Here are the four biggest ways QB Khalil Tate has impacted the Arizona Wildcats

The Khalil Effect:

Surely, by now, you’ve heard about the Khalil Tate Effect – the myriad ways the Arizona Wildcats’ sensational sophomore quarterback has impacted his team and program.

Tate’s rapid rise into a budding star already has had a positive influence on recruiting, which the Star detailed earlier this month.

But what about the current squad? In what specific ways – besides the standings – has Tate’s stellar QB play changed things, on and off the field, for the Wildcats?

Heading into Saturday’s homecoming game against No. 15 Washington State, we take a closer look:

‘You have to stop him’

No UA running back had a 100-yard game until Tate became the starting quarterback. Nick Wilson rushed for 135 yards against UCLA, Zach Green 130 against Cal.

Was that simply a coincidence? A product of extenuating circumstances?

Green got a larger workload than usual against the Golden Bears because Wilson got hurt and J.J. Taylor got ejected. But Green’s comments after the game were revealing.

“I’m not sure if they had a spy on him or not,” Green said – “him” being Tate. “Every run was getting 3 to 5 yards. It was pretty wide open. If they want to spy him, we have a lot of other weapons in our offense.”

Green might not have been touched on his 25-yard touchdown run up the middle in overtime. Likewise Taylor on his 30-yard TD in the first quarter.

“It’s bound to happen, because you have to stop him,” Taylor said – “him” being Tate. “He’s a freak of nature. He makes plays happen, and he opens up things for everybody else.”

Relatively speaking, Cal held Tate in check. The Bears limited him to 14 rushing yards after halftime. They did the best job yet of positioning defenders to clog Tate’s running lanes.

Rod Smith, Arizona’s quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator, watched it all unfold from above in the coaches’ box. He could see, better than anyone, how Cal’s defense overplayed Tate.

“They had some alley defenders there that were bound and determined to not let Khalil get on the perimeter,” Smith said. “It’s also why they were weak some up the middle against a guy like Zach Green.

“He’s been a huge spark for us,” Smith continued – “he” being Tate. “He’s given us a lot of stuff. But when they start taking him away, our other guys will step up, and that’s what happened.”

One-on-one matchups

Those rushing touchdowns came on zone-read plays. Tate holds the ball in the tailback’s belly and reads the defense. Depending on the look he sees, Tate keeps the ball or hands it off.

But there’s a third option, and Tate has proved adept at it so far.

While his rushing yardage declined at Cal for the second straight game, Tate notched a career high in passing yards (166) and tied his personal best in passing touchdowns (two).

Opponents regularly are placing an extra defender near the line of scrimmage, giving Tate’s receivers one-on-one matchups. Shun Brown’s 56-yard touchdown pass from Tate in the third quarter against Cal was one such example.

“He does a really good job with his feet,” Washington State coach Mike Leach said. “And then as you’re preoccupied with that, if they get behind you, he can throw a floater to ’em and the guy’s wide open.

“He has been impressive. He kinda ambushed a couple people. Now folks know about him, and it’s still tough to stop him.”

Tate hasn’t thrown the ball that much, averaging about 14 attempts per game. That’s a quarter’s worth of work for Cougars quarterback Luke Falk.

But Tate has taken advantage of single coverage with (generally) sound reads and accurate passes. He has a completion percentage of 66.7 or greater in each of the past three games.

If defenses continue to crowd the box, Tate’s attempts likely will rise. “People are going to force us to throw,” UA coach Rich Rodriguez said.

Tate looks forward to the challenge.

“I’m a quarterback. Quarterbacks make throws,” he said. “I think I can pretty much make every throw on the field.”

Energy boost

The Tate effect also can be felt on the sidelines, on the practice field and in meeting rooms.

Of course, winning has a lot to do with the positive vibes floating around the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility these days. Tate’s success obviously has played a huge role in the team’s success. Beyond that, though, his leadership style seems to strike the right chord on a team featuring an eclectic mix of freshmen and veterans.

“He is exuding confidence that’s permeating our whole team right now,” Smith said. “It’s lifting everybody up. When he says something, ears (are) on him now.”

That’s partly a natural byproduct of being the starting quarterback. Vocal leadership is a requirement of the job.

But several of Tate’s teammates and coaches have praised the way he goes about it. Tate talks to defensive players and special-teamers, even during games. He pumped up the defense before the final play at Cal – a two-point conversion attempt that the Wildcats thwarted to seal the victory.

“That’s what you want. That’s a leader,” junior cornerback Jace Whittaker said. “If you don’t know what a leader is, you turn the game on and you watch 14. When he’s on the field, and when he’s off the field. Hopes are always up. He’s always keeping spirits high.”

Receiver Shawn Poindexter described Tate’s personality as playful but serious and said his play on the field invigorates all three units.

“The energy,” Poindexter said, “it’s just up another level.”

All publicity …

Tate’s breakout has brought notoriety – the good kind – to a program that fell off the national radar during 7-6 and 3-9 seasons.

Arizona’s players and coaches view Tate’s accolades – including three straight Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week awards – as team honors. He does too.

“I think it gives the team a lot of confidence,” Tate said, “just to show that we are a winning program.”

Tate has blown up on Twitter three weeks running. He has started to appear on Heisman Trophy watch lists. The media contingent for Tate’s post-practice interview Wednesday was double its usual size.

ESPN.com sent a reporter to Tucson to write a story that was published Friday morning. In it, Rodriguez discusses a meeting he had with Tate on the Monday before the Colorado game, which became Tate’s coming-out party.

Finally healthy, Tate wanted to play more. Rodriguez implored him to perform better in practice.

“It was hurting him because he thought he could help us win, which I can appreciate,” Rodriguez told ESPN.com. “That week after that he was possessed in practice. He was healthy. He was showing everything.”

Tate got his chance when starter Brandon Dawkins got hurt during the first series against the Buffaloes. Tate played too well to surrender the job. His practice habits have improved since.

The Khalil Tate Effect has touched everything and everyone … including Khalil Tate.