Arizona football: Anu Solomon returns to practice for the first time since suffering knee injury

Maybe we’ll see him on the field before the season ends?

Arizona Wildcats quarterback Anu Solomon returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering a knee injury in practice after the season-opening loss to BYU on Sept. 3, head coach Rich Rodriguez announced.

Arizona QBs Brandon Dawkins and Anu Solomon both practiced today, UA coach Rich Rodriguez said. First time for Anu in "team" for awhile.

— Michael Lev (@MichaelJLev) October 19, 2016

It’s not clear how close Solomon is to being ready to play, but if/when he becomes healthy enough to suit up, it certainly creates an interesting predicament at quarterback for the Wildcats.

Solomon won the job outright in fall camp, eventually starting the season-opener, but was injured in practice before the next game versus Grambling State, when Brandon Dawkins took over.

Dawkins has played fairly well, completing 58.5 percent of his passes for 941 yards, while posting a 5-to-3 touchdown to interception ratio. He’s also rushed for 484 yards on 63 carries (7.7 yards per carry) with eight touchdowns.

His ability to create with his legs adds a dimension to the offense that Solomon cannot provide as consistently or effectively.

That said, Solomon is likely the best passer on the team and has had success leading the Wildcats’ offense in the past. And, as mentioned before, he was evidently the best quarterback on the team in fall camp (though he struggled in the season opener).

Rodriguez has only had to choose between Solomon and Dawkins once before (he chose Solomon), but it appears that could change in the next few weeks with Solomon returning to practice this week.

Meanwhile, Dawkins is returning from an injury of his own, as he was cleared to return from a concussion he suffered on Oct. 8 on Utah.

That injury held him out of last Saturday’s 48-14 loss to USC, plus he was hampered with a rib injury before that, leading true freshman Khalil Tate to see his first collegiate action.

Given that Arizona’s next game isn’t until Oct. 29 against the Stanford Cardinal, the Wildcats essentially have two weeks to figure out their quarterback situation.

And it may not be an easy decision now that all three quarterbacks — Solomon, Dawkins, and Tate — may be healthy enough to play.

Solomon threw for 213 yards (20-for-30) and two interceptions in the season opener against BYU, his only appearance of the season.

Solomon has already used his redshirt year, though he may be eligible for a medical redshirt if he doesn’t return this season.

---

You can follow this author on Twitter at @RKelapireUA

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/2eGLJc6
via IFTTT