Former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Anu Solomon’s football career appears to be over.
Solomon, who transferred to Baylor in the offseason, has taken a medical withdrawal from school, according to multiple reports.
Solomon had been in the concussion protocol since mid-September. Baylor coach Matt Rhule told reporters that Solomon had been having difficulty in class because of concussion-related symptoms. Solomon missed time at Arizona because of concussions.
Solomon completed 24 of 55 passes for 399 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions in two games for the Bears.
Here are today’s notes and takeaways from Arizona’s post-practice media availability as USC week continues:
* Managing emotions will be key for Arizona this week. First place is at stake in Saturday’s game at USC, and many Wildcats are from Southern California. They need to channel those emotions in a positive way during the week, UA coach Rich Rodriguez said.
* Receiver Tony Ellison on facing USC: "We can pretend like we treat every game the same. But this is a really big game. We know what’s at stake."
* USC coach Clay Helton, speaking on the Pac-12 coaches conference call, on facing Arizona State and Arizona in consecutive weeks with the South Division lead on the line: "It feels like the playoffs."
* Rodriguez said the coaches talked to quarterback Khalil Tate about not trying to do too much when he first start playing this season. As an L.A. kid with multiple ex-teammates playing for the Trojans, Tate needs to keep that in mind Saturday night.
* Rodriguez said Tate’s gait between plays is a cross between Jim Brown and Fred Sanford. You had to be there. It makes a little more sense when you watch the video.
* Helton said he knew Tate would be a great player coming out of high school no matter what position he played, similar to other former Gardena Serra products Marqise Lee and Adoree' Jackson. USC recruited Tate hard, at first as an athlete, only late as a quarterback. Helton figured Tate would be "a pain in the butt" at some point. That time has arrived.
* Arizona is looking into getting a fifth year for senior left tackle Layth Friekh, who played in one game as a freshman. It sounds like that will be a long shot unless the NCAA fast-tracks a proposal to change the redshirt rules.
* Friekh on the Wildcats being picked to finish last in Pac-12 South: "It’s a slap in the face to anybody that’s a competitor."
* Guard Michael Eletise on the same subject: “We feel a little disrespected. We may get talked about like this now, but you still picked us last at the beginning of the year."
* Arizona hasn't surrendered a sack in four straight games. I'll have more on the reasons behind that later today.
* What’s the difference between the USC defense and others? "Some people get small, athletic guys,” Rodriguez said. “They get big, athletic guys."
* Rodriguez said Arizona’s tackling "was not good" against Washington State and needs to be a lot better vs. USC. The Wildcats worked on it for about 10-15 minutes today, but it’s hard to go "live" in-season because it increases the risk of players getting hurt.
* I asked Rodriguez about quarterbacks Donavan Tate and Rhett Rodriguez. RichRod said it's hard to judge their progress because they get so few reps. But both are smart players. He likes the overall QB situation now and moving forward.
