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Friday, December 13, 2002
John Mackovic completes his first spring at Arizona
Associated Press
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Jason Johnson emerged from spring practice
as the apparent successor to Arizona quarterbacks Keith Smith and
Ortege Jenkins, who had the starting job locked up for five years.
How long Johnson remains on top remains anyone's guess.
"They were about average, no better than that as a total
group," coach John Mackovic said Monday about his half-dozen
quarterback candidates. "Jason Johnson was clearly ahead of the
others. He shows the fact he has been in college football and has
done things, and that people did coach him."
Johnson, a junior, backed up Jenkins in 2000, throwing only six
times and completing three for 23 yards. No one else had any game
experience. Johnson began spring practice rated ahead of the others
and stayed there with accurate passing and a grasp of the new
multiple-pro offense.
After him, the depth chart appears to start with sophomore Cliff
Watkins and redshirt John Rattay, a transfer from Tennessee who led
Phoenix Desert Vista to a state Class 5A championship in 1998.
The other candidates are junior Erik Garcia, sophomore Kyle
Slager and freshman Steve Fleming.
Whoever has the job this fall may get roughed up unless the
offensive line improves.
Starting tackles Darren Safranek and Makoa Freitas were injured
and got no work during spring practice, and the team's young
linemen were slowed by unfamiliarity with the new offensive sets
installed by Mackovic, who was hired when Dick Tomey resigned after
a 5-6 campaign.
The growing pains showed up in 18 sacks during the final spring
scrimmage.
"Where we are in our pass blocking is not good enough to win,"
Mackovic said. "The emphasis throughout the spring was to insert
the passing scheme."
The running game was slowed when Clarence Farmer broke his left
wrist and Leo Mills was suspended. They were the top returning
ground gainers.
Mackovic expects the tight ends to be more involved than last
year, when they caught 13 passes as a group.
He felt the defense looked good -- expectable with seven starters
returning.
"Our defense has shown it can be active and that it gets to the
football," Mackovic said. "We tried challenging it as much as we
could with our passing attack, (but) the offense didn't know where
they were all the time."
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