The Wildcats’ offense may take a hit with two key injuries. Taimi Tutogi is out for the Cal game and Juron Criner is day-to-day and may not play against the Bears. So where does that put the Arizona offense?

While Criner has the bigger role in the offense, Tutogi is the harder player to replace. There are a number of able bodies at the outside receiver spot and some young players who have ability.  The same is not true at Tutogi’s spot. The Cats do not have another scholarship H-Back and have to use tight end A.J. Simmons more in the backfield than they would have liked. Simmons had to play H-Back almost exclusively against Toledo and that was one of the factors Mike Stoops believed hindered the running game. Stoops has said that he feels the running game works best with Simmons on the line and Tutogi in the backfield, either at fullback or as a tight end off the line and in motion.

When Tutogi got hurt in the preseason the Wildcats began working with linebacker/defensive end C.J. Parish as a fullback. The senior had no experience with the position, but got a crash course in the position in fall camp when Tutogi first went down with a high ankle sprain.

Now Parish sits atop the depth chart. He will see time in the Cal game, but it will be interesting to see how much they allow him to do. Parish admitted to the media that he has had a few too many drops in practice.

Don’t expect Parish to get carries, or factor into the passing game, but he’ll certainly be used as a blocker.

It is yet another move for Parish who has had a crazy college career. Parish was a standout at Blinn College and came to Arizona with a lot of promise. He looked very good at the start of fall camp with his size and physicality, but it soon became apparent that he did not have a great grasp of the defense and was behind the three seniors.

Paris played sparingly his junior year and in the spring the Wildcat coaches experimented with using him at defensive end and the experiment continued in the fall before they started also trying him at fullback.

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.

Taimi Tutogi before the ankle sprain.

Arizona Wildcat football practice is in full swing and with the first day of contact, came some injuries.

The biggest news coming out of Day 5 of Arizona Wildcat football fall camp was an injury to Taimi Tutogi. The sophomore fullback injured his ankle let in the 11-on-11 team session. According to Head Coach Mike Stoops it is an ankle sprain, and how long he is out will depend on whether it is a low or high sprain. One source close to the team said the full extent of the injury would not be know for 4-5 days, probably the length of time it needs for the swelling to go down.

High sprains generally take a lot longer to heal than the lower variety and can linger for much of a season.

Several other players were held out of practice on Monday, most notably wide receiver Juron Criner. Criner was hit in the mouth over the weekend cutting his lip badly. He will not be out long, but the coaches wanted him to sit out in an effort to let his mouth heal.

Guard Vaughn Dotsy continues to be limited with his back injury. He can participate in non-contact drills but must sit out when the team begins to hit. Dotsy missed spring drills and part of summer conditioning with the injured back.

DB Trevor Foster was limited. He was able to participate in some conditioning, but that was it. Walk-on fullback David Hill was held out and freshman defensive lineman Kirifi LEauta-Taula remains sidelined with a foot injury. The big defensive tackle was on crutches with a boot. He worked part of practice with the strength coaches and then joined his fellow defensive linemen to observe position specific drills.

Get more fall camp news, including video interviews at WildcatSportsReport.com

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.