After missing the first two games of the season with an ankle sprain, running back Daniel Jenkins said he’s ready to return against Stanford on Saturday.

“I feel good, man,” Jenkins said on Tuesday. “I’m ready to go.”

Jenkins practiced on Monday for the first time in nearly a month after he injured his ankle in the Meet the Team Scrimmage on Aug. 20. Before the injury, Jenkins was poised for a big role in the Wildcats’ rushing attack.

He entered the season as the No. 2 back behind senior Keola Antolin and made a case for carries after an impressive spring and fall camp. But the injury kept Jenkins sidelined during a two-week period when the Wildcats were scrambling for an effective running game.

“It was heartbreaking, man. I obviously wanted to be out there,” Jenkins said. “I worked my behind off all fall camp. To go down in the last scrimmage with an injury is kind of discouraging, but you’ve just got to keep your head up and cheer on your teammates.”

While Jenkins said he’s ready to go and that his ankle is “coming along really well,” Littrell said the redshirt sophomore “isn’t quite 100 percent.” But if Jenkins is healthy enough as expected, he’ll add more depth and talent to a currently ineffective Arizona backfield.

“It will be good to have him back,” Littrell said. “I think he’s getting back into the swing of things.”

It remains to be seen if coaches will use Jenkins in his first game back from injury, but regardless of whether he plays, the 5-foot-9 back doesn’t see UA’s ground game staying stagnant as it’s been so far this season.

“We’re putting things together, man,” Jenkins said. “We have a young offensive line as everyone knows. They’re improving. The run game, we’ll pick it up. It’s struggled but it’s getting better and better as I’ve seen.”