. The Rockets converted 10 of 16 third-down tries in the first half.

The Pac-12 differed from the Arizona coaches, who actually picked sophomore safety Jared Tevis as the team’s defensive player of the week. Tevis made 12 tackles and broke up two passes.

UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin was chosen the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 214 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries at Rice. USC’s Marqise Lee was picked for the league’s weekly special teams honor for his 100-yard kick return. He also has 10 catches for 197 yards.

Ka’Deem Carey runs away from Toledo’s Chris Dukes at the end of his 73-yard touchdown run. Photo by Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

The Arizona Wildcats’ first-time starter at running back rushed for 147 yards.

Their starting middle linebacker, coming back from an ACL injury, led the Cats in tackles.

A first-time starting safety, a former walk-on, was deemed the team’s defensive player of the week.

These competing, encouraging, storylines share something in common:

Ka’Deem Carey, Jake Fischer and Jared Tevis are played their high school ball in Oro Valley, north of Tucson.

“We’re out there making plays,” said Carey, a sophomore who played with Tevis at Canyon del Oro High School. “I think we just wanted to do it for our city. We always talk about it — to play as hard as we can for our city.”

Let’s break down the local breakout players in the opening 24-17 victory over Toledo:

RB Ka’Deem Carey

Carey, who had a tantalizingly good season as a true freshman behind Keola Antolin, carried 20 times for 147 yards, both career highs. The highlight was a 73-yard burst up the middle, with Carey weaving among tacklers diving at his legs.

“As a running back you have to pick up your legs, because they’re coming after your legs, just because you’re a big dude,” said Carey.

At about the 15, he had to take a right turn to run away from pursuing cornerback Chris Dukes.

“When you break a long one, you’re not going to be like, ‘This last person is going to tackle me,’” Carey said. “So you’re going to give it all you got, kick it into that second gear and break away from him.”

Carey had three other runs of more than 10 yards but had trouble finding any sort of running room on many of his carries. He gained two yards or fewer on 11 of his 20 carries.

“He ran pretty hard,” coach Rich Rodriguez said.

“Ka’Deem is a good football player. He’s a tough guy. He loves the game. I wish we could have got him loose a couple more times.”

This was the first 100-yard game of Carey’s career. Carey, the gem of Mike Stoops’ 2011 recruiting class, rushed 91 times for 425 yards and six touchdowns last season.

LB Jake Fischer

Fischer, an Ironwood Ridge High graduate who tore his ACL late in the 2011 spring game, returned to the field with a team-high 13 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, both career highs.

He had eight tackles at halftime against Toledo, one more than his previous career high for a game.

“I loved it. There was a ton of emotions,” he said of playing again. “I just worked my tail off to get back. I’m just glad we got a win. I think that’s what matters most.”

Fischer, a junior, recently moved from outside linebacker to middle linebacker in UA’s 3-3-5 scheme. He can handle any of the linebacker spots.

“I know it killed him last year to not be out there, but you can see the immediate impact he has and the aura he brings with him on the field,” Tevis said. “It was great to be out there playing with him, first of all, and then just to see him play so well.”

S Jared Tevis

Tevis, a sophomore who was a special teams player last season, quickly caught the eye of Rodriguez in the spring with his hustle and hitting. What he lacks in stature as a major college safety — he’s 5-10, 197 — he makes up for with that big chip on his shoulder.

“The kid flies to the ball,” Fischer said.

“He had to earn his scholarship. He went out there every day and competed his butt off. He’s smacking people in practice, too. That translates to the field. He had a couple of nice hits (Saturday) night, so I’m proud of the kid.”

When the coaches selected their players of the week Sunday, Tevis got the nod for defense. He played all 94 plays on defense, as did Fischer, making 12 tackles and breaking up two passes.

“I was really feeling more tired in the second quarter than I was in the fourth,” Tevis said. “I kind of sucked it up and that second wind kind of kicked in. It was a tiring game, but we knew we had to push through it.”

Jake Fischer tries to bring down Toledo quarterback Terrance Owens. Photo by Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

Matt Scott, seen here in the spring, was 16 of 18 in the first fall scrimmage. Photo by David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic

FORT HUACHUCA — If you’ve been listening to Arizona Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez, you know his top concern has been defense.

He was barely joking at Pac-12 Media Day when he said, “We make up for our lack of size with our lack of speed,” and UA’s first fall scrimmage Saturday night did nothing to alleviate his worries.

A lack of size and speed? That’s not all.

Rodriguez lit into his defense following the scrimmage, harping on another critical factor that is, as of now, lacking.

“If you’re out there, our expectations are that you play with a certain physicalness, and that wasn’t there today,” Rodriguez said.

The flip side is that the offense, especially when led by senior starting quarterback Matt Scott and junior college transfer B.J. Denker — the clear No. 2 already — was highly efficient. The offense scored on its first six possessions, including five touchdowns.

Scott completed 16 of 18 passes for 193 yards. Denker was 12 of 17 for 154 yards and two touchdowns.

While the offense looked good, Rodriguez cautioned, “When you don’t tackle nobody, it happens that way.”

Overall, Rodriguez lamented that it a “below-average scrimmage.”

And there is now not quite three weeks to the season-opener, at home vs. Toledo on Sept. 1.

“We can’t go out against Toledo — we can’t go out against anybody — playing like this,” said junior linebacker Jake Fischer.

The defense was missing a few potential contributors who are banged up — walk-on freshman linebacker Shadow Williams worked with the starting unit — but Fischer said that was no excuse. Besides, it wasn’t so much execution that Rodriguez was talking about, it was more about not being “soft” on defense.

“You hope they have a sense of pride, which I think they do. We’re got a pretty good group of kids,” Rodriguez said.

“It’s hard with young guys because they don’t really know what they don’t know. But we have a really good defensive staff and they will do all they can to get out of it. … We just have to make sure (the players) understand the expectations.”

True freshman Javelle Allen followed Scott and Denker at quarterback, completing 6 of 7 passes for 57 yards. Allen did lose a fumble on a run; the ball was recovered by safety Marquis Flowers for the defense’s only turnover of the scrimmage, which was held at Bujalski Field on the Fort Huachuca post.

The team’s other true freshman quarterback, Josh Kern, saw very limited time near the end of the scrimmage, completing his only pass for 6 yards.

Senior Terrence Miller led the receiving corps with six catches for 91 yards. Sophomore Tyler Slavin caught five passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Austin Hill had five receptions for 53 yards. Dan Buckner caught four passes for 44 yards.

True freshman J.T. Washington had a team-high 31 yards rushing on four carries. Sophomore Ka’Deem Carey rushed four times for 25 yards and a score.

“It was a pretty good day,” Scott said, talking about the offense.

“The tempo was a little bit better today, and we’ll continue on from here. I think it’s going to be hard to keep up with our offense, with our fast-paced tempo and everything.”

Fischer agreed.

“I feel like our offense is going to be one of the best in the Pac,” he said.

“They’re senior-driven. They have heavy leadership. They have so many weapons. It’s good for us. Like I told the linebackers afterward, ‘I’m not making any excuses. But think of this as an opportunity, because we’re going against a very good offense and against (a quarterback) who is capable of starting on any Pac-12 team every week.’”

It was that offense that stood and watched after the scrimmage while Rodriguez gathered the defense and joined them in doing punishment push-ups — about 35 of them — after he dressed down the unit.

Scott, who admitted that “a couple of days ago, the defense whupped us,” said he didn’t mind seeing the defense have to do the extra work.

“I’m a winner. I hate losing,” he said.

“At the end of the day, the loser has to do something. It feels good watching them do push-ups and we’re not.”

Rich Rodriguez, Matt Scott and Jake Fischer answer questions during Pac-12 Media Day at Universal Studios Hollywood. Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — Some Arizona Wildcats notes from early in Pac-12 Media Day:

Arizona lists only four linebackers on its two-deep, including true freshman C.J. Dozier, who enrolled early and participated in spring ball. UA will get a look at true freshmen Dakota Conwell (one of its highest-rated recruits), plus walk-ons Lucas Petrullo and Shadow Williams in fall camp.

The team’s already shaky depth took a hit when senior Brian Wagner left the team in the summer, telling TucsonCitizen.com that “I don’t have love for the game anymore.” Wagner, a graduate transfer from Akron, was the nation’s leading returning tackler.

“Him leaving, we were disappointed in that,” said junior linebacker Jake Fischer, the team’s only veteran at the position.

“It’s going to be hard to replace that because he was such a smart player, and he can play. At that middle linebacker position, you need somebody who is smart and capable of directing plays and directing the D-line to where people need to go.”

Arizona lists sophomore Rob Hankins as the only player listed at middle linebacker. Sophomore Hank Hobson is listed as a starter at an outside linebacker position. Both played last season as true freshmen last season, although coach Mike Stoops at one point said it was almost unfair to put them in a position of having to play early.

Such was the Cats’ depth last season, and it’s worse this season after the graduation of Paul Vassallo and Derek Earls.

“We have lot of young guys hungry to learn and hungry to play, and they’re in there watching film all the time,” Fischer said. “I like what we’ve got now; they just need to step up.”

* * *

Arizona figures to try to use a rotation of Shaquille Richardson, Derrick Rainey and Jonathan McKnight at cornerback. There is little other experience on the roster.

Richardson and Rainey were starters throughout spring while McKnight rehabbed from an August ACL tear. McKnight do some drill work but didn’t have any contact.

“He had a pretty good spring,” coach Rich Rodriguez said about McKnight.

“He didn’t go through full contact because he was still protecting his knee. But his knee is 100 percent. We’ll probably still limit him with contact and live stuff in August, but he should be good to go on Sept. 1 In our opening game against Toledo.”

* * *

Here are three good one-liners from Arizona’s time at the podium at Pac-12 Media Day:

** “Every practice felt like we were playing against Oregon.” — Fischer on going against Arizona’s new read-option offense in the spring.

** “It was tough for me to sit on the sideline. I felt like I wasn’t contributing to the team’s success, the little success we had.” — Quarterback Matt Scott, on redshirting last season

** “Best decision the coaching staff made.” — Rodriguez, on Scott redshirting as a senior

* * *

Arizona’s new roster includes a couple of players added since the on-line roster was updated in June. They are both safeties: Keahi Hogan (6-4, 190) from Orange Coast College in California, and Brendan Murphy (5-11, 185) who has spent time at Air Force and Glendale Community College. He attended Scottsdale Chaparral High, which has become a new pipeline for Arizona since head coach Charlie Ragle was brought in as assistant director of operations.

Other Media Day stories:

Rodriguez on Penn State sanctions: Nothing is going to be as tough as what those victims went through

Arizona releases first depth chart of Rodriguez era

Pac-12 media poll: USC overwhelming favorite; a few curious votes for ASU

Jake Fischer left last season's spring game on a cart. Photo by David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic

New Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez says much of his first spring with the Wildcats will be about evaluation, and he’ll withhold judgment — and a depth chart — until the end of spring ball.

That won’t stop him from being eager to see, among others, linebacker Jake Fischer.

Fischer, who was one of five UA players who sat out last season because of a torn ACL, is a “full-go” for the spring, Rodriguez said Thursday.

“He’s worked so hard,” Rodriguez said.

“Without question, Jake Fischer is going to be one of our leaders defensively. I can see why the coaching staff missed him so much last year. He’s an athletic guy who is a tough guy. He’s a football player. I’m sure that was a huge loss.”

Fischer started as a sophomore in 2010, making 58 tackles, including 7.5 for loss. He suffered a torn ACL near the end of spring game.

Although depth is an issue at linebacker, Fischer and Akron transfer Brian Wagner — a graduate student who is the nation’s leading returning tackler — give the Wildcats a solid starting point. Rob Hankins and Hank Hobson played as true freshmen last season. Dame Ndiaye, a rangy, raw freshman who redshirted last season as a defensive end, is now listed at linebacker.

As for the other players returning from injury, safety Adam Hall — another potential leader on defense — “is doing everything now.” Running back Greg Nwoko and defensive tackle Willie Mobley should be able to do everything, or close to it, this spring, as well.

The fifth member of the ACL club, cornerback Jonathan McKnight, is on a later rehab schedule because he was hurt in fall camp. Rodriguez sounded encouraged by McKnight’s progress, saying he is “doing most of the stuff right now,” although the sophomore likely will be held out of scrimmage situations.

Other injury news: Starting left tackle Mickey Baucus underwent back surgery and will be limited this spring. “Hopefully, he’ll be ready for August,” Rodriguez said. Older brother Jack Baucus, who was moved from tight end to tackle last season, also will be limited this spring. Jack suffered from a variety of injuries last season.

* * *

Rodriguez said he approved of the new kickoff rules that go into effect in 2012.

In an effort to reduce the violent collisions and injuries on kickoffs, the NCAA moved the kickoff from the 30-yard line to the 35, increasing the odds of a touchback. Additionally, members of the kick coverage team can be 5 yards behind the ball, not 10, reducing their running start.

“That is, without question, the most dangerous play in football,” Rodriguez said of the kickoff.

Touchbacks will not be marked at the 25-yard line, not the 20.

There has been some speculation that the new rules would encourage kickers to pooch the ball near the goal line, with the coverage team trying to make the tackle before the 25.

Rodriguez said he won’t mess with that strategy.

“I don’t know if we’re fast enough to get down there and cover it in time, especially with only a 5-yard start,” Rodriguez said.

Senior kicker John Bonano has a strong leg and recorded 22 touchbacks on 67 attempts last season.

“When the rule come in, I told him, ‘It’s the 35-yard line,’ and he had a big smile on his face,” Rodriguez said.

“I said, ‘So that means you’re going to kick every one through the end zone.’ He said, ‘I should be able to, Coach.’ I’ll take that every time.”

* * *

Rodriguez confirmed that defensive linemen Sani Fuimaono and Aiulua Fanene — who aren’t listed on the spring roster — are on two-year church missions. They each indicated they intend to return to Arizona after their missions. … Safety Josh Robbins is unable to continue football because of a back injury. Robbins, from Canyon del Oro High School, redshirted in 2010 and missed last season because of injury. … Rodriguez said he would like to look into uniform changes, but it was too late to any tweaks for next season. … Rodriguez spoke recently to TucsonCitizen.com contributors Victor Rodriguez and Matt Minkus of the local 110SportsPodcast.com. Here is a link to the interview.