Less than a week into fall football camp it is hard to tell a lot about the team, but stories and themes are starting to emerge.

So far Nick Foles has been sharp and it is obvious that Matt Scott is attempting to redshirt this season, allowing him to battle for the starting job as a fifth year starter in 2012. Bryson Beirne has been getting the bulk of the snaps with the second team, while Scott, the back-up in 2010, works with the scout team.

Keola Antolin and Daniel Jenkins are holding down the top two spots at running back and the real competition seems to be for the third running back job. Sophomore Kylan Butler has the edge early in camp, but walk-on Terris Jones and true freshman Ka’Deem Carey are getting their opportunities.

Heading into fall camp we knew the Arizona receiving corps was deep, but this appears top be the deepest the unit has ever been. Juron Criner is back with the team after attending to some personal matters over the summer. He does not appear 100% in shape, but is still making plays. Once he improves his conditioning, watch out.

Newcomer Dan Buckner, the Texas transfer, appears as good as advertised, while Tyler Slavin has made play after play.

Terrence Miller has been a go-to guy during 2:00 drills and he gives the Cats yet another big target.

All eyes are on the offensive line and so far, so good. The starting five of Mickey Baucus, Fabbians Ebelle, Chris Putton, Trace Biskin and Kyle Quinn have been solid and early on have fended off challenges from second teamers.

The biggest news among the line is the addition of Jack Baucus, who moves from tight end to tackle.

Another position of interest has been the defensive ends who have to replace three players drafted by the NFL. So far Muhammed Usman and C.J. Parish have been very good and true freshmen Reggie Gilbert and Dame Ndiaye have shown that the future at the position seems very bright.

Junior college transfer David Lopez will start alongside Paul Vassallo and Derek Earls when the Cats go with their 4-3 base defense, but all indications are that the Wildcats will spend a lot of time in their nickel and dime packages.

So far the defensive backs have also played well. Shaq Richardson and Jonathan McKnight are in a real battle to start opposite of senior Trevin Wasde and Derrick Rainey is also showing well at corner.

There is less competition at safety where Rob Golden and Marquis Flowers have their jobs all but sewn up.

Alex Zendejas and Jaime Salazar are in a duel for the place kicking job. Many assumed that after last year’s disasterous finish that Zendejas would be out of a job, but he worked hard over the summer and the job probably won’t be decided early in camp.

So far the Wildcats have remained relatively injury free, which is especially good news after all of the injuries during spring ball. Two of those injured players, linebacker Jake Fischer and safety Adam Hall, appear to be ahead of schedule and may have a tough decision to make about whether to play this year or use a redshirt.

Nic Grigsby (Rick Faust/WildcatSportsReport.com)

Arizona has not finished the 2010 season but it is not too early to look ahead to 2011. A lot is still to be determined thanks to position battles, possible departures and recruiting, but we can get a basic idea of how things will look next season. In our second look we focus on the running backs.

OVERVIEW: The Wildcats struggled to run the ball at times this season, but did have some great flashes. Keola Antolin was a bright spot as he stayed relatively healthy and did some good things. Greg Nwoko also had some real good minutes, while Kylan Butler and Daniel Jenkins await their chance.

SAY GOODBYE TO: Nic Grigsby. Grigsby will be in all the Wildcat record books, but he’ll be largely forgotten. His final year has been forgettable, and barring a great bowl game, he’ll ride off in the sunset with a whimper, much like Clarence Farmer eight years before.

SAY HELLO TO: Jared Baker and Ka’Deem Carey. The Cats have verbal commitments from two talented running backs. Baker is from Los Angeles. Carey, from Canyon del Oro High School, is still taking visits.

GET TO KNOW: Jenkins. He showed some really good things in the preseason, but only had eight carries for 26 yards and did not get a carry after the second game.

QUESTIONS: Can Antolin become an every-down back? Will Nwoko be the bruising runner that can get a tough yard when the Cats need it? Will Carey stay committed?

Previously: First look: Quarterbacks

Nic Grigsby (Rick Faust/WildcatSportsReport.com)

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.

Although the Cats run the spread, they still put a huge emphasis on the running game. In fact the Cats were pretty close to a 50-50 split last season, running the ball over 47% of the time. With that, we take a look at the Wildcats’ running situation.

Depth Chart

Nic Grigsby

• Nic Grigsby 5-10, 190, SR (79-567 7.2 5 TD)
• Keola Antolin 5-8, 195, JR (114-637 5.6 5 TD)
• Greg Nwoko 6-2, 228, SO* (76-273 3.6 3 TD)
• Taimi Tutogi 6-1, 258, SO (11-50 4.5 1 TD)
• Daniel Jenkins 5-9, 187, FR*
• Kylan Butler 5-8, 180, FR*

Honest Evaluation:

If healthy, this should be a really good group, but you really can’t count on it. Grigsby is among the better runners in the Pac-10 if he can stay on the field. Stoops was noticeably agitated with Grigsby’s injuries in the spring and you have to wonder if the opportunity to steal carries from the senior are there. Antolin is a more than capable back and Nwoko had a few flashes, especially against Oregon State. Antolin, with his big play ability, will see plenty of time, especially if Grigsby is banged up again.

Tutogi had a great spring and could see his role increased. His ability to pass block, combined with an apparent ability to carry the ball as a tail back, could see him shoot up the depth chart. He will be used more as a H-Back/fullback, but he could see time as a lone setback.

Jenkins showed me some talent in the spring, but has a lot to prove.

Did You Know?:

• Grigsby, Antolin and Nwoko each led the Cats in rushing at least once last season.
• The Cats did not sign a running back in the 2010 class, but already have to verbally committed for the 2011 class.
• The top four rushers are back, but five and six are gone (Nick Booth and Delashaun Dean).

For a more detailed look at the Arizona running backs, go to WildcatSportsReport.com

The Arizona Wildcat football Spring Game was a showcase for big plays and not much else. The offense showed little of the playbook and, frankly, were not sharp.

The offense “won” the scrimmage on the final play. Matt Scott rolled out and heaved a desperation pass to the endzone. Walk-on Mike Descisciolo stepped in front of another receiver, grabbed the wobbly pass and strolled into the endzone.

Juron Criner (Brad Allis/WildcatSportsReport.com)

It was one of three offensive scores for the Wildcats.

Scott led the Wildcat offense on another scoring drive. It was a quick, two-play drive. First Scott lobbed a floater over the middle to Taimi Tutogi. The big back stretched out, made a great finger-tip grab and rumbled down to the eight yard line, before being wrestled down by two defensive backs. On the next play Scott lofted a fade pass to the corner of the endzone. Juron Criner got away with a little push-off and made the tough falling catch for the score.

The first offensive score actually came on a Bryson Beirne drive. Beirne used a few short passes to the running backs to drive them into the defense’s territory. An eight-yard completion to Dan Buckner followed by runs by Keola Antolin and Daniel Jenkins of nine and 12 yards respectively got the offense down to the 20. Disaster was avoided when a fumbled snap was recovered by Beirne and two plays later he threw a high ball inside the five. Criner out-leaped a defensive back, avoided contact and got into the endzone.

Beirne was solid, completing 8-12 for 89 yards and the score.

Criner caught four passes for 41 yards, including the two scores.

Scott was good, but did make one mistake. He led the Cats inside the defense’s territory and threw a pass into the endzone. The ball was deflected by one defensive back and Joe Perkins grabbed the loose ball. He raced out of the endzone and at the 14-yard line flipped the ball to Trevin Wade who raced the final 86 yards for the score.

Scott was mostly sharp. He was 16-21 for 238 yards, the two scores and the one pick.

The defense’s second score came on another long pick. This time it was Foles who threw a pass, which was grabbed by Mike Turner and taken 60 yards for the score.

Foles was off his game all day. He was “sacked” on the first two plays and never got into a good rhythm. He finished the day 7-14 for 74 yards and two picks.

The running game was solid. Antolin had 43 yards on 11 carries, while Tutogi gained 20 yards on five carries. Nic Grigsby had the longest run of the day, a 22-yard burst up the middle, but re-injured his hamstring, falling down on his own to end the run. He did not return.

Defensively linebackers Paul Vassallo and R.J. Young each had a team-high seven tackles, while Ricky Elmore had two of the team’s four sacks.

Check out a PHOTO GALLERY from the game. UPDATE: Mike Stoops’ postgame comments.