Arizona Football: Youth movement should include quarterback Khalil Tate

The Arizona Football quarterback controversy between Brandon Dawkins vs Khalil Tate continues four weeks into the 2017 season.

The roars in the stands, the happy fans, the coaches cheering in the booth when a play goes well, that’s what would be fantastic at this time in the season. What could very well be a 4-0 season record, is a 2-2 record, and that hurts. It really hurts. It hurts because the predictions were that Arizona had a horrible football team, but we are seeing that the youth on this team is stepping up and showing the NCAA they have what it takes!

Let’s not stop the youth movement!

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Let’s also not fool ourselves. The younger players on the team who are racking up stats, Colin Schooler, Tony Fields II, Jace Whittaker, Scottie Young, and more, they want to win. Rich Rod said the team had a “Superbowl” mentality all week. The players want to show the Pac-12 they belong!

So how do you keep the defense’s momentum going and the youth still interested? You change the QB, you prepare and put in the QB they are relating to, something must change during this bye week!

I am sure you have heard that quarterback Khalil Tate is still hurt, that is not the case.

I am sure you have heard Tate hasn’t been given the playbook and only knows a few plays, nope! That was a year ago when he was 17 and the third youngest quarterback to ever start a game in the NCAA (USC game).

I am sure you have heard that Tate isn’t a textbook quarterback, he improvises and gives up on the play called. Well, there is some truth to that, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t committed to the play called, he sees that the play is busted, or that he needs to adjust.

THIS IS WHAT WAS MISSING AGAINST UTAH!

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As a former elite basketball point guard, he can see downfield, and everything going on around him to see that the play is blown, or he needs to adjust. He is ambidextrous so he can hold onto the ball with either hand.

You need to have that. You need to be able to have a quarterback who can pass a bomb with precision, can throw on the run with precision, can evade a sack like almost no other quarterback I have seen in the Pac-12 in recent years. How does he do it? I’ll never know, but when he is red hot, it’s like he has slippery stuff all over him and no one can pin him down. Just like he did against Houston’s star DE (Ed Oliver) a few weeks ago, and UCLA’s starting DE last season.

Rich Rodriguez recruited Tate when he was just 15 playing for Serra High School. Tate committed early to Arizona although he had offers from UCLA, USC, FSU, Texas A & M, Utah and more would not have offered Tate if they didn’t think he would not be successful playing in Div I NCAA Football.

I have talked to both UCLA and USC head coaches who cannot gush enough about Tate and his upside. They are almost scared to play against him, because of the fact that sometimes you won’t be able to prepare for what Tate has in store for your team.

USC’s Deontay Burnett was Khalil’s main go-to WR, and UCLA’s TE Caleb Wilson was Khalil’s TE at Serra HS, and both are playing well in the PAC12.

A number of the media, I won’t call them out by name, also feel Tate should play. Jason Scheer and others publically stated their opinion.

A few Arizona Alumni I have spoken to agree it is time for Tate. Let him grow this season with the rest of the team.

Fans overwhelmingly are looking for Tate to develop and take over at the helm. After 109 votes, 83% of fans selected Khalil Tate in the poll below as of Sept 23, 2017.

But what is holding the coaching staff back from making the move? Well, it could be that they have put so much time and energy into developing Brandon Dawkins, that it would feel like a failure to give up on him. So don’t give up on him, he is a huge part of the team! He can help the team from the sidelines, and Tate grow, maybe play the two together in a few plays and really confuse the defense?

Another reason may be that the elder players are connected with Dawkins and feel safer with a textbook quarterback (not to say that Brandon doesn’t run like a beast and do a darn good job at that when he needs to).

After all, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham made the hard decision before the season. After making evaluations, Utah started their younger, less-experienced QB for the season and Utah is undefeated.

UCLA’s coach Jim Mora is sticking with Josh Rosen, but Rosen and the Bruins lost to Stanford 58-24 (Rosen threw for 480 yards, three TD’s and two interceptions), and UCLA also lost to Memphis (threw for 463 yards, four TD’s and two interceptions) the week before. Mora also has seven quarterbacks on his roster, but Rosen throws for over 400 yards a game and is considered a potentially high draft pick, so I am betting he won’t change QBs.

I am all for giving people chances, but in this case, Rodriguez has to be furious that his quarterback made so many mistakes in two winnable games. Also, Dawkins is not throwing for over 400 yards a game.

To keep the young defense from losing their mojo, and the offense to having hope to get yards on their stats, especially for wide-receivers to gain game-time experience, it’s time to let the youth take over. At least to develop Tate for next season. Or mix the two up, play them both.

I have a huge heart, as I am told, it is really hard for me to write this post because, like most media, I care about Brandon and think he is such a great guy. As a team player though, I think maybe we put ego aside and let the youth take over, see what is possible. After the team responded on the sidelines to Tate’s minor appearance in the Houston game, and their response to him during games on the sidelines, even with the defense, at least the team will not lose hope.

I want to see a happy Rich Rod and happy players in the press conferences, wouldn’t that be great? This is painful.

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Now that Rodriguez has players who are showing with little NCAA experience they can make huge plays, he can really get major points with everyone including fans if he starts Tate against Colorado. I love my Cats, all of them…but I see a future with Tate, I have witnessed his ice-cold, never waver, never give up, elude ten tackles on one play and send a bomb into the end zone with precision techniques, and I for one am ready to see it in Tucson! Bear Down!