Arizona Wildcats quarterback Khalil Tate (14) fends off Washington State Cougars safety Jalen Thompson (34) on a long run up the sideline during the second quarter of the University of Arizona Wildcats vs. No. 15 Washington State Cougars college football game at Arizona Stadium on Oct. 28, 2017, in Tucson, Ariz.

Khalil Tate is one of 18 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, which is given to college footballโ€™s top player. Tate has led Arizona to 15 touchdown drives that took up less than two minutes over the past four weeks.

The Astros and Dodgers arenโ€™t the only ones whoโ€™ve been hitting home runs in bunches in October.

The Arizona Wildcats have made a boatload of big plays during their four-game winning streak. Quarterback Khalil Tate alone had four rushes of 70 or more yards. Tailback J.J. Taylor had a career-long 79-yard touchdown vs. Washington State last week.

Through eight games, No. 23 Arizona has more than twice as many touchdowns of 50-plus yards (11) than it had all of last season (five). That total includes Tateโ€™s 56-yard touchdown pass to Shun Brown against Cal.

But wait, thereโ€™s more.

Arizona leads all FBS teams with 36 offensive plays of 30-plus yards. Bill Connelly of SB Nationโ€™s โ€œFootball Study Hallโ€ measures explosiveness through a points-per-play metric. The Wildcats rank first in that category too.

So whatโ€™s behind this explosion of explosive plays, behind the emergence of Tate? Well, his presence is the biggest factor. His running ability has changed the way defenses play Arizona. Theyโ€™re so intent on crashing into the backfield that itโ€™s leaving little protection on the back end.

โ€œWhen you do put the safeties down and play cover zero (no deep safeties), if you can burst through the first or second level it bodes well for big plays,โ€ UA coach Rich Rodriguez said Monday. โ€œYouโ€™re taking a risk not just in the pass game, but in the run game.

โ€œIf a guy doesnโ€™t fit right and youโ€™re bringing all 11 in the box, it tends to lead to big runs. Thatโ€™s what has happened in some of these last few games.โ€

Since Tate rushed for 327 yards at Colorado, breaking the FBS record for quarterbacks, opponents have been determined to take that away from him. Cal and Washington State did better than Colorado and UCLA did. But neither could stop Tate from going long.

Tate had 137 rushing yards against the Golden Bears, including a 76-yard touchdown. He had 146 yards against the Cougars, including an 82-yard run and a 49-yard score.

Arizona totaled 310 rushing yards against Washington State. Tateโ€™s two long runs โ€” plus Taylorโ€™s 79- and 62-yarders โ€” accounted for 272 of them. The Wildcatsโ€™ 30 other rushes netted just 38 yards.

To extend the baseball analogy, you can limit Arizona to singles, or even strikeouts, for a while. But eventually, the Tate-led Wildcats are going to take you deep.

โ€œWeโ€™ve had more explosive plays in this four-game stretch than I can remember,โ€ Rodriguez said. โ€œOn the other side of the ball, we need to get more three-and-outs. Weโ€™ve had to play a lot more plays defensively than offensively, and itโ€™s concerning. But weโ€™re scoring, so thatโ€™s OK.โ€

Arizona actually has forced more three-and-outs (32) than it did all of last season (30). But the Wildcats are scoring so quickly that theyโ€™re putting their defense back on the field before it has time to catch its breath.

Since Tate became the quarterback, Arizona has had 15 touchdown drives that took up less than two minutes of clock time. Seven consisted of just one or two plays. All lasted less than a minute.

Colorado, Cal and Washington State each ran 90-plus plays against Arizona, while the Wildcats averaged 56. That isnโ€™t necessarily something Rodriguez wants. But heโ€™ll never say no to a touchdown.

โ€œIโ€™m not going to tell the guy to stop,โ€ Rodriguez said.

Tate makes history

Tate is in the midst of an unprecedented run, and the accolades keep pouring in.

On Monday, Tate became the first player to be named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week four times in a row.

Former USC quarterback Matt Barkley is the only player to win the award four times in a season, but he didnโ€™t do it consecutively. Arizona (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12) visits No. 17 USC (7-2, 5-1) this Saturday.

โ€œSometimes you worry about a guy getting a lot of attention,โ€ Rodriguez said of Tate. โ€œIs it going to go to his head? I havenโ€™t seen anything change in his demeanor. Heโ€™s handled everything about as well as you could hope (for someone who has) had such a phenomenal four weeks, and I wouldnโ€™t expect anything different.โ€

Tate also was named one of 18 semifinalists for the 81st Maxwell Award, given to the Collegiate Player of the Year. Three finalists will be announced Nov. 20, and the winner will be revealed during ESPNโ€™s awards show on Dec. 7.

Extra points

  • Arizonaโ€™s final home game, against Oregon State on Nov. 11, will kick off at 8:15 p.m. It will be televised by ESPN2. Every UA game this season has started at 5 p.m. or later.
  • Freshman kicker Lucas Havrisik was named Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week. Havrisik tied the school record with a 57-yard field goal, and nine of his 10 kickoffs went for touchbacks. Itโ€™s the second week in a row that Arizona has claimed two of the leagueโ€™s three player-of-the-week awards. Freshman linebacker Colin Schooler was the Defensive Player of the Week last week.
  • Rodriguez on Schooler, who seems to make a big play every week: โ€œSome guys just have a knack for the game.โ€
  • The Football Writers Association of America named Arizona its National Team of the Week after the UAโ€™s 58-37 victory over then-No. 15 Washington State.
  • Rodriguez said the teamโ€™s demeanor has mirrored Tateโ€™s, despite several tight games over the past month. โ€œWhen you have young guys, you worry (that) theyโ€™re going to panic if something goes bad or they donโ€™t have the best moment,โ€ Rodriguez said. โ€œI havenโ€™t seen any of that this season.โ€
  • Rodriguez wasnโ€™t pleased with the pass rush, or lack thereof, vs. the Cougars. โ€œWe did not affect the quarterback,โ€ he said. โ€œWe didnโ€™t touch him.โ€ Arizona registered just one sack against WSU.
  • Rodriguez on USC tailback Ronald Jones II, who had 216 rushing yards against Arizona State last week: โ€œHeโ€™s a freak athletically. He gets to full speed in a hurry. His fast is fast. I think heโ€™s one of the best in the country.โ€

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