Kyle Quinn was a two-year starter for Arizona. Photo by Matt Kartozian-USA Today Sports

Kyle Quinn won’t be one of those guys waiting nervously by his phone during the last rounds of the NFL Draft.

Maybe the former Arizona Wildcats center will get drafted. Probably not. No matter. Even as an undrafted free agent, he’s very likely to land in an NFL camp later this spring, and that’s all he wants. For now.

“I felt I moved my stock up a little bit today,” Quinn said after completing a workout at Arizona’s Pro Day that was closed to the media.

“But I’m not really concerned with that. I’m just looking to make a roster spot. That’s my goal. I don’t care about draft day. I’m not going to be on the emotional rollercoaster, like so many athletes are. It’s all about getting in the NFL and making it through camp and making a team roster.

“The draft stuff is just the fancy stuff. That’s stuff for TV and entertainment.”

Quinn said he’s been working out seven to eight hours a day in Tucson after attending two postseason games — the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game in Tucson and the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Compton, Calif. He checked in at 288 pounds in the latter game, but said he’s put on about 10 pounds since then.

“I was almost 300 today, which I was very happy with,” Quinn said.

“I’ve had to eat about five meals a day, wake up at 10:30 and eat a peanut butter sandwich. A few minor adjustments, but I put the weight on in the right way.”

Quinn started most of the past two seasons at center for the Wildcats, save for four games when he was injured last season. He’s been learning the guard position, too, in the past couple of months to show the needed versatility for the NFL.

“You have to be ready to play all three interior positions,” he said, “and I’m more than capable of doing that.”

Related:

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Juron Criner was the only all-conference player for Arizona from its 2008 recruiting class. Photo by Chris Morrison-USA Today Sports

The Arizona Wildcats football recruiting class of 2008 is in the books.

Arizona was coming off a 5-7 season in coach Mike Stoops fourth season and hadn’t had a winning record in nine seasons.

The Cats weren’t operating from a position of strength and finished 39th nationally in the recruiting rankings of Rivals.com and Scout.com, which put Arizona slightly below average among BCS conference teams.

So, how did Arizona do with its 2008 recruiting class?

Somewhere around average sounds about right.

The Cats hit on about half of the class, with “hit” defined as a starting player, but there wasn’t a lot of star power and not nearly enough defense.

Let’s take a look …

Good: You wouldn’t have known it at the time, but the eventual headliner of the 23-player class was three-star receiver Juron Criner (who was rated as only as two-star recruit by Scout.com). Criner was the only first-team All-Pac-10/12 player in this class, becoming one of the most prolific receivers in school history.

“We knew in high school he was pretty special,” Stoops said in 2010.

“He was a big, strong, physical guy. Played basketball. Could jump. I don’t know … we didn’t see anything that showed us he wasn’t going to be a very talented player.”

Good: The class was heavy on offensive linemen; seven signed with the Cats and six proved to be starters, including a pair who helped lead the 2012 line as fifth-year seniors — center Kyle Quinn and guard Trace Biskin.

Bad: Three of the offensive linemen were junior college transfers, so Arizona filled a need but didn’t get much lasting benefit. And the career of promising guard Vaughn Dotsy was cut short because of injury.

Bad: The best offensive lineman of the group — junior college transfer J’Marcus Webb — never made it to Arizona but has gone on to be a three-year starter for the Chicago Bears.

Good: Defensive back Robert Golden was one of the top-rated players in Arizona’s class and became a three-year starter and a NFL player last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Criner, Golden and wide receiver David Douglas (who appeared in one game with Tampa Bay late in the season) all made the NFL from this class.

Good: Not included here is a player Arizona landed in the spring of 2008 — Michigan State transfer quarterback Nick Foles.

Good: Quarterback Matt Scott, able to redshirt in 2011 behind Foles, was a fifth-year senior last season. He earned second-team All-Pac-12 team and was the foremost reason why the Cats posted a surprising 8-5 mark in coach Rich Rodriguez’s first season.

Bad: With a class that featured six junior college transfers, five players who never played a down for the Cats, injuries, and guys who simply weren’t good enough, Arizona got useful play from only three fifth-year seniors: Scott, Quinn and Biskin. Lack of depth from the upperclassmen was a huge hurdle for Rodriguez in 2012.

Bad: Arizona went 0 for 5 in defensive linemen in this class, a huge reason why the Cats failed to have a suitable pass rush in 2011 and 2012. UA also went 0 for 2 on high school linebackers. The alarming lack of enduring defensive talent in this class helps explain Arizona’s woeful stats in the past two seasons.

Here is a player-by-player look at the 2008 class, with ratings by Rivals.com:

Keola Antolin, RB, Las Vegas, Bishop Gorman HS (3 stars)
He gave Arizona steady production for four seasons, finishing with 2,398 rushing yards, 508 receiving yards and 26 total touchdowns.

Dominique Austin, DE, La Puente, Calif., Bishop Amat HS (3 stars)
He was little-used before this year. He started the first five games before being sidelined with an injury, able to return briefly in the New Mexico Bowl.

Kenny Barnes, DE, Glendale, Raymond S Kellis HS (2 stars)
Never played. Quit the team in the summer of 2009 after redshirting.

Trace Biskin, OL, Westlake Village, Calif. Oaks Christian HS (3 stars)
Started 17 games over the past two seasons, including seven in 2012, when he battled a toe injury.

Juron Criner, WR, North Las Vegas, Canyon Springs HS (3 stars)
With excellent body control and leaping ability, Criner excelled at catching the deep pass from Nick Foles. He finished with 209 catches for 2,859 yards and a school-record 32 touchdown receptions, going on to play for the Oakland Raiders as a rookie.

Mike Diaz, OL, Cerritos, Calif., Cerritos CC (3 stars)
He started 20 games in two years, including 11 at left tackle in 2009.

Vaughn Dotsy, OL, Ventura, Calif., St. Bonaventure HS (3 stars)
He started two games as a junior early in the 2010 season before being sidelined by a back injury that forced him to give up football after the year.

David Douglas, WR, McKinney, Texas, McKinney North HS (2 stars)
Douglas caught 151 passes for 1,542 yards and 11 touchdowns at Arizona. He was on the New York Giants practice squad for most of last season before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked him up late in the season.

Zander Fabbri, LB, Bakersfield, Calif., Centennial HS (3 stars)
He suffered a concussion in 2008 fall camp and eventually had to give up football.

Phillip Garcia, OL, Cerritos, Calif., Cerritos CC (3 stars)
Redshirted in 2008 because of a knee injury, made a couple of spot starts in 2009 and then started every game in 2010 at right tackle.

Robert Golden, DB, Fresno, Calif., Edison HS (4 stars)
He started two seasons at safety and one at cornerback for the Cats before sticking with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season as an undrafted free agent.

Herman Hall, OL, Brenham, Texas, Blinn CC (2 stars)
He started 11 games as a senior in 2009, playing both guard spots.

Solomon Koehler, DT, Kaneohe, Hawaii, Castle HS (4 stars)
Plenty of recruiting hype but didn’t have the quickness needed at defensive tackle and was moved to the offensive line late in his redshirt freshman season. He was gone a year later.

Sterling Lewis, LB, Brenham, Texas, Blinn CC (3 stars)
Was a solid player, starting 15 games in two seasons and making 97 tackles.

Chris Merrill, DT, Scottsdale, Saguaro HS (3 stars)
He merely saw spot duty through his career, coming up with 15 tackles, including five in 2012.

Greg Nwoko, RB, Pflugerville, Texas, Pflugerville HS (2 stars)
Had a role in 2009 and 2010 as a bigger running back, but he lost 2011 to a knee injury and 2012 to a hip injury after moving to linebacker in fall camp.

Kyle Quinn, OL, Brentwood, Calif., Liberty Union HS (3 stars)
Quinn was a two-year starter at center, extending the program’s stability at the position after taking over for Colin Baxter. Worked out for scouts at the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game and the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

Matt Scott, QB, Corona, Calif., Centennial HS (4 stars)
Got his chance to be the full-time starter as a senior, completing 301 of 499 passes for 3,620 yards, with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Scott has the potential to be a mid-round NFL draft pick in April.

Vuna Tuihalamaka, LB, Torrance, Calif., El Camino CC (4 stars)
He was productive as an every-game starter in 2009, with 72 tackles, including 5.5 for loss.

Jowyn Ward, DT, Katy, Texas, Mayde Creek HS (2 stars)
Only saw spot duty (11 tackles) for three years before being moved to backup offensive guard during the 2012 season.

Mark Watley, DB, Encino, Calif., Crespi HS (2 stars)
He seemed to be in line to be a contributor in 2012, but he made only four tackles as he slipped on the depth chart after making 27 stops in 2011.

J’Marcus Webb, OL, Corsicana, Texas, Navarro JC (4 stars)
He was the only member of Arizona’s recruiting class who failed to qualify, landing at lower-division West Texas. Webb, who began his career at the University of Texas, was a seventh-round pick of the Bears in 2010.

R.J. Young, LB, DeSoto, Texas, DeSoto HS (3 stars)
After making 25 career tackles at Arizona, Young transferred after the 2010 season to Louisiana-Monroe, where he led the team in tackles in 2012 with 94, including 11 for loss.

Kyle Quinn leaves Monday morning for a week of practice and interviews at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Photo by Matt Kartozian-USA Today Sports

About a week after the Arizona Wildcats’ win in the New Mexico Bowl, senior center Kyle Quinn got a call from a number he didn’t recognize. He answered anyway.

Hello?

“This is Coach Tomey.”

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,” Quinn said about hearing from Dick Tomey, the winningest coach in Arizona history.

“I got nervous. I actually got goosebumps. Just hearing from him with the amount of respect I have for him and the passion he has for this school and this city, it’s really amazing.”

There was a practical purpose for the call. Tomey, serving as a head coach and procurer of talent for the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game, was inviting Quinn to participate in the game, which took place Friday at Kino Stadium.

Quinn and two other ex-Wildcats — fullback/defensive end Taimi Tutogi and defensive lineman Dominique Austin — helped the West squad to a 40-7 victory.

“I was really proud of all those guys,” Tomey said after the game. “Taimi was terrific. Kyle is a great leader.”

Tutogi and Quinn, having absorbed lessons from Tomey and the Casino Del Sol coaching staff, are moving on this week to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, which will be played Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Quinn figured a week of practice at the Casino Del Sol game will give him an edge.

“The good thing was that I got the rust off, because we all felt the rust. A lot of guys had been off for a few weeks,” Quinn said.

“Going into next week, I feel like I have the advantage over most of the guys because a lot of them haven’t played yet. I’ll take that and use it to my advantage. I have learned you have to strap that helmet up really tight because these guys can hit.”

Quinn split time at center on Friday night with Utah’s Tevita Stevens. Austin had two tackles, including one for loss. Tutogi carried five times for 28 yards.

“It was nice,” Tutogi said of his workload, “seeing that I only got the ball once at the U of A this year. I tried to take the ball and have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder and did what I could with it. I think it worked out well.”

Quinn and Tutogi will get more good coaching this week. The head coaches for the NFLPA game are Herm Edwards and Dick Vermeil. Former NFL players fill many assistant coaching spots. Former Arizona defensive coordinator Larry Mac Duff is assisting, as well.

“I have to memorize a whole new playbook,” Quinn said. “So I have to burn this playbook in the back of my mind and get ready. But that’s the life of an NFL player. You have to be a student every week. It’s a lot of fun.”

Two more former Wildcats will be in action this week. Quarterback Matt Scott (the top prospect among ex-Arizona players) and receiver Dan Buckner will play in the East-West Shrine Game from St. Petersburg, Fla., on Saturday.

The NFL Network will carry the East-West Shrine Game, starting at 2 p.m. Tucson time. ESPN2 will show the NFLPA game beginning at 4 p.m.

Kyle Quinn works against Cal’s Aaron Tipoti in practice Monday. Photo courtesy of V. Valdez Photography

This isn’t Rich Rodriguez’s offense any more.

Former Arizona Wildcats center Kyle Quinn began the next stage of his football career Monday, practicing with the West squad in preparation for the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game, which will be held Friday at Kino Stadium at 7 p.m.

“Now we get to huddle and snap under center,” he said after practice.

He did none of the former in his senior season in Rodriguez’s hurry-up scheme and only twice delivered the ball directly to the quarterback — in the victory formation at the end of games.

Quinn is working with the West team, getting offensive-line instruction from former Utah and Weber State head coach Ron McBride, also an ex-Arizona assistant coach under Dick Tomey. Tomey is the head coach of the West squad.

Quinn, a two-year starter at Arizona (although he missed four games this season because of an ankle injury), might be considered a late-round possibility, or at least a free-agent to bring into camp. Scouts have interest: He also is mulling a recent invitation to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, which will be held Jan. 19 in Los Angeles.

Here is a post-practice Q&A with Quinn:

On what he hopes to show scouts this week: “The biggest things I want to show to the scouts is just my coachability and how well I take things in from listening. Coach McBride is one of the best offensive line coaches in the country. He’s a legend around the state of Utah and around the country. Everyone is saying it’s a once-in-lifetime opportunity. So, I want to show my coachability, my toughness, my versatility and I also want to show my football IQ — making adjustments and being able to show I can pick up things really quick.”

On what the past few weeks were like after the comeback win in the New Mexico Bowl: “That was kind of crazy. I still don’t know how the heck it happened. I was trying to process that over break. Everywhere I went back home, everyone was like, ‘That was amazing.’ And even guys here are like, ‘Oh, yeah, you were in that game.’ Guys are just blown away about how we were able to pull that one out of our hats. I saw Coach Rod and most of the coaching staff last week and they were just all smiles and so proud of our effort. That wasn’t our best game as far as execution, both offense and defense, but we kept fighting until there were all zeros on the scoreboard, and it came out our way.”

On Arizona offensive line coach Robert Anae leaving last week to return to BYU as offensive coordinator: “I’m definitely sad, but it’s a great opportunity for Coach Anae. He graduated from there; he won a national championship there. His heart is always going to be for BYU. I got two years with him and he grew me into the player I am. … I’m forever grateful to him and the time and effort he put into me. He told me, ‘Kyle, talk to me whenever you need me.’ He’s keeping that line of communication open, which I greatly appreciate. He has a big heart. He’s a very down-to-earth guy. You can go into his office and talk to him about anything. His presence as a coach and his football IQ is second-to-none.”

On playing with guys who have been your rivals: “We have nose guard from Oregon State (Andrew Seumalo). We went head-to-head right before I got hurt, and he’s asking, ‘How is the ankle feeling now?’ We respect each other. There’s not much hostility toward one another because we are on the same team, representing the West. But there is a sense of competition. We want to make each other better players and put on a good show for the fans and the scouts who are in attendance this week.”

On how much he had been able to talk to scouts so far: “Very little. We did some stuff this morning … They had us fill out some questionnaires and we did kind of a Wonderlic test. We did one of those mental tests — looking at pictures and images and finding patterns and stuff.”

NOTES: Andre Reed, who ranks 10th in NFL career receptions, is working with the West team as receivers coach. … Dave Sitton and former Arizona and NFL offensive tackle John Fina will have the call of the game on ESPN3. Dana Cooper will be the sideline reporter. … The game can be heard on 1490-AM, an ESPN radio affiliate. Sports talk host Jody Oehler will have the radio call, with the Arizona Daily Star’s Patrick Finley serving as analyst. … More than 70 NFL scouts/personnel men were in Tucson on Monday, including Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson.

Kyle Quinn missed three games because of injury this season but was Arizona’s starting center for the past two years. Photo by Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

Three Arizona Wildcats have accepted invitations to play in the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game in Tucson next month.

Center Kyle Quinn, defensive lineman Dominique Austin and fullback/defensive end Taimi Tutogi will get a chance to interview and workout for scouts, and then play in front of UA fans one more time on Dec. 11.

The game will be played Jan. 11 at 7 p.m.

It will be interesting to how scouts evaluate Tutogi, who played both ways as a senior. He certainly has the body to be a situational NFL player on offense while being able to play on special teams. Austin missed the final seven games of the regular season because of a foot injury but came back to play in the New Mexico Bowl victory.

A list of 64 committed players released by bowl officials includes 13 from the Pac-12. Arizona State will send punter Josh Hubner, a Lindy’s third-team All-American.

One of the more intriguing players could be Washington State quarterback Jeff Tuel, who decided to enter the draft and not try to seek a medical hardship season from earlier in his career.

Tuel spent part of his childhood in Tucson, attending Salpointe Catholic High School for a year before his family moved to Fresno, Calif.

More player announcements are expected in the next week or so. The game featured about 90 prospects last season.

Here is a list of the 64 players who accepted invitations:

Nick Johnson celebrates a 3-point shot against Florida. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Solomon Hill finishing for two points. John Bonano kicking for one.

The basketball team forcing three turnovers in a 16-second span with less than a minute to play. The football team scoring 14 points in 27 seconds in the final minute.

Mark Lyons driving, undeterred and confident, for the game-winning basket. Matt Scott coolly connecting to Tyler Slavin for the game-winning 2-yard touchdown.

Nick Johnson proclaiming, “We’re the real deal.” Scott getting choked up, eyes red, when reflecting on his five seasons at Arizona.

It was one program, two teams and a pair of ridiculous comeback victories separated by less than eight hours and about 450 miles of driving distance on one glorious Saturday for the Arizona Wildcats.

Call it Bear Down Saturday.

It’s as if Rich Rodriguez’s football team and Sean Miller’s basketball team took December 15, wrapped it in a big cardinal-and-navy bow, presented to Arizona fans and said, “Happy Holidays!”

The eighth-ranked basketball team beat No. 5 Florida 65-64 in McKale Center on Saturday night, winning on Lyons’ bull-rush to the hoop with 7.1 seconds left.

The unranked football team stunned Nevada 49-48 in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque for its eighth victory, tied for the most in a season since 1998.

The football team led for all of 19 seconds. The basketball team led for 1:24.

But each was ahead by one point when it mattered, imprinting indelible I-remember-when moments.

“It’s a great Saturday if you like Arizona,” Miller said.

“Gosh,” said senior center Kyle Quinn after the football victory, “that was amazing.”

The basketball team, trailing by six points in the final minute, came up with arguably its biggest home win in McKale in about a decade.

The football team, down 13 points with less than two minutes to play, produced one of its most improbable victories ever.

Not a day day for Arizona on ESPN.

“Both teams looked ugly for a moment,” Hill told reporters late last night in McKale Center. “We both made our share of bad plays, but we kept staying in there and fighting.”

Those were the echoes across Bear Down Saturday. Keep fighting.

Now, there’s not a coach who doesn’t preach that, and few athletes who fail to practice that. Arizona isn’t unique in that. But that doesn’t make it any less inspiring when that never-give-up-spirit combines with opportunity, execution — and a little luck — to construct, out of the thinnest of possibilities, a day like Saturday.

This is why you watch, right?

Because you never know.

Football is now over, the victory total washing away (well, mostly) the bitterness of the loss to Arizona State in the regular-season finale.

“It’s incredible just to go out and end my career — and the career of the seniors — like that and get this program going in the right way,” Quinn said. “Eight wins in year one with Coach Rod has been amazing. It’s indescribable almost.”

For basketball, this was the leap forward that plants the Cats as a serious threat in March.

“It’s a game that can change seasons,” Miller said.

No, Arizona didn’t win the national championship in basketball Saturday night. And the New Mexico Bowl is more than six degrees of separation from the Rose Bowl.

On Saturday, the scripts trumped the stakes. And the message from Bear Down Saturday was clear: “Keep fighting.”

Matt Scott (right) and Austin Hill celebrate the New Mexico Bowl victory. Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

ALBUQUERQUE — Kyle Quinn took a knee and bowed his head.

There was chaos everywhere. Teammates running around, screaming. Fans on the field. Season over. It all happened so fast, so improbably. It was overwhelming.

One moment Arizona was trailing Nevada by 10 points, with less than two minutes to go in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl, and the Wolf Pack possessing the ball at the UA 7.

But here were the Wildcats, celebrating as they have not celebrated all season, the clock having hit 0:00 at University Stadium with Arizona having won 49-48, rejoicing in its most unlikely victory since Ortege Jenkins somersaulted into the end zone on a cold Seattle night at Husky Stadium in 1998.

Quinn, a senior center and a team captain, was a solitary figure near the sideline, on a knee, trying to make sense of the final two minutes:

The defense held Nevada to a field goal, keeping it a two-possession game. Arizona quarterback Matt Scott directed a 75-yard touchdown drive. The Wildcats recovered an onside kick with 40 seconds left. Scott drove UA for another TD in three plays. Linebacker Marquis Flowers intercepted a Cody Fajardo pass.

With that, the game really was o-v-e-r.

Quinn, standing in front of a small group of reporters about 45 minutes later, took a deep breath, smiled and said, “How about that?”

Yeah. How about that?

Coach Rich Rodriguez ended his first season at Arizona with an 8-5 record and a photo op atop a podium at midfield, holding the hand-crafted Native American pot that goes to the winner of the New Mexico Bowl.

“We didn’t really play well,” Rodriguez said, “but we kept playing.”

Marquis Flowers shows off his Defensive MVP award from the New Mexico Bowl. Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona kept playing when it was down 21-0 in the first quarter. Kept playing after Nevada went from a 28-28 tie to a 45-28 lead late in the third quarter. Kept playing in the final two minutes when the odds of winning were somewhere less than once-in-a-lifetime.

“Doubt tried to creep in,” said safety Jared Tevis. “But we knew we had to keep faith.”

Faith is nice, and so is a senior quarterback.

Scott, who threw two second-half interceptions, completed 8 of 9 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns in the final two minutes. He finished with 382 passing yards on 28-of-47 passing.

“Those last two drives, you had to be almost flawless with the amount of time we had left,” Rodriguez said. “Matt Scott was flawless. Certainly that is why we won the game.”

Scott was a likely hero, but nobody would have predicted his final pass would go to sophomore Tyler Slavin, who caught a 2-yard slant for his first career touchdown. He was misidentified as injured Terrence Miller in TV highlights and on the public address system because he had to change his jersey from No. 11 to No. 18 to avoid having duplicate numbers on special teams.

Funny how things work out sometimes.

Arizona once lost a bowl game (16-13 to Utah in the 1994 Freedom Bowl) when it allowed a total of 75 yards.

Now, Arizona has won a bowl game when it allowed 659 yards and 39 first downs — the most for any team in any bowl anywhere at any time.

Fajardo had been voted as the game’s offensive MVP, as he passed for 256 yards, ran for 140 and accounted for four touchdowns. Safety Duke Williams, who had intercepted a pass from Scott with about nine minutes left, had been chosen the defensive MVP.

The final two minutes had bowl officials scrambling to select Scott and Flowers instead. Flowers recovered the onside kick after the ball bounced off Williams.

“I definitely made sure to look at their faces,” running back Ka’Deem Carey said of the Nevada defense after the onside kick. “It wasn’t a good one.”

Scott hit Garic Wharton for 28 yards, Austin Hill for 21 yards and Slavin for the touchdown.

“Congratulations to Arizona,” coach Chris Ault said. “They held in there and did it, but it’s a sick feeling.”

There was so much offense — a combined 1,237 yards — that’s it’s almost easy to forget Carey’s 172 rushing yards and three touchdowns, and Hill’s 175 receiving yards and two scores. It gets buried under that two-minute thrill that produced the Miracle at the New Mexico Bowl.

“We honestly kept fighting,” Quinn said. “And Coach Rod has instilled that in us since spring ball, really. Until there are zeroes on that clock, you do not give up. At all.”

Related stories:

Rodriguez sends home two players after sideline fight

Arizona fans will long remember John Bonano’s final 42 seconds

New Mexico Bowl game blog

No 2,000 yards, but Carey still national rushing leader after bowl win

Ka’Deem Carey exults in victory. Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This season wouldn’t have been possible without the play and leadership of Matt Scott. Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Soon after Arizona hired Rich Rodriguez, the seniors-to-be filed into his new office, one-by-one, to hear the same message.

Center Kyle Quinn remembers Rodriguez saying something like this:

“This is your team. It’s the seniors’ team. I may not have recruited you guys, and this is your last year, but I want you guys to have the best senior year possible. You’re my guys.”

This is always the worry with a coaching change — the tenuous relationship between the new coach and the old players. The guy with the long-term plan doesn’t always have use for the short-timers. The short-timers tune out the guy with the long-term plan.

“We really bought into his philosophy and his mindset,” Quinn said.

“We were eager to change,” said senior defensive lineman Chris Merrill. “We knew we had to buy in for change to be implemented.”

“It started with us,” added senior fullback/defensive end Taimi Tutogi. “We talked to the guys and said, ‘Look at this guy’s record; he’s done a lot of good things at previous schools.’ The guys followed their leaders.”

Compare that to the situation at Washington State, where first-year coach Mike Leach said last month some of his seniors have an “empty-corpse quality.”

At Arizona, the senior class has helped pulled the Wildcats up from a 4-8 record last season to a 7-4 mark this year heading into Friday night’s regular-season finale against Arizona State.

It’s not that this senior class is supremely deep or talented — there are only five seniors who have started a majority of the games, none on defense. Several seniors are merely deep reserves, but they haven’t poisoned the well while filling small roles.

“I thought it was a good group of guys, but I didn’t know if they could play or not and what their contributions would be on the field,” Rodriguez said of his first impression of the seniors.

“But I loved their attitude. I thought they had a willingness to listen and learn and to lead in the right way. Particularly if you’re a senior and you’re not playing a whole lot, you could go a couple of different ways.

“You could buy into the team concept and help us out that way, or you could kind of go the other way and be a detriment. I think our guys chose to go the right way.”

This was hardly a seamless transition. Rodriguez asked the Wildcats to learn a new scheme on offense, a new scheme on defense, to practice differently — fast-paced all the time — to condition differently and harder than ever in the offseason. What’s more, the coaching staff has a different collective personality than that of the previous staff, another factor that could lead to unease and unhappiness.

“The guys that are here are happy that they stayed. I know it’s the best decision I’ve made,” Tutogi said.

“I’m just happy that Coach RichRod is doing what he is doing. It’s been a 360 (degree) difference from last year. Guys have stepped up. Now I wish I would have redshirted my freshman year. That’s just a product of how Coach RichRod coaches and his philosophy. I like that it’s a family.

“I’m sad, but I’m happy for the younger guys, because that’s what they are going to get for the rest of their career.”

The whole feel-good vibe has been a stark contrast to Rodriguez’s first year at Michigan.

These are some of the things that have been different at Arizona: UA didn’t have a public, anguished coaching search; Rodriguez nailed his introductory press conference; he’s had the full support of the administration; he hasn’t been publicly bad-mouthed by former players; his good ol’ boy personality has played well to the masses; he inherited an experienced senior quarterback … and any grumbling has stayed behind the scenes.

The proof of the buying-in is in the win-loss record and an on-field effort that can’t be called disappointing. Much credit goes to the seniors.

“He asked a lot of us as a group,” Tutogi said.

“It’s been easy when you’ve got a group of guys like the ones you’ve got. We didn’t know what guys were going to think when Coach Rod came in because you have a lot of different opinions with a lot of different coaches. But it started with us.”

Arizona rotates captains on a weekly basis but on Wednesday named captains through the bowl game — Scott, Quinn, Biskin and junior linebacker Jake Fischer, a fourth-year player who is the leader of a defense that does not start a senior.

“A few of the guys have been not just good leaders but great leaders. I think that has really helped us in a year of transition,” Rodriguez said.

“We’ve been fortunate to make steps as a program while the seniors have been all in.”

* * *

Arizona’s 2012 senior class

*Note: WR Terrence Miller not listed because it is expected that he will get a medical hardship for this season, able to return as a fifth-year senior in 2013.

This is what awaits Arizona center Kyle Quinn on Saturday night. Photo by Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

Quarterback Matt Scott should be back from a concussion. Running back Ka’Deem Carey is making a run at the national rushing title. Austin Hill is considered one of the top 10 receivers in the nation.

That’s all nice.

But you can make the case that the most important player on the Arizona Wildcats offense in the next two games is senior center Kyle Quinn.

Certainly, no one will have more demanding assignments.

Quinn has to take on Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, a 6-foot-4, 320-pound slice of the Wasatch Mountains, on Saturday and then turn around and try to handle Arizona State’s Will Sutton six days later in Tucson.

Sutton is light, quick and incredibly productive for an interior lineman, with 10.5 sacks among his 17 tackles for loss, despite missing nearly two full games because of a knee injury.

But one game at a time. Saturday, it’s Lotulelei, potentially the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

“Everybody knows who he is, so it’s a great challenge for me and this offensive line,” Quinn said. “Everybody is excited. We’ve got to go out there and take it to him.”

All those big lanes on the inside zone runs that Carey saw last week en route to 366 rushing yards? Lotulelei could be parked right in the middle of those lanes, stopping all traffic.

Lotulelei has 33 tackles, including nine for loss and four sacks — as well as three forced fumbles. Numbers rarely tell the story for a defensive lineman, though. Guys like Lotulelei more commonly exist on ruthless SEC defenses.

Draft analyst Rob Rang further studied Lotulelei during last week’s game at Washington and wrote this as part of a larger column on CBSSports.com:

Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei didn’t have a big statistical night against the University of Washington but that’s largely because the Huskies double-teamed him most of the game. When he was assigned just one blocker, Lotulelei demonstrated the quick hands and feet that belie his 6-3, 320 pound frame.

Lotulelei, the reigning Morris Trophy winner, has been my top-rated prospect much of the year. I’ll be the first to admit that the defensive tackle hasn’t been as consistent as I would like but he clearly possesses some special attributes. As mentioned, he’s quick. He’s also quite strong, showing the heavy hands and upper body strength to rip violently free from blocks. He used his great strength to simply bull rush through Washington left guard Dexter Charles for a sack late in the third quarter with the Huskies nursing a 21-15 lead.

While his physical traits cannot be ignored, Lotulelei’s mental mistake midway through the fourth quarter led to the Huskies pulling away. The senior defensive tackle was caught offsides to extend a Washington drive — the second time Lotulelei was penalized for guessing the snap count rather than watching the ball.

Teams won’t forget Lotulelei’s lack of discipline but ultimately it will be his physical traits that will prove the more lasting impression. Lotulelei’s size, strength and athleticism make him scheme-versatile and quite likely a top five pick.

Lotulelei leads a Utah defense that is third in the conference and 18th nationally against the run, allowing 110.6 yards per game.

“We have not gotten a lot of push at the line of scrimmage this year, so I wouldn’t expect to do it against Star and their front,” said Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez. “They are bigger and stronger than our previous opponents. The key for us is to have great leverage.”

Quinn said he’s eager for the challenge. How he plays in the next two games and neutralizes (or not) the opposition’s best defender will have a huge impact on the offense’s effectiveness. What a way to wind down a career for the two-year starter.

“It’s a huge opportunity, not only for me but this entire group,” he said of facing Lotulelei.

“We’re competitors, and you want to compete against the best every week. He’s a great player. He’s going to go on to great things. …

“He doesn’t have many weaknesses. The only thing you’ve got to do is go out there and wear him down. Like Coach Rod says, it’s like taking on an elephant. And how do you eat an elephant. One bite at a time? So that’s what we got to do.”

Kyle Quinn is likely to play this week at UCLA after missing three full games. Photo by Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

Arizona Wildcats starting center Kyle Quinn, who has missed the past three-and-half games because of an ankle injury, has been upgraded to probable, according to the team’s injury report, issued Thursday afternoon.

Senior Addison Bachman has replaced Quinn in the lineup. With starting guard Trace Biskin having returned from injury last week, the rotation up front this week could feature eight players.

There are two Cats listed as questionable: Defensive lineman Kirifi Taula (shoulder) and a new name to the list — fullback/defensive end Taimi Tutogi (neck).

Tutogi isn’t racking up a lot of stats on either side of the ball, but his blocking is valuable on offense and he’s been able to help all season as a third-down pass rusher.

Two players are considered out: Dominique Austin (foot) and Terrence Miller (ankle). Austin said last week that Austin is out for the season; Miller has missed the past two games and four overall this season.