TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez declared his third round of spring practices with the Wildcats a success after the spring game on Saturday, even though he was unable -- or unwilling -- to provide much insight into how things stood among his major position competitions, most notably quarterback.

What most moved him was the how, not the who. The Wildcats are now doing things the way Rodriguez wants, whether that's how they practice or how they condition.

"Some of our staff watched film of the first practice of our first spring and the first practice of this spring, and just watching guys running to the ball, they said the difference was night and day," he said. "It's amazing the difference in just two springs, how much faster we are practicing."

The other good pieces of news is there were no major injuries. That can't be discounted -- just ask Oregon (WR Bralon Addison) and Utah (LB Jacoby Hale).

As for what fans and media want -- a depth chart and a clear pecking order at every position -- Rodriguez isn't a believer in that. He likes prolonging competitions, pretty much until the week before the season opener. He said as much about his quarterback competition among Jesse Scroggins, Anu Solomon, Connor Brewer and Jerrard Randall.

So where do things stand at other hotspots such as running back, nose guard, cornerback, offensive guard and linebacker?

Running back: In the race to replace Ka'Deem Carey, Jared Baker was out with an injury, the NCAA waylaid early-enrollee Jonathan Haden, and redshirt freshmen Pierre Cormier and Zach Green didn't distinguish themselves. Rodriguez did say that senior Terris Jones-Grigsby had a good spring and "will play." Incoming freshman Nick Wilson joins the fray in the fall, and it's almost certain at least one of the receivers -- such as Davonte' Neal -- will see time in the backfield. Said Rodriguez, "It's a whole slew of guys who will get sorted out in August."

Noseguard: Rodriguez said sophomore Dwight Melvin "had a pretty good spring." He said he also likes Luca Bruno and walk-on Parker Zellers. None of that undersized troika, however, tips the scales at more than 280 pounds. There's also Boise State transfer Jeff Worthy, Kirifi Taula and JC transfer Jerod Cody, though Rodriguez didn't mention them when asked about the position.

Cornerback: It appears Devin Holiday leads the battle to replace Shaquille Richardson opposite Jonathan McKnight. Rodriguez said he had "a pretty solid spring." But Rodriguez admitted depth at corner is an issue, and that wasn't helped by the abrupt, post-spring departure of sophomore backup Derek Babiash.

Offensive guard: Four starters are back on the offensive line, and the lone void at right guard is a battle between junior Lene Maiava and redshirt freshman Jacob Alsadek. Rodriguez called it "a coin flip."

Linebacker: Despite the loss of stalwarts Jake Fischer and Marquis Flowers, the Wildcats seem pretty happy with what they have back at linebacker, topped by sophomore Scooby Wright. There's redshirt freshmen DeAndrew Miller and Jake Matthews, sophomore Derrick Turituri, junior Keoni Bush-Loo and senior Hank Hobson. Moreover, the incoming recruiting class is strong at LB, with another youngster possible to follow in Wright's footsteps as a true freshman starter/contributor.