Mr. October aka Khalil Tate
Tucson, Arizona
A sub-par Arizona team went into September at 2-2, without very much to look forward to. With a difficult schedule approaching and narrow losses to Houston and Utah, Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez’s seat became increasingly hot. That was, until starter Brandon Dawkins was shaken up on a play against Colorado and now possible Heisman candidate Khalil Tate came in to save the day and the season.
Tate, a sophomore out of Gardena, California, made his first appearance in 2016 as a true freshman, while an injury-riddled Arizona team limped through the season. Tate, throughout his playing time during that 2016 season as a true freshman, only passed for 243 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Who would’ve expected this guy to be Rodriguez’s saving grace?
Flash forward to just under a year later, the sophomore is showing why he should have been a higher recruit. A player that earlier in the season was struggling to even throw the ball due to a shoulder injury and lost the starting job in August, is now breaking FBS single-game rushing records for a quarterback.
A few weeks ago, playing against his hometown team at UCLA, Tate made the Bruins pay for when head coach Jim Mora felt that the system they were running didn’t fit Tate’s style and athletic skill set. Tate felt he wasn’t recruited hard enough, but it seems as if Arizona may have found their Tom Brady…a diamond in the rough.
In the month of October alone, Tate passed for 743 yards and six touchdowns with just two interceptions. On the ground, Tate rushed for 840 yards and eight touchdowns, as well as posting a 4-0 record in the month. Arizona now is 6-2 on the year and 4-1 in the conference, which is an immediate improvement from their 2016 campaign when they were 3-9 and finished 6th in the PAC-12 South, and even a marked improvement from the beginning of this year.
Can Arizona’s young signal caller continue his dominance through the month of November and be the first PAC-12 Heisman winning quarterback since Matt Leinart did it in 2004? The Wildcats must first put their four-game winning streak on the line at 7-2 USC on Saturday night. That game will be aired on ESPN.
USC will look to contain Tate with defensive lineman Rasheem Green and Christian Rector, who combined have 13.5 sacks on the year, both ranking in the top five in the PAC-12. Arizona vs USC will be the battle for the top spot in the PAC-12 South, as well as a statement game for the young sophomore. Is the kid for real, or was it just an October miracle to save his coach’s job?
Nathan Peterson
@NPetey10