Notes and takeaways from the Arizona Wildcats’ media availability after practice Saturday afternoon as the team continues to prepare for the Dec. 27 Foster Farms Bowl against Purdue:
* Where can quarterback Khalil Tate progress the most over the next few weeks and in the offseason? "It’s really just understanding the whys and wheres of our offense and understanding how people are playing us,” UA coach Rich Rodriguez said. He added that the staff will continue to add plays and expand Tate's repertoire heading into next year.
* Tate was a Heisman candidate for a few weeks. He won Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week four times in a row. Yet he didn't make first- or second-team all-Pac-12. "That’s a goal for him in the next year or two, to try to be the first-team quarterback in our league,” Rodriguez said. “I think he’ll work toward that."
* Redshirt junior Trevor Wood is playing both ways as of now - tight end and defensive end. He's running with the ones on defense at the moment as Justin Belknap works his way back from a knee injury. We’ll have more on Wood’s expanded role later today.
* Defensive tackle Dereck Boles had a high ankle sprain heading into the Arizona State game. He said he was "less than 50” percent healthy. He played anyway. We’ll have more on Boles later today as well.
* Rodriguez said freshman quarterbacks Donavan Tate and Rhett Rodriguez did not participate in Friday’s “Rookie Bowl I” but will in the next one, which could be Sunday. Rich Rodriguez said both are "in tune" with the offensive scheme because they've been on the travel squad all season.
* The seniors handled the coaching in the rookie scrimmage. Rodriguez got a kick out it. "They took a lot of ownership,” he said. “I questioned a lot of play calls. We had a couple delay-of-game penalties, which was really bad coaching."
* Rodriguez continues to believe Dec. 20 will be the signing day for Arizona and others. "We’re projecting most of our class to sign on the 20th," he said. And if someone doesn't? "He ain’t committed to us," Rodriguez said.
* Arizona has 11 official visitors this weekend, the majority prospects who already have committed. The UA won't have nearly as many as usual in January if most of the class is signed already, as Rodriguez projects.
* Junior cornerback Jace Whittaker made Pro Football Focus’ All-Pac-12 second team.
The 2017 PFF All-Pac 12 Second Team Defense pic.twitter.com/A3ODlTF9Pm
— PFF College Football (@PFF_College) December 9, 2017
* Guard Jacob Alsadek and safety Dane Cruikshank have been invited to the East-West Shrine Game. The all-star showcase for draft prospects takes place Jan. 20 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
* Arizona's biggest defensive issue, per Rodriguez: “We got pushed around a little bit at times up front. It’s not just the defensive line. We got displaced at times from our gaps. That’s the biggest thing – we’ve gotta get stronger and hold the point up more often."
* Not only is Matt Aragon getting reps at punter, he’s a legitimate contender to handle the job in the Foster Farms Bowl. Aragon is competing primarily with Jake Glatting. Punting was a major problem area for the Wildcats down the stretch.
* Rodriguez's old boss, Greg Byrne, is in town for tonight's basketball game against Alabama. "He’s probably wearing the wrong colors," Rodriguez said. "You can be seen with him, but not cajoling too much with the enemy, so to speak."
