PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Khalil Tate was able to get some of his mojo back Saturday against Southern Utah despite still being somewhat hampered by an ankle injury he suffered against Houston. He finished Arizona’s first win of the season with five touchdown passes on just 20 attempts, completing 13 for a career-high 349 yards. Expect Tate to continue racking up pass attempts as the Wildcats coaches continue to transform his game from being mainly a running threat to a more complete quarterback.
–WR Tony Ellison has been one of Arizona’s most consistent players throughout the three games this season. The redshirt senior is second on the team with 241 receiving yards on 12 catches to go with two touchdowns. Ellison has become a safety net of sorts for Tate, and he is someone who should continue to produce from his slot receiver position.
–LB Colin Schooler remains Arizona’s most steady defensive player heading into conference play. The sophomore middle linebacker once again led the team with nine tackles against Southern Utah with two of those tackles going for a loss. Schooler currently leads the team with 34 tackles and six tackles for loss.
–S Jarrius Wallace turned in one of his best performances at Arizona on Saturday night with his biggest play coming on an interception in the fourth quarter. It marked the Wildcats’ first takeaway of the season and it capped a big night for the redshirt sophomore from Louisiana who made the start at bandit safety. He also had eight tackles and a pass breakup in the game which should get him on the field even more as conference play begins.
SERIES HISTORY: Arizona leads the all-time series with Oregon State 23-15-1 with the Wildcats winning two of the last three games between the schools. Last year’s game ended with a 49-28 victory for the Wildcats at Arizona Stadium in November.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “The message has been the same as when we started and that is we gotta get better every week. For us, our approach has been we are working on us trying to develop depth and trying to develop continuity regardless of the opponent.” — Coach Kevin Sumlin on how his team will approach conference play.
