TUCSON, Ariz. -- A University of Arizona football player is facing drug charges after a traffic stop, authorities said.

Kirk Johnson, 19, a third-year student, was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under the influence of drugs, said Frank Valenzuela, a Department of Public Safety spokesman.

Johnson, a linebacker from Oakland, Calif., started one game for the Wildcats last season and is in the spring football mix to play substantially next fall. He isn't likely to start.

An Arizona state police officer stopped Johnson on suspicion of having a false license plate on Saturday, Valenzuela said.

"During the course of the stop, the officer saw some marijuana, and that's when he started to suspect he (Johnson) may have been impaired,'' Valenzuela said.

The officer arrested Johnson and took him to a highway patrol station in Casa Grande; Johnson was cooperative and submitted to a blood test and field sobriety tests, Valenzuela said.

He was later cited and released but the car was impounded, Valenzuela said.

Valenzuela said the paraphernalia charge resulted from rolling papers found in the car. He could not say how much marijuana was in the car but said it was a small amount.