Last year the running game was really good for the Wildcats, but they battled the injury bug. Four different players led the team in rushing and the top four backs all missed time with injury. Nic Grigsby will get the opportunity to get the most touches, but you can bet Keola Antolin and Greg Nwoko will also get their chances. All three are different enough that there are a variety of things the staff can do with them.

Grigsby is more of a speed runner, who can get to the outside. He is not afraid to run up the gut, but he’s at his best with some daylight. The best news is that Grigsby remained mostly healthy in camp. The shoulder and groin that plagued him last season and in the spring look healed and other than a stepped on toe that cost him a handful of plays, Grigsby was the model of perfect health in fall camp.

“He wants to win,” said Offensive Co-Coordinator Seth Littrell. “He wants to lead this team to a Pac-10 championship.”

Antolin may lack height, but he gives the Cats a power runner who can still breakaway for a big gain. The junior did miss some time in fall camp, but should be at full strength for the season opener. The only question is can he remain healthy during the season?

With Antolin ailing, it was Nwoko who benefited. One fumble aside, Nwoko looked very strong in the final fall scrimmage and Wildcat coaches have been raving about the big, bruising runner behind the scenes. Expect Nwoko to challenge for carries and could be a serious option in short yardage situation.

Redshirt freshman Daniel Jenkins has looked good in his opportunities, but is behind the other players at this time.

One of the stars of spring ball was fullback Taimi Tutogi. The physical sophomore not only showed that he could play fullback and H-Back, but could play some halfback as well. Unfortunately, Tutogi did not get a chance to showcase his skills in the fall. He suffered a bad ankle sprain early in camp and has been limited throughout. Without Tutogi, tight end A.J. Simmons has had to play some fullback and the Cats will also experiment linebacker C.J. Parish at the spot.

Week One Depth Chart:

• Running Back
• Nic Grigsby 5-10, 190, SR
• Keola Antolin 5-8, 186, JR
• Greg Nwoko 6-2, 220, SO*
• Daniel Jenkins 5-9, 187, FR*
• Kylan Butler 5-8, 180, FR*
• H-Back
• Taimi Tutogi 6-2, 258, SO (likely out for Toledo)
• A.J. Simmons 6-3, 255, SR*

This story was adapted from the Wildcat Sports Report 2010 Football Preview e-zine. Learn how to get your FREE COPY.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 3rd, 2010 at 9:49 am and is filed under Arizona Wildcats Football, Sports. Tags for this post: Arizona football, Arizona Wildcats, Daniel Jenkins, Greg Nwoko, Keola Antolin, Nic Grigsby, Seth Littrell, Taimi Tutogi. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.