For ex-Arizona QB Khalil Tate, record-setting performance at Colorado is 'like a blur'

Back at his old stomping grounds, Khalil Tate was a rockstar again.

Following Arizona’s upset win over UCLA this past Saturday, the former Wildcats star quarterback, donning a UA hockey jersey and hoodie, took photos with fans who rushed the field to celebrate the victory and the Wildcats going to a bowl game for the first time since he was a young, up-and-coming quarterback at Arizona in 2017.

The last time Tate was at Arizona Stadium for a game, he was benched by former head coach Kevin Sumlin on Senior Night for freshman quarterback Grant Gunnell, who started in the Wildcats’ 35-7 loss to Utah in 2019.

“When I left in 2019, I had a pretty sour taste in my mouth,” Tate said. “Coming back this time, it felt like how I wanted it to feel during my Senior Night. Man, it was ecstatic there. The energy was there, the players played well, offense and defense, and it was a great collective win. Being out there and seeing all of the other alumni felt great.”

The Tate era at Arizona was jumpstarted by his 327-yard rushing performance at Colorado in 2017, which is an FBS record for a quarterback. Tate subbed in for the injured Brandon Dawkins and accounted for five touchdowns in the 45-42 shootout win over the Buffaloes. Tate went on to become the first player to win Pac-12 Player of the Week in four consecutive weeks, and he led Arizona to a 7-6 record and an appearance in the Foster Farms Bowl under then-head coach Rich Rodriguez. Tate didn’t replicate similar success under Sumlin in the 2018 and ‘19 seasons.

“It was like a blur,” Tate said of the Colorado game. “A lot of people don’t realize that it was a tough game. ... The game was closer than expected, and I didn’t even know I had the record until the postgame interview when the lady told me, so it was pretty shocking from that aspect.”

Tate, who will be in attendance in Boulder for No. 21 Arizona’s game against Colorado on Saturday, dominated the Buffaloes every time he faced them, completing 60 of 76 passes (79%) for 908 yards, compiling 365 rushing yards and totaling 13 all-purpose touchdowns.

“I don’t know, I think that’s just the football gods wanting Boulder to have a special place in my heart,” Tate said. “Whenever we played them, I guess I just had to turn it up a notch.”

Tate joined “Spears and Ali” on ESPN Tucson this week to discuss his performance at Colorado, his Arizona career and current UA quarterback Noah Fifita taking over the reins of the offense.

Despite it being a “blur,” what are some key moments you remember from that day in Boulder in 2017?

A: “I was just the backup at the time, so I just remember being super focused and I was locked in a little more than I usual have been up until that point in that year. I was really focused on watching the game, watching the series, and when Brandon got injured, that’s when my eyes got big, like, ‘Oh wow, this is really happening right now.’ They threw me out in the fire, and I did what I was supposed to do.”

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Current Arizona starting quarterback Noah Fifita is in a similar situation as you: He took over for an injured starter and has been playing so well, he’s kept the job. What are your impressions of UA’s new quarterback?

A: “Man, I like Noah a lot. He’s a Southern California kid, so I’ve always followed him, even when he was down there at Servite (High School) in the Trinity League. He’s always been able to play regardless of size. He’s all about doing the right things right. He can make the throws, has accuracy, pushes the ball down the field. Having that coaching puts the players in the right position. Jedd Fisch, those guys know what they’re doing. They know Noah’s strong suits, they know what helps him and they’re going to use that to his advantage. They’re not going to make him whatever they want to do based off of prior colleges or quarterbacks. They’re going to use what he does well and try to blossom with that.

“He’s a young quarterback, so he’s going to deal with some mistakes here and there, but this team is playing together, and it helps him, and I don’t think they’re going to let him fall too far behind.”

You said when you left Arizona in 2019, you had a “sour taste” in your mouth; why’s that?

A: “Having the success early on and for it to not go the way I wanted it to go. Having that potential that everybody saw in the team and myself and for it not going the way we wanted to, that left a (sour) taste in my mouth.“

If the transfer portal had been available when you played at Arizona, would you have left the UA?

A: “It’s hard to say, because at that time it wasn’t really a thing, so it’s just hard to say. I love Arizona and it’s ‘Bear Down’ forever, so I would’ve stayed regardless. This day and age, it’s so much different. It’s not just a little different, it’s a whole lot different. You can literally up and leave at your own will. You don’t have to sit out a whole year like you had to when I was back in school.

“It was something I had to go through for my life and testimony. I humbled myself to where I can help the young guys who are behind and I can help them with different things I didn’t have help with.”

How’s it been for you to watch former teammates such as Michael Wiley, Jordan Morgan and Kyle Ostendorp have success in their final season?

A: “It’s honorable. When I was a senior, those guys were freshmen. Even at that time, I saw something in them. Even now, we talk often, whether it’s throughout the week or leading up to the game. I have a lot of respect for those guys. In this day and age with the transfer portal, it’s a lot easier to up and leave. They say, ‘The grass ain’t always greener on the other side,’ and we’ve seen that in multiple cases. Not just Arizona football, but basketball and different teams. I think it’s honorable for me to watch them see it through, because it’s not always going to be easy, but it’s about how you see it and prevail. Right now, it looks like they’re pretty smart.”

How would you tell the story of your time at Arizona?

A: “Main thing is just persistence. Obviously going through ups and downs, whether it’s football or not football, it’s going to happen. It’s all about how you prevail. What type of person are you? Are you the person who points the finger at themselves, or are you the person who is humble enough to go through whatever situation it is and know it’s not always going to be greener on the other side?”