The Arizona Wildcats are changing the way they run their football program. After experiencing a Mike Stoops era of letdowns, frustration and sideline tirades, new head coach Rich Rodriguez is making radical changes in the way things are done.
In addition to the drastic changes to the offensive and defensive schemes, Rodriguez is changing the practice schedule for the Wildcats next month.
The UA released their tentative practice schedule for August. The biggest difference from previous years: 6 p.m. start times before heading south to Fort Huachuca. They will then have practices at 8:30 a.m. and at six every other day.
There are both benefits and downsides to this change. It does allow the team to practice at the time they'll typically play their games on Saturdays, but the late start could interfere with Mother Nature. Monsoons typically role into Tucson in the late afternoons and early evenings, complete with lightning and strong winds. You can't exactly practice with lightning and strong winds in the area, so the coaching staff will have to take a wait-and-see approach just about every day.
If the weather cooperates, it could be a great benefit to the team to practice at the time they play. If it doesn't, well, the very last thing the player and staff want is to miss out on crucial time to get adjusted to the new schemes.
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