Arizona Football: Khalil Tate credits teammates after breaking Arizona and NCAA records

Khalil Tate wowed the nation with his performance against the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday night, and he attributed his success to his teammates like a true leader.

It takes a team effort to beat an opponent, and that was not lost on the Arizona Football hero for the night, quarterback Khalil Tate. Tate is turning 19 this month, so he is still just 18, an 18-year-old sophomore.

Tate was just named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the week in addition to the Rose Bowl Pac-12 Player of the Week, the Walter Camp National player of the week (offense), the Offensive National Player of the Week from CBS Sports, National Offensive Player of the Week from Athlon Sports and National Performer of the Week from the College Football Performance Awards. In addition, he got props from LeBron James and attention from Steph Curry.

Arizona Wildcats Football

When Khalil puts his mind to doing something, there isn’t much that can stop him. He is laser focused. Tate decided early on to commit to Arizona and did it quietly. In the Spring of his junior year in high school, he walked into his living room one night and declared to his parents that he wanted to be a Wildcat. He then proceeded to ask his dad to call QB coach Rod Smith. No fanfare, but a huge step for him and his future college program.

Khalil fell in love with the University of Arizona during his first visit to Tucson when he was 15 years old. He had travelled there with his mentor Keyshawn Johnson and his Team 19 7-on-7 football team to visit the college.

Next Tate wanted to get a jump on his college career, so he graduated early from high school and landed in Tucson for Spring semester. That’s when he started working on learning what he could from Anu Solomon, studying the playbook, and getting used to being in college.

His first official college start came against USC last season due to two injured quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart. The odds were against the third youngest quarterback to ever start in a NCAA football game, as the Wildcats were playing with a freshman center and had incurred a rash of injuries by that time. Coach Rod did not want to burn Tate’s redshirt but was forced to against UCLA.

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 10/9/2017.

Even though the Cats lost, Tate performed well against the Bruins taking over from Dawkins after he got hurt. Note that on a few of the series, Tate took over deep in Bruins territory. Jim Mora had this to say when I asked:

"I think that he really did a nice job.And, you know what’s amazing? I believe this to be true, and I can’t tell you for sure, but I think he’s only 17 years old. Well, that’s unbelievable. I mean, obviously, I have a 17-year-old and I wouldn’t have wanted him on that field I will tell you that! I was really impressed with Khalil, and he’s 17 it even makes it more impressive."

Needless to say, despite scoring one rushing touch down, Tate and the Cats lost the game, and that gave him the motivation to practice harder and learn more of the playbook. That performance was not what he knew he was capable of, but he did not have this season’s offensive line. Tate has been yearning to take the field again this season after all of his hard work to show the world, and Wildcats fans in particular, that he is the real deal.

But one of the most important things we learned from Tate last weekend was that he gives his teammates credit for whatever performance is attributed to him. And although he has wanted this opportunity all season long, it was endearing to hear him in the post-game presser be humble and share the spotlight.

Can Khalil Tate run? Yes! He rushed for 326 yards breaking an Arizona QB and NCAA FBS QB rushing record against the Buffs. At Serra High School in 2015, Tate rushed for 356 yards on 28 carries averaging 12.7 yards per carry) against DeVaughn Coopers Narbonne team. Narbonne won the CIF Championship that season, so those 356 yards came against a strong defense.

Can Khalil Tate dodge tackles? Yes!

Can Khalil Tate pass with accuracy? Yes, he made 12 out of 13 passes in his last game, one for a touchdown.

Can Khalil Tate pause and change directions with several defensive players running on his tail and next to him making them miss? YES!

The former AAU ambidextrous point guard showed that even when he’s running with a football, he can break ankles. Breaking Ankles is a saying used in basketball when a player dribbles the ball so well he gets his opponent to fall over trying to defend him.

Tate played AAU ball with CIF Champioon Ethan Thompson who recently graduated from Bishop Montgomery in 2017.  The Oregon State and Cal Hi Sports National Player of the year point guard, Thompson, not only played with Tate, he also played with Arizona’s Ira Lee in the Drew League this summer. Tate also played with David Singleton (Bishop Montgomery 2018) HS Star who committed to UCLA Basketball. Being a point guard, he was known for getting his team involved in each play, and attributes his field vision to his time playing basketball. Here is a picture of Tate and his 10U team playing at the AAU Nationals In Kentucky:

Back to football…

Can Khalil Tate do this alone? No, and he will be the first person to tell you that.

Football is a team sport. The Wildcats offensive line along with running backs, tight ends and wide receivers all contributed to Tate’s stats for the evening.

O-Line leader Jacob Alsadek explained to media after the Utah game that when Khalil plays, sometimes the O-Line doesn’t know what he is going to do and it makes it hard to help him (I’m paraphrasing here). But against Colorado, the offense looked like a well-oiled machine and Alsadek, Layth Friekh, Nathen Eldridge and his teammates made holes for Tate to run through or a path on the outside to run around.

Tate attributed his successful performance to his team helping him with key blocks. Without JJ Taylor and Shun Brown and more making key blocks, the 38-yard touchdown doesn’t necessarily happen.

As far as Tate going 12 for 13 and 154 yards with one touchdown in the passing game, that doesn’t happen without his accuracy, his arm, and the receiver or tight end on the other end. Tony Ellison caught a sweet 60-yard pass to put the Cats in scoring position. Note, there was an omission in the final stats, one completed pass. The 12th completed pass created even another record which Tate with the help from his teammates made against the Buffs.

Granted 13 passes is not a lot for a quarterback, but the Colorado defense knew that if Tate passed there was a great chance the pass would be caught.

Unless he is on the football field, you usually get the same cool, calm and confident Tate in an interview. That same Tate who the Tucson media got a taste of this weekend.

Highlights of Tate and his teammates:

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According to Zack Rosenblatt (Arizona Daily Star), Arizona is now favored by 2.5 points against UCLA. It is also Parent Weekend, the Cats have a winning record at 3-2, and the game is at night. Let’s get butts in the seats and beat the Bruins! YOUR TEAM NEEDS YOU WILDCATS FANS! You know that’s Khalil Tate’s mission. He does not believe, nor do we, that his performance against the Buffs was a fluke. Tate will be out to prove it, and won’t ever give up. That’s just his nature. Bear Down and finally beat the Bruins!