Ankle injury has limited Arizona QB Khalil Tate, but he continues to make strides

Will we see the full Khalil Tate experience anytime soon?

Arizona coach Kevin Sumlin said Monday that his quarterback “wasn’t 100 percent” healthy going into the Southern Utah game, a result of the left ankle Tate sprained against Houston the previous Saturday.

Tate showed his trademark acceleration on a second-quarter dash through the defense, but the run ended ignominiously: Tate fumbled, and the Thunderbirds twisted his ankle again. He came up hobbling but remained in the game.

Tate’s four rushing attempts vs. Southern Utah were the fewest in a game in which he has played three-plus quarters.

Tate moved well outside the pocket and threw the ball accurately while on the run. He seemed less comfortable in situations where he had to push off and make a sharp cut. Tate appeared to have an opening on a second-and-goal play in the third quarter but ended up skipping out of bounds for a 4-yard loss.

“But he was still effective the way he ran the offense,” Sumlin said, and that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Tate played by far his most efficient game under the new coaching staff, completing 13 of 20 passes for 349 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions.

Sumlin kept Tate in the game into the fourth quarter each of the past two weeks, even though both basically were decided. Sumlin said he wanted Tate to get as many snaps as possible to develop “more rhythm and consistency,” not just in terms of passing but with “the little things that you take for granted – his cadence, his voice inflection, the communication of changing plays, protections with a new offensive line.”

Sumlin was pleased with the way Tate managed the game. He’ll need to be similarly on point when Arizona opens Pac-12 play Saturday at Oregon State.

Tilford’s roadblock

Five running backs got touches against Southern Utah. None of them was sophomore Nathan Tilford, a four-star recruit in the class of 2017.

Despite his impressive physique (6-2, 202) and physical running style, Tilford has yet to see the field this season. Sumlin said Tilford simply hasn’t performed well enough in practice to merit playing time.

“He’s just not where those guys are right now,” Sumlin said. “We play guys based on performance in practice and consistency. “You’re going to make mistakes. If that happens, let’s make sure we’re going where we need to go and we can put you on the field.

“This is a performance-based business and operation. That’s not to say Nate is doing anything wrong or anything like that. We play the guys who perform in practice the best. That’s how you earn playing time. That’s the only way I know how to do it.”

Arizona had three consensus four-star recruits in 2016 and ’17: Tate, Tilford and offensive lineman Michael Eletise. Like Tilford, Eletise has yet to lock down a regular role. Despite several job openings on the line, Eletise has served as a backup the first three games.

Asked if Eletise’s situation is similar to Tilford’s, Sumlin said the following:

“My job is to get the best players on the field to give us the best chance to win. That’s earned, not given. There’s no conspiracy theory. It’s just hey, look, here’s the guys who are doing the best in practice, the guys who earned right to start (or) play.

“Believe me, we want to play as many people as we can, because that makes us a better team. There’s nothing more to it than that.”

Why five?

Despite depth issues and limitations on how many players can travel, Sumlin elected to dress all five of his scholarship quarterbacks for the Houston game. He has reasons for bringing extra QBs on the road.

The biggest one is that it’s an invaluable experience. Said Sumlin:

“For young guys, particularly at that position, to travel, to understand what’s going on and the communication on the sideline during games … If you watch closely, those guys are right around Noel (Mazzone, the offensive coordinator), they’re right around me, they’re right around everybody. Understanding what that communication piece looks like.”

Sumlin also likes to have multiple arms available for warmups, especially in sultry conditions like Arizona faced at Houston.

“When it’s 100 degrees on the field, we don’t need Khalil to throw 75 balls before the game,” Sumlin said. “We’ve got a lot of guys out there throwing footballs. That only helps.”

Extra points

Third-down defense remains a huge point of emphasis after the Wildcats again struggled in that area. Opponents have converted 44.2 percent of their third downs. Sumlin would like that rate to be 35 percent or lower.
Sumlin said the message doesn’t change just because Arizona is starting league play this week. “We are working on us, trying to develop depth, develop continuity, regardless of the opponent,” Sumlin said.
Arizona will prepare for two OSU quarterbacks – both Conor Blount and Jake Luton played last week at Nevada – but the bigger concern is the Beavers’ running game. Freshman Jermar Jefferson leads the Pac-12 in rushing, averaging 130.3 yards per game.
Most of Arizona’s injuries are on defense, leaving Sumlin and his staff with a fuzzy outlook as preparations begin for the Beavers. “We have a guess” as to who will be available, Sumlin said. “We’ll get on the field today. As the week progresses, we’ll have a better feel for that.” Players who didn’t play, got hurt or didn’t finish the Southern Utah game included defensive tackle PJ Johnson and defensive backs Jace Whittaker, Scottie Young Jr., Isaiah Hayes and Dayven Coleman.
Sumlin spoke glowingly of senior receiver Tony Ellison, who had a career-high 111 yards vs. the Thunderbirds: “All he does is get open all the time. You look at him in practice and you’re like, ‘Eh, he’s all right.’ And every Saturday he makes plays. There’s guys like that.”