Tuesday, October 31, 2017

College Football Playoff rankings: Arizona 22nd in first edition of top 25

The Wildcats are on the only ranking list that matters

The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2017 are here, and the Arizona Wildcats debut in the 22nd position.

Arizona, who is now 6-2 and 4-1 in the Pac-12, has vaulted to the top of the Pac-12 South standings thanks to one of the most amazing months ever put together by a college football player.

Khalil Tate has gone from the bench to possible Heisman candidate and Maxwell Award semifinalist in four short weeks. Oh, and he’s been named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week in each of those four games, a new conference record.

Tate has almost single-handedly rejuvenated a fanbase that needed something to root for, and now there is plenty on the line as we head into the final month of the season.

It starts with Saturday night’s game against the USC Trojans, who are 17th in this first CFB ranking. The winner will have the inside track to a Pac-12 South title and possibly more.

That game kicks off at 7:45 PM PT on ESPN.



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Former Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon medically withdraws from Baylor

A heartbreaking way for his career to end

Former Arizona Wildcats quarterback and Baylor Bears grad transfer Anu Solomon has withdrawn from school after suffering concussion-like symptoms for several weeks.

Solomon was Baylor’s starting quarterback in the first two games of the season, but suffered a concussion against UTSA in week two, and has not seen the field since.

“Anu still hasn’t been cleared by the doctors and has missed too much school, so he’s medically withdrawn from school so he didn’t take all F’s in graduate school,” Baylor head coach Matt Rhule announced on Tuesday. “He was having a hard time keeping up academically, so he’s not in school anymore.”

In his two games of action with the Bears, Solomon completed 24 of his 55 pass attempts, picking up 399 passing yards and four touchdowns and was also intercepted twice. He also had 106 rushing yards, including a 44-yard scamper.

As a redshirt freshman in 2014, Solomon won the starting job at Arizona and led the school to just its third ten-win season ever. He played through an ankle injury at the end of that season.

In 2015, Solomon suffered a concussion vs. UCLA in week four, and was never the same after that. He ended up splitting time with Jerrard Randall for the rest of the season, and suffered another brutal concussion against Utah in the second-to-last game of the regular season, keeping Solomon out of the ASU game the following week.

Then in 2016, Solomon suffered a knee injury in practice the week after the season-opener against BYU. He only played in four games after that, completing no more than eight passes in any of those contests.

Solomon’s career will always be a game of “what if?”. What if he had stayed healthy? Where would Arizona have been the last couple of years with the same guy behind center?

We’ll never know, but hopefully Solomon is able to live a successful, healthy life after football.



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Parker Jackson-Cartwright (ankle) out vs. Eastern New Mexico

PJC should return for Sunday’s exhibition

Arizona Wildcats point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright will miss Wednesday’s exhibition vs. Eastern New Mexico with an ankle injury, head coach Sean Miller said Tuesday.

Miller said Jackson-Cartwright should return for Sunday’s exhibition vs. Chico State, and that the point guard should be “100 percent” for the regular season opener on Nov. 10 vs. NAU.

Miller said Jackson-Cartwright’s injury isn’t as severe as the high-ankle sprain that sidelined Jackson-Cartwright for nine games last year, but playing Wednesday is “an unnecessary risk.”

“He doesn’t have one of those sprains that he had a year ago,” Miller said. “This is more of a 7-to-10-day injury.”

Freshman point guard Alex Barcello is expected to start in Jackson-Cartwright’s place Wednesday.

Barcello, a former four-star recruit, had two points, three assists, and four rebounds in the Red-Blue Game.

“That’s always the silver lining,” Miller said. “When somebody goes down, it sounds like that’s what the coach is supposed to say, but it gives young players, especially, more of an opportunity. It will put Alex Barcello really under the microscope because Alex has been healthy and practiced exceptionally hard for the last couple weeks as he’s gotten a hang of our system.

“His development in some ways is sped up because you’re asking him almost to do more on a daily basis.”

Allonzo Trier will shift to point guard when Barcello comes out of the game. Trier’s assist percentage more than doubled last season, jumping from 7.6 to 16.6, showing major improvement as a distributor.

“It’s made him pass the ball and learn from a different perspective,” Miller said of Trier playing point guard. “I think you always want to have three point guards available because of foul trouble, so it’s strengthened that depth of the position because Allonzo is that guy. He’s the third point guard, somebody who can certainly play the position.”

Emmanuel Akot, previously an option at point guard, is practicing “almost exclusively” on the wing, Miller said.

Arizona will also be without guard Dylan Smith on Wednesday. The redshirt sophomore was suspended for a violation of team rules, and will miss UA’s two exhibitions and the regular season opener on Nov. 10.

Miller said Smith has been one of Arizona’s top seven players in practice. More on that can be found here.

Rawle Alkins (broken foot) remains out until December.


Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire



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Arizona’s Dylan Smith suspended for season opener for violation of team rules

Sean Miller said Smith is one of Arizona’s top seven players

Arizona Wildcats guard Dylan Smith has been suspended for a violation of team rules, head coach Sean Miller announced Tuesday.

The UNC Asheville transfer will miss UA’s two exhibitions and the team’s regular season opener Friday, Nov. 10 against NAU.

Smith, who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, has been one of Arizona’s top seven players so far, Miller said.

“He’s quietly put together a really good stretch of practice,” Miller said of the redshirt sophomore.

“He’s one of our top-seven players right now based on performance. There’s always an advantage early on for those that have played a season before or in his case practiced the year before. When you think about who he’s practiced against, all the different things he’s learned a year ago, that’s to his advantage early on.”

Miller said Smith is a candidate to start in place of Rawle Alkins, who is out until “sometime in December” with a foot injury.

“He can shoot the ball. Dylan has good size and can do a lot of different things,” Miller said. “Very competitive at the wing position, but we love Brandon Randolph, we love Emmanuel Akot.

Smith averaged a team-high 13.5 points per game in his lone season at UNC Asheville. He had seven points (3-10 FG), five assists, and four rebounds in the Red-Blue Game.

Miller said point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright will miss Wednesday’s exhibition due to an ankle sprain, but should play in the team’s second exhibition Sunday.

Freshman Alex Barcello is expected to start in Jackson-Cartwright’s place Wednesday.


Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire



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Khalil Tate has been golden in October

Exciting stretch has Arizona taking on USC for Pac-12 South lead

It’s amazing what a single month can do for the Arizona Wildcats’ season outlook.

In September, it looked like the same miserable season that everyone in Tucson endured a year ago was happening again. After looking good against FCS opponent Northern Arizona and winless UTEP, trying to find four possible wins within the conference slate was as challenging as doing taxes.

One quarterback change later and the Wildcats are now ranked for the first time since 2015 and will travel to USC with first place in the Pac-12 South on the line. The Trojans are one of five Pac-12 teams that are undefeated at home, but Arizona is the only team in the conference that is undefeated on the road.

Thanks to quarterback Khalil Tate, the Wildcats have scored more points than anyone else in the conference — 40 more than the next team, the 5-4 Oregon Ducks. In the four games that Tate has started in, the lowest scoring total for the Wildcats was 45.

Not only has the offense has been transformed into a juggernaut, but it also Twitter-friendly too. If you live in the East Coast, like me, having Arizona games on the Pac-12 Networks can be the bane of your fandom’s existence. However, most of the scoring plays have been explosive runs from Tate that can easily be packaged and viewed by everyone via Twitter.

“We’ve had more explosive plays in this four game stretch than I can remember, which is a good thing,” Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez said during his weekly press conference.

The way Tate ran in his first two games was something that Arizona fans have never seen before. Against Colorado, Tate outran the opposing team by himself and 208 of his 327 rushing yards have been on scoring plays (58, 28, 47, 75). Against UCLA, Tate started the blowout with a 45-yard touchdown run and insured Wildcat fans that their first win over the Bruins since 2011 would be well at hand with a 75-yard touchdown dash.

“When you do put the safeties down, and do play Cover 0, and you can burst through the first or second level it bodes well for big plays,” Rodriguez said. “You’re taking a risk not just in the pass game, but also in the run game. If you bring all eleven in the box it tends to lead to big runs. That’s what has happened in some of these last few games.”

Tate ran for another 75-yard score against California in the first quarter but played a more balanced game in order to keep pace with the Golden Bears and win in overtime. Washington State came into Arizona Stadium ranked No. 15 — and with a top-20 defense — and didn’t even stand a chance against the Wildcats.

Unlike his first two games, Arizona saw a more balanced offense light up the Twitter timeline with a 48-yard pass from Tate to Jamie Nunley in the first quarter, a 79-yard run by J.J Taylor to keep the Wildcats up by double-digits in the third quarter and 49-yard touchdown run by Tate in the fourth quarter, just for old time’s sake.

Tate’s play has people thinking that the Wildcats are back to what they were in 2014, but it wasn’t like he fell from the sky a month ago. Tate played in seven games last season and was the first true freshman to start for the Wildcats since Willie Tuitama in 2005. That first start came against USC at home and before his 18th birthday, and it was rough.

It’s amazing how much change can occur in just a year.

“It’s his second year in the system,” Rodriguez said, “so certainly he knows the system a little better. His timing will keep improving as his career goes along. He’s always had a great natural throwing motion, it’s just understanding the offense and the timing of it, and each particular play. That’s what is overlooked a lot of times in the pass game, the timing of it all, not only from a quarterback’s standpoint but a receivers as well. It’s been good in a couple of the big plays the last few weeks.”

Tate is now the type of player that gives an upstart team like Arizona legitimacy going into the stretch run of the season.



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A look at Arizona’s 2018 offensive recruiting targets

Taking a look at major offensive targets for the ‘Cats

With the football team rolling, the Arizona Wildcats might start seeing the results on the recruiting trail.

With most of the 2018 class filled and limited spots open, Arizona will be a little more selective with who it adds. Of course there can and will be movement (as we saw when Haki Woods decommitted) so things can change.

For each player I’ll rate how UA is doing in the recruitment and how likely a commitment is with either cold, warm, or hot.

Now let’s take a look at who the staff will be targeting and who the ‘Cats sit well with.


Kazmeir Allen, All-purpose back (Warm)

The 3-star speedster from Tulare, California committed to Boise State in the early summer, shortly after visiting Arizona. He decommitted and after a couple of months and Arizona picked right back up where it left off before his commitment. Right now it’ll be interesting to see if UA takes his pledge and but he’d be a solid addition to the class. He has been exploding on the field this year and that has garnered attention. California seems to be the place where he’ll end up playing.

Draycen Hall, APB (Warm)

The 3-star Gilbert-Higley speedster is the most explosive player on offense for the Knights. It seems almost every time he touches the ball he scores or busts a major run. Right now he seems like the one that would give Arizona his pledge. Much like Allen, I’m interested to see if he will be a member of UA’s 2018 class.

Solomon Enis, WR (Cold)

Arizona recently made the top school list for Enis, but I’m not sure how much Arizona is in the mix. Most of the talk has been towards Penn State, which makes sense since he is a legacy. The 4-star Phoenix-North Canyon standout also has some Utah and Arizona State buzz. Getting Enis on campus will be a big step forward and might be able to get Arizona further into the mix.

Kobe Smith, WR (Warm)

I’m going to say that Khalil Tate’s friend and high 3-star receiver Kobe Smith is seriously considering Arizona. Tate played with Smith at Serra and Smith has said he has thought about playing with Tate and 4-star ATH Bryan Addison at the next level (will get more into him later). With Tate looking like he’ll be Arizona’s starter for the foreseeable future, it would not be surprising in the slightest bit if Smith ends up playing in Tucson. It is also important to note that he has already been on campus for an official visit.

Khalil Shakir, WR (Cold)

When I talked to the high 3-star Vista Murrieta High School standout back in the beginning of the summer, the feeling was UA was right in the mix. Now, the ‘Cats are still in his Top 5 and as a matter of fact, he still gave the same five schools recently. However, as of now, I’d say Boise State is the team to beat. The Broncos have done a great job recruiting Shakir, with consistent persistence being a factor that stands out to him. He is taking an official up to Boise this coming weekend and I can't shake the feeling that he will pull the trigger in favor of the Broncos.

Joey Ramos, OT (Warm)

Ramos is probably one of the biggest targets that the ‘Cats are looking to get for 2018. Ramos has been on UA’s campus multiple times and that has allowed Arizona to stay right in the mix. The other competitors for Ramos’ services include Iowa State and Arizona State. This past weekend Ramos was on ASU’s campus to take in the USC game. This recruitment can go any way so there’s still more time for Arizona to make an even bigger impression than they already have.

Garrett Curran, OT (Warm)

The 2-star lineman from El Cajon, California visited UA during the UCLA game. I don’t know much about where he is leaning but considering Arizona is one of his two Pac-12 offers and he has already been on campus, I’m assuming that the ‘Cats are in the mix here.

Chris Murray, OG (Warm)

The Army All-American is fresh off of an official visit to Tucson to watch the ‘Cats take down the then-15th-ranked Cougars of Washington State. He came away impressed and Arizona positioned itself in as best a place as they can with him. Stanford is considered the favorite and Murray is visiting Palo Alto after the season. However, I believe the ‘Cats have a real shot here.

Jarrett Bell, OG (Warm)

Bell is another major Arizona target along the offensive line that is coming off a visit this past weekend to watch UA’s upset win over Wazzu. This was Bell’s second visit to Tucson in the past month and a half. He recently talked to scout.com and came away rather impressed with Arizona. Even though he is still committed to Alabama, this is a recruitment to keep an eye one moving forward.

Jake Levengood, OG (Warm)

Levengood is considered an major Oregon State lean but I’m not sure about that because he would’ve committed to the Beavers on his official visit, right? But he didn’t and instead made his way to Tucson for the game against UCLA. Another attractive aspect of his game is that he is also a wrestler for his school. In fact he’s one of the best in California. That can help him with his pad level and strength. I’m not confident enough to say he is a lock in for UA, but I do have a good feeling about his recruitment.


The second part of the SitRep will focus on defensive targets for UA. Look for it later this week!



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Monday, October 30, 2017

2017-18 Arizona basketball player previews: Keanu Pinder

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Arizona’s recruiting experiencing ‘uptick’ during recent surge

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Khalil Tate, Lucas Havrisik named Pac-12 Players of the Week

Tate is first player ever to be Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week four consecutive weeks

Just rename it the Khalil Tate Award at this point.

The Arizona Wildcats quarterback was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth straight week Monday, becoming the first player in history to accomplish such a feat.

Tate threw for a career-high 275 yards, rushed for 146 yards, and had three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in Arizona’s 58-37 win over the No. 15 Washington State Cougars on Saturday.

The sophomore has tallied 1,583 yards and 14 touchdowns in the last four weeks, and Arizona is 4-0 since Tate took over as the full-time quarterback, moving the Wildcats (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12) into the top-25 and Pac-12 South title contention.

Tate has rushed for 926 yards and eight touchdowns on just 69 carries this season, averaging 13.4 yards per carry and 154.3 yards per game, which ranks third nationally.

He’s also been pretty darn good throwing the ball, completing 69 percent of his passes for 784 yards (11.7 yards per attempt) and six touchdowns.

Tate’s recent excellence has put himself in the conversation for the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award, both given to the nation’s top player.

Also getting some recognition this week was UA freshman kicker Lucas Havrisik, who was named Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week.

Havrisik had nine touchbacks and drilled a 57-yard field goal in UA’s win over WSU. That was Havrisik’s first career made field goal, and it tied a school record for distance.

Arizona has won four straight and was named the Football Writers Association of America’s team of the week for the first time since 2010.

So things are going pretty well in Tucson right now.


Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire



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College football bowl projections: Arizona looking at Holiday Bowl trip?

San Diego anyone?

After improving to 4-1 in conference play on Saturday, the Arizona Wildcats control their own destiny in the Pac-12 South heading into November.

With that, the bowl projections are getting bigger and bigger with each passing week. This Saturday’s win over Washington State also leaves the Pac-12 with a single one-loss team remaining (Washington), significantly hurting the conference’s chances at a College Football Playoff bid.

So that shifts things around in the Pac-12’s six bowl tie-ins, and moves Arizona up. Here’s a look at some of the latest projections:

Holiday Bowl (Dec. 28th — San Diego, CA)

Yeah, it’s about that time where Arizona gets its once-a-decade Holiday Bowl bid, so this makes sense. And woo boy could you imagine Rich Rodriguez taking on Michigan in a high-profile bowl game the year he was supposed to lose his job in Tucson? And in the year that Jim Harbaugh is starting to receive some criticism? Give me that any day.

Alamo Bowl (Dec. 28th — San Antonio, TX)

This matchup would be better for me personally than anything else. I now live in Dallas, so going to this game would be easiest for me. And it’s against a school that several of my new coworkers went to, so there would be plenty on the line in that regard.

This could also be Arizona’s true redemption for that 2010 embarrassment in the Alamodome. Plus, that matchup between Heisman finalists Khalil Tate and Mason Rudolph is pretty enticing.

Sun Bowl (Dec. 29th — El Paso, TX)

Honestly, this still feels like the most likely scenario for Arizona. I would guess that USC ends up in the Holiday Bowl and Washington in the Alamo Bowl, with either Arizona or Stanford ending up in this game. With no Rose Bowl tie-in this year, the Pac-12 is going to end up with a really strange lineup, and will have a bunch of teams in bowl games that need to fill spots. It also seems likely that the Pac-12 Champ would end up in the Fiesta or Cotton Bowl.



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Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate named a Maxwell Award semifinalist

The award goes to the nation’s top player

After putting up one of the biggest months in the history of college football, Arizona Wildcats quarterback Khalil Tate has put himself in the middle of national award conversations.

That begins in earnest on Monday after Tate was named one of 18 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, which is given to the nation’s top player.

Here’s the list:

Tate is one of four sophomores on the list, and one of four players from the Pac-12. He’s joined by USC quarterback Sam Darnold, Stanford running back Bryce Love, and Oregon running back Royce Freeman. Tate and Darnold go head-to-head on Saturday night on ESPN.

The numbers Tate put up in October are absolutely astonishing. He’s been so good he invented the “October Heisman”

Oh, and he just turned 19 on the 23rd. Not a bad month.

It’s likely that Tate will take home his fourth consecutive Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week nod as well, just capping off an absurd October.

Voting for the Maxwell Award begins on Tuesday and will close on November 19th. Three finalists will be announced on Nov. 20th, with another round of voting occurring before the College Football Awards Show on Dec. 7th.



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Arizona vs. USC: First look at the Trojans

The winner controls its destiny for the South

The Arizona Wildcats have improved their conference record to 4-1 (6-2 overall) after a shootout win against Washington State on Saturday.

This now sets up a showdown with the USC Trojans in which the winner controls its own destiny for the Pac-12 South crown.

Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 4 at 7:45 p.m. PT, and it will be televised on ESPN.


A look at USC

2017 Record – 7-2 (5-1 Pac-12)

Key Games – Week two win versus Stanford (42-24), week three win versus Texas (27-24 2OT), week five loss at WSU (30-27), week seven loss at Notre Dame (49-14), week eight win at ASU (48-17)

Key Offensive PlayersSam Darnold (QB), Ronald Jones II (RB), Stephen Carr (RB), Deontay Burnett (WR), Nico Falah (Center)

Key Defensive PlayersRasheem Green (DT), John Houston Jr. (LB), Porter Gustin (LB), Jack Jones (CB), Chris Hawkins (SS)


Prior to Saturday’s game at ASU, the Trojans were 2-2 in their last four games. They squeaked out a win at home against Utah which felt like it could have gone either way. After beginning the season as the fourth-ranked team in the country, USC found itself sitting as the 21st-ranked team after this stretch.

Then they had their “get right” game in Tempe against an ASU team that was riding high after two impressive wins against Washington and Utah. USC basically controlled the game from their opening drive where they went 75 yards in nine plays for a touchdown.

I mention this because it’s the type of dominating performance that everyone has been waiting to see from USC. Despite missing their top cornerback, Iman Marshall, everything was clicking on defense. They recorded six sacks, an interception and held the Sun Devils to 1-12 on third down conversions.

Their offense seemed to get on track as well. Sam Darnold has been notorious for giveaways through the first eight weeks but he took better care of the ball Saturaday as he registered just a single fumble — no interceptions.

The star on offense was clearly Ronald Jones II, though. He finished with 216 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.

Talented freshman running back Stephen Carr has missed the past few weeks with a foot injury but he is expected to return this week. His return gives USC’s offense another wrinkle as he’s a prolific pass-catcher out of the backfield.

I believe there are two keys to this game for the Wildcats. The first being, will Arizona’s defense be able to get off the field on third down? Limiting Jones and Carr from the big plays is equally important but forcing Darnold to beat you with a younger receiving unit should be the hope.

Third-down defense has been an area of concern. Even though they held WSU to 4-18 on third down conversions, USC is a more balanced offense with a very strong rushing attack.

The second key is Khalil Tate. He is going back home to Southern California for potentially the biggest game of his young career. USC’s roster features eight of Tate’s former high school teammates. Will he be sucked into the emotions of this high stakes showdown?

Tate has put this team in a position to take the driver’s seat to win the Pac-12 South championship. Despite the late 7:45 p.m. PT kickoff, there will be a lot of national attention on this game.

If Tate can maintain a rational state of mind, it’s easy to imagine Arizona’s offense will keep things rolling.



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Sunday, October 29, 2017

2019 4-star athlete Casey Kline commits to Arizona

The 2019 class is off to a great start

The Arizona Wildcats’ success is starting to pay off on the recruiting front — and this time it's in a big way.

2019 four-star athlete Casey Kline committed to Arizona on Sunday after their huge win against the Washington State Cougars.

Kline is the No. 260 player in the 2019 class and No. 21 athlete, and is Arizona's first 2019 commit. He also had offers from Oregon and Washington State.

On the field, the 6-foot-5, 215 pound athlete from Brawley High School (Brawley, CA) is just that: an athlete. Kline plays all over the field, but he is mainly an outside linebacker and tight end on defense and offense, respectively.

However, he has also lined up at quarterback and running back, and can even split out wide to create more mismatches.

He is a quite the load to bring down when he has the ball in his hands and has an extremely physical style of play. He can drop back in zone coverage and is actually quite effective. Honestly, I can see him fitting in at multiple positions for UA.

On the year, Kline has 26 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a blocked punt.

Below are his highlights:



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Arizona soccer beats Washington State on Senior Day, moves into 4th place in the Pac-12

On a day devoted to Arizona's senior class, it lived up to its billing as one of the best in school history

On a day devoted to Arizona's senior class, it lived up to its billing as one of the best in school history.

UA senior Gabi Stoian scored on an assist from fellow senior Charlotte Brascia, and Arizona beat Washington State 1-0 on Sunday afternoon in Tucson.

“It was definitely good to get the win and goal in front of my family, in front of everyone here on Senior Day," Stoian said. "It was a big win for us. It was a good game to win and it puts us one step closer to the tournament."

With the win, the Wildcats capped off a sweep of the Washington schools to improve to 9-4-4 on the season and 6-2-2 in the Pac-12.

UA's senior class is a virtual lock to become the first in school history to reach the NCAA Tournament three times.

“It’s always important to recognize the seniors and I thought this weekend was a lot about them, but most importantly we got the two wins," head coach Tony Amato said. "Our seniors contributed greatly in the win Thursday and you saw that again today, so we’re super happy for them.”

The five seniors were commemorated before the match, but when the first whistle blew, it was all business.

Just seven minutes in, Brascia dished to Stoian who bent a shot inside the far post from 18 yards out for the match's lone goal.

“I got a good pass from Char, turned and saw that opening,” said Stoian, who is now just four goals shy of breaking the school's all-time record.

“It’s definitely good to get that goal and get one step closer (to the record), but as long as we get to the tournament I’m sure there will be more chances.”

It was Stoian's fourth goal of the season, but just her first in front of the home crowd.

"I didn't even think about that. It’s been a rough season compared to the rest, but that’s all right," she joked. "We needed it today."

Arizona outshot WSU 15-8 and turned in their seventh shutout of the season. Lainey Burdett made three saves, including a leaping save in the 18th minute to punch a threatening shot over the crossbar.

WSU had two other shots ring off the post, but the Wildcats' backline limited the Cougars to just three shots on frame.

Amato added a fifth defender in the second half as the usual-four were noticeably wearing down in the 90-degree heat.

“Our backs were gassed, so we needed to put another back back there so they didn’t have as much ground to cover," Amato said.

The Wildcats used 21 different players in the match.

"You gotta have a full squad. The seniors take ownership in the whole team, but I thought the younger players have stepped all year long and that's a credit to also our older players who've led them along the way," Amato said. "I think we're excited about where we're at now and the future. It's a good place to be."

Indeed.

Arizona is 4-0-1 in their last five games and now sits alone in fourth place in the Pac-12, overtaking Cal which lost to UCLA on Sunday.

A fourth-place finish would be the Wildcats' best finish in the Pac-12 era — though they did tie for fourth in 2015-16 — and UA can finish third if they beat ASU next week and USC beats/ties UCLA.

"There is a perception out there that the four California schools will always be 1-2-3-4 or at least that they have the lead on that," Amato said.

“So I think anytime you break into that, it’s going to be a good season. We were picked ninth in the league, so we’re trying to finish strong here and finish in that top (four).”

Arizona has come a long way from the Sun Devil Desert Classic — a two-game stint in September in which UA lost to UCF in heartbreaking fashion before drawing with an inferior Boston University team to fall to 1-1-2 through four games.

“It’s interesting because I’ve felt like sometimes we’ve played really well early on and then you feel like you’re running out of gas as the season ends and then you have you to lift them back up," Amato said.

“This feels like we’re getting better as the season goes on. We know what we are, players know their roles, we’re playing well and it feels good to be peaking at the right time."

The early-season struggles, Amato said, are the reason for that.

"Credit to the girls," he said. "They stuck to the (motto) that everyday we gotta get better. A lot of it fell on me on why we didn’t play well early. We just didn’t know really who we were and what we were good at. And if I don’t know then the girls aren’t going to know.

"Our season is so short that you almost feel like, in that first stretch, if you don’t get it right, your season can be over but you have to win enough games until you figure it out. We figured it out and the girls have played a lot better since then.”

Arizona had the 24th RPI entering the weekend, putting them on track to not only reach the NCAA Tournament, but host a first-round match for just the second time in school history.

“I think it was a rocky start, but after the outcomes we’ve had, we’ve really turned it around," Brascia said. "I had a lot more confidence in our team than I ever had before.”

Despite holding their senior festivities Sunday, Arizona closes out their regular season with a home match against ASU (5-10-3, 2-6-2 Pac-12) next Thursday.

Having senior weekend during the Washington series made more sense, Amato said.

"This allows it to almost be like a family weekend," he said. "They can see two games, we did a dinner on Friday, they can go to football. ... Otherwise, they would have to take off during the week, see a game on a Thursday night and feel crammed and shortened."

Besides, the last time Arizona held Senior Day before a match against ASU, they were routed 5-1 by the visiting Sun Devils.

“The energy will be high anyway on Thursday against ASU," Amato said. "And if you factor that part in and the emotion, I tried that once before and I learned from my mistakes.”

That emotion was exuded Sunday instead.

The numbers 3, 9, 10, 19, and 34 were painted in white on the sideline to honor the five well-accomplished seniors, and they were each given a bouquet of flowers and a framed jersey among other mementos (including a giant cardboard cutout of their faces) before the match.

There were smiles, applause, and plenty of tears even though Arizona returns to the pitch in just a few days.

“I think it’s nice to not have as much pressure on the last game," Brascia said. "This isn’t the end. We’re not like ‘oh my gosh’ and crying and all emotional."

“I’m sure you’ll still cry (Thursday)," Stoian joked.

“Yeah, I’m sure there will still be tears," Brascia continued, "but I think it was nice to have it as a weekend and not have it all be rushed so that we could get recognized the right way."



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Arizona Wildcats ranked No. 23 in AP Poll, No. 25 in Coaches Poll

Arizona has cracked the Top 25

After beating No. 15 Washington State for their fourth win in row, the Arizona Wildcats have cracked the Top 25.

Arizona placed 23rd in this week's AP Poll and 25th in the Coaches Poll.

Here are both polls in their entirety:

AP Poll

  1. Alabama
  2. Georgia
  3. Ohio State
  4. Wisconsin
  5. Notre Dame
  6. Clemson
  7. Penn State
  8. Oklahoma
  9. Miami
  10. TCU
  11. Oklahoma State
  12. Washington
  13. Virginia Tech
  14. Iowa State
  15. UCF
  16. Auburn
  17. USC
  18. Stanford
  19. LSU
  20. NC State
  21. Mississippi State
  22. Memphis
  23. Arizona
  24. Michigan State
  25. Washington State

Coaches Poll

  1. Alabama
  2. Georgia
  3. Ohio State
  4. Wisconsin
  5. Clemson
  6. Miami
  7. Penn State
  8. Notre Dame
  9. Oklahoma
  10. Oklahoma State
  11. Washington
  12. TCU
  13. Virginia Tech
  14. UCF
  15. Auburn
  16. Iowa State
  17. USC
  18. Stanford
  19. NC State
  20. LSU
  21. Memphis
  22. Mississippi State
  23. USF
  24. Michigan
  25. Arizona

Arizona has been on a roll lately thanks to the emergence of sophomore quarterback Khalil Tate who has put up astronomical numbers the past four weeks.

The Wildcats have transformed from an uninspiring 2-2 squad to a 6-2 team that's bowl eligible and capable of winning the Pac-12 South division.

Arizona (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12) is set to face the USC Trojans (7-2, 5-1 Pac-12) in Los Angeles on Saturday with first place in the Pac-12 South on the line.

The Trojans are slated as the No. 17 team in both major polls.

Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. PT and it will be televised on ESPN.



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Arizona vs. USC kickoff time and TV announced

The entire nation will finally get to see Khalil Tate play — if they stay up late enough

The entire nation will finally get a chance to see Khalil Tate play next weekend — if they stay up late enough.

The highly-anticipated matchup between the Arizona Wildcats (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12) and USC Trojans (7-2, 5-1 Pac-12) next Saturday has been scheduled for 7:45 p.m. PT and it will be televised on ESPN, it was announced Sunday.

It's the first time since Tate took over as UA's quarterback that the Wildcats will not be playing on the Pac-12 Network.

Since Tate exclusively played on that channel, he missed out on loads of exposure that he could have gotten otherwise.

Former UCLA head coach and current CBS Sports analyst Rick Neuheisel said CBS Sports Net viewers "don’t know who Khalil Tate is," and that's because CBS doesn't have an agreement with the Pac-12 Network to show the network's highlights.

And then there's the fact that the Pac-12 Network doesn't have a deal with DirecTV, which is another lost segment of viewership.

Former UA basketball player Damon Stoudamire shared his thoughts on that:

No matter, those things won't be an issue this week as the Wildcats will be on ESPN as they battle USC for first place in the Pac-12 South at the L.A. Coliseum.

Should be a good one.



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Washington State vs. Arizona: Wildcats' players of the game

There were plenty of UA players who stood out Saturday

“It is a great night to be an Arizona Wildcat.”

That's how head coach Rich Rodriguez started his press conference after the Arizona Wildcats stomped the 15th-ranked Washington State Cougars, 58-37, on Saturday.

There were plenty of UA players that stood out in the impressive upset, so let's get to it.


Offense: Khalil Tate, QB

2017 Stats: 10-for-17, 275 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT; 13 car, 146 yds, 1 TD

Tate did exactly what he needed to tonight in order to lead this team to a win. We’ll start off with the one “oops” moment he had.

During run he had in the second play of the first drive of the 3rd quarter, Tate made a cut and just lost the ball. Wazzu recovered and subsequently scored a touchdown.

The next drive, Tate threw an interception that wasn’t his or his receiver's fault. It was a blatant pass interference against the Wazzu defender, not allowing Shawn Poindexter to raise his arms. This caused a tipped ball that was intercepted by Wazzu. The Cougs would end up scoring. Tate shook those off and just scorched the Wazzu defense the rest of the game.

One thing that stood out was Tate's passing. Almost every single one of his deep throws were right on target. He had only two or so passes that were off target all game. The rest of the time the defense was in position or drops by the receivers. And he still looks like he is going for a Sunday morning jog every time he runs.


Defense: Colin Schooler, LB

2017 Stats: 7 tackles, 1 INT (pick six)

This was tough choice, but I went with the freshman linebacker. For the second straight week, Schooler made a play when the team needed it most.

And it wasn’t just any ordinary play, it was an interception that went for six in the fourth quarter to push Arizona’s lead to 21 points. That’s pretty much all that needs to be said. Schooler is a great football player.


Special Teams: Kicking Game

It was a much-needed improved kicking game Saturday night. As a matter of fact, I’ll include the punt game too.

We’ll start there. Josh Pollack went back to the duties he had last year and that is punting added with his field goal duties. He had five punts and pinned Wazzu inside their own 20-yard line three times.

Moving on to field goals. A lot of people were skeptical about the snapping, but not once did the snap have a negative impact.

Pollack was a perfect 2-for-2 on his field goals, but the real impressive play was freshman Lucas Havrisik kicking the ball all the way to Yuma on a 57-yarder with one second left in the first half. That tied UA's all-time record.


Honorable Mention

Tony Fields II, LB: 11 tackles, 1 INT — Fields continued his strong freshman campaign. He continued to show solid tackling and had a nice pick after falling back into coverage in the beginning of the 3rd quarter.

Jace Whittaker, CB: 5 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU — Whittaker had another really strong performance. Besides coming up with some nice tackles and a nice deflected pass, he came up with an interception in the end zone to end any momentum Wazzu was showing.

Lorenzo Burns, CB: 4 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PBU — Burns had another solid performance. He did give up his first touchdown of the season, and it came in Arizona’s eighth game of the season. He had a heads up play to pick off a pass that bounced out of a Cougar receiver’s hands.

J.J. Taylor, RB: 14 car, 153 yds, 2 TD — Taylor went off in the second half. He had five carries for -1 yards in the first half, but then he broke through. Multiple long runs by Taylor of 62 yards and 79 yards showed his speed is back after suffering a broken ankle that derailed his season last year. That allowed Taylor to go over 100 yards the first time this season.



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6 takeaways from Arizona's win over Washington State

Another impressive showing by Khalil Tate

The Arizona Wildcats won their fourth straight game Saturday, upsetting the No. 15 Washington State Cougars 58-37 in Tucson.

Arizona is now 6-2 overall (4-1 Pac-12), bowl eligible, and just a half game back of the Pac-12 South lead.

And here are some takeaways from Arizona's win.


Khalil Tate responded well to adversity

Khalil Tate hadn't experienced much adversity since taking over as Arizona's quarterback vs. Colorado, but he certainly did Saturday.

The sophomore lost a fumble and was intercepted on consecutive drives, allowing WSU to take a 27-23 lead in the third quarter, despite Arizona leading 20-7 at one point.

However, Tate didn't get rattled and Arizona had four touchdown drives of 65+ yards after that, outscoring WSU 35-10 after the Cougars took the lead.

“It wasn’t by any means a mistake-free (performance), but boy he’s a competitor," said UA head coach Rich Rodriguez. "Once he makes a mistake he recognizes it the next time.”

That's pretty impressive considering Tate just recently turned 19 and he's still only played in a handful of games.

That said, Rodriguez's comment makes it even more disappointing that he removed Tate in the Houston loss after he threw an interception in the fourth quarter (and that Tate wasn't starting at the beginning of the season, of course).


Tate's touch is crazy good

Everyone is quick to point out Tate's speed and elusiveness as a ball carrier, but it's been amazing how on-the-money his deep passes have been.

On the second play of the game, Tate connected with Shawn Poindexter for a deep 42-yard strike.

Later, he hit Tony Ellison on a similar route for 41 yards.

Even some of Tate's incompletions were perfectly placed. Cedric Peterson dropped a deep pass down the far sideline, while another Tate throw was broken up by a defensive back who simply was in perfect position.

More often than not in these last four games, Tate's passes have been on the mark.

“He has a very strong arm, but he has as good of touch on the deep ball as any quarterback that I’ve had," Rodriguez said.

Maybe teams will start respecting that.

WSU seemed to have six to eight players in the box early in the game to commit to slowing down Arizona's run game, but Tate was able to make them pay, connecting on passes down the field.

Eventually WSU had to adjust to that which is when Arizona's running game started to break through in a big way.

“They stopped the run and we opened up the pass, so it’s a lose-lose situation (for them)," Tate said.


Arizona's defense is strange

On one hand, Arizona's defense has been giving up a ton of yards lately. WSU tallied over 600 yards Saturday. The pass rush was non-existant and opposing receivers were able to find space in the secondary — a recurring problem. The tackling wasn't great, either.

But ... Arizona managed to hold a good WSU rushing attack to just 44 yards, and also continued to show its penchant for creating turnovers, specifically interceptions, grabbing four of them Saturday, including a pick-six by Colin Schooler.

Arizona has created 19 turnovers this year, easily surpassing its total from last season, so it definitely has an opportunistic defense.

Arizona also held WSU to 4-18 on third down after Cal was 13-19 last week.

In all, the unit's inconsistency has been maddening and it's seemingly been regressing since its solid start at the beginning of the year.

But it has been doing just enough for Arizona to win, so in that sense there's not a whole lot to complain about.

But we'll see what happens when/if Arizona's offense has an off-game. It's easy to be "good enough" when your offense is putting up video-game numbers week in and week out.


Being bowl eligible is great, but it's only the beginning

Heading into this season, making a bowl game was seen as the No. 1 objective for Arizona — and the way Rodriguez could save his job.

Well, the 6-2 Wildcats are going bowling now and Rodriguez is no longer on the hot seat.

That's wonderful and all (and unexpected, honesty), but it's time to move the bar higher. Perhaps to a Pac-12 South title?

Arizona is only a half game out, and its last four games are at USC, vs. Oregon State, at Oregon, and at ASU.

Three of those four games are on the road, which makes them more difficult, but USC is the only good team in that bunch. There others are just OK or flat-out awful (hey, Oregon State).

The Wildcats rarely win in the Coliseum, but if they somehow do win next week, they would overtake first place in the South with three games left against not-so-scary opponents.

Winning out from there would still obviously be a difficult task, but it's feasible, at least.

Crazy how times have changed, huh?


The future of Arizona football is bright, too

Tate and J.J. Taylor were an outstanding pairing Saturday, combining for 299 yards and three touchdowns on just 27 rushes.

The fun part? Tate is only a sophomore and Taylor is a redshirt freshman, so it's a duo that's here to stay in Tucson.

And then on defense, there's several promising young players like true freshmen Colin Schooler and Tony Fields II — who each had interceptions Saturday — along with Scottie Young Jr. and Kylan Wilborn.

With Tate and Taylor around, Arizona's offense has a chance to be special for the next two years, while the defense should only get better, and who knows what the ceiling is there.

Oh yeah, Arizona also has a true freshman kicker — Lucas Havrisik — who has the leg to sink 50-plus-yard field goals with ease.

However, I think one concerning thing is the offensive line. Arizona hasn't recruited well there lately, and will be losing three starters — Jacob Alsadek, Layth Friekh, and Gerhard de Beer — at season's end, so there could be a substantial drop off next year.

And I think that unit has been a bit overlooked in Arizona's resurgence.


Khalil Tate should be in consideration for the Heisman Trophy

Even though Tate has only been Arizona's No. 1 quarterback for four games, it's not unrealistic to put him in the Heisman conversation at this point.

Since entering at Colorado, Tate is 41 for 58 for 743 yards along with six touchdowns and two interceptions through the air — a 205.54 passing efficiency.

Entering Saturday, that would have been the top number in the entire FBS among qualified quarterbacks.

On the ground, Tate has been even more impressive, rushing for 840 yards and eight touchdowns on just 59 carries. That's a ridiculous 14.2 yards per carry.

And no other player has run for 840 yards in October in the last 10 years.

You could say Tate's numbers have come against weak defenses, but that was only true the first two or three games. Washington State had a top-20 defense entering Saturday's game.

Perhaps equally important for Tate's Heisman candidacy is Arizona is 4-0 since he took over as the team's No. 1 quarterback.

What hurts Tate is he's played fewer games and snaps than other Heisman candidates, plus he's not getting the exposure that he should be because he's played all four of his breakout games on the Pac-12 Networks.

Even so, Tate deserves to be in the Heisman conversation. He's arguably the most electrifying player in the sport right now, even if it has only been four games.

The stats, the wins, and the highlight plays speak for themselves.

“That guy is a monster," said UA tight end Jamie Nunley. "Khalil Tate for Heisman.”


Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire



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WATCH: Khalil Tate, J.J. Taylor, Colin Schooler, and others discuss win vs. WSU

See what UA's top performers had to say after the win vs. WSU

The Arizona Wildcats took down the No. 15 Washington State Cougars 58-37 on Saturday in Tucson, improving to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the Pac-12.

Khalil Tate was 10 for 17 for 252 yards for two touchdowns and an interception, while rushing for 146 yards and two scores.

J.J. Taylor had 153 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in just 14 carries.

Here is what they had to say after the game:

Tight end Jamie Nunley had two catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, freshman linebacker Colin Schooler had seven tackles and a game-sealing interception for touchdown.

Fellow freshman linebacker Tony Fields II had 11 tackles and his first career interception.

Here's what those three had to say after Arizona's win:



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Washington State vs. Arizona: Rich Rodriguez, Mike Leach discuss Wildcats' win

Hear what the head coaches had to say about Saturday's game

Behind Khalil Tate and an explosive offense, the Arizona Wildcats defeated the No. 15 Washington State Cougars on Saturday in Tucson by a score of 58-37.

Our recap can be found here.

Here is what UA head coach Rich Rodriguez had to say after his team's win.

And here's what Washington State coach Mike Leach had to say about his team's loss.

It was the fourth straight win for the Wildcats, who are now 6-2 and 4-1 in the Pac-12. Not only is Arizona bowl eligible, but it is just a half game back of the USC Trojans, who UA faces next weekend in Los Angeles with first place in the division on the line.



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Saturday, October 28, 2017

Washington State vs. Arizona final score: Wildcats’ offense explodes in rout of Cougars

Arizona is now bowl eligible and still seemingly unstoppable with Khalil Tate at quarterback.

How would a Khalil Tate-led Arizona offense handle Washington State’s stingy, speedy defense?

That was the question heading into Saturday’s game in Tucson, and Tate and the Wildcats provided a clear answer.

The sophomore quarterback threw for a career-high 275 yards, rushed for 146 yards, and had three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing), as the Arizona Wildcats beat the No. 15 Washington State Cougars 58-37 in front of 42,822 at Arizona Stadium.

It's the fourth win in a row for the Wildcats (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12) who are now bowl eligible, a half game behind USC (who they face next week) for the Pac-12 South lead, and still seemingly unstoppable with Tate at quarterback.

Arizona tallied 585 yards of offense against WSU, which entered with a top-20 defense — the biggest proof yet that Tate's emergence isn't a flash in the pan.

Arizona's offense was as explosive as ever, rattling off rushing plays of 82, 79, and 62 yards, and passing plays of 68, 48, 43, and 41 yards as Tate's touch was on display yet again.

J.J. Taylor ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries, breaking off runs of 62 yards and 79 yards.

Arizona averaged 11.5 yards per play, 27.5 yards per completion, and 9.1 yards per rush.

The Wildcats' defense surrendered 649 yards to the Cougars, but continued its penchant for generating turnovers, coming up with four as it did just enough to beat the 15th-ranked team from Pullman.

Lorenzo Burns, Colin Schooler, Tony Fields II, and Jace Whittaker all had interceptions of..... not Luke Falk, but Tyler Hilinski.

Looking for a Tate-like spark of their own, WSU summoned Hilinski in for a struggling Falk late in the first half, and while he was more effective than Falk, who was inaccurate and struggled to see the field, Hilinski's four interceptions loomed large.

Hilinski was 45 for 61 for 502 yards, two touchdowns, and the four picks. He also showed some mobility, rushing for two touchdowns.

Falk was 13 for 23 for 93 yards and a touchdown before being removed. Falk was 32 of 25 for 311 yards and four touchdowns in a 69-7 win over Arizona last year.

The game of the year is next for the Wildcats, as they face the No. 21 USC Trojans in Los Angeles next Saturday with first place in the Pac-12 South on the line.

"This game we talked about redemption and relevance and that was the last thing I said before the game," UA head coach Rich Rodriguez said beating after WSU.

"I said that we had the chance to be relevvant by beating a top-25 team. Every player wants to be relevant. The more you win the more there is at stake and we have a pretty big one next week."


Third down defense

While Arizona struggled to get any sort of pass rush on WSU's quarterbacks and left receivers open quite often, it did limit WSU to 4-18 on third down, a sizable improvement from the 13-19 mark Cal posted last week.

The Wildcats also did a nice job stopping the run, holding the Cougars to just 44 rushing yards. WSU's longest run went for 11 yards.

Arizona's running game certainly had its ups and downs

While Arizona ran for 310 yards and four touchdowns, for most of the game, it had trouble manufacturing yards on the ground.

WSU was focused on defending the edge, forcing the Wildcats between the tackles. It worked for a while — Arizona's running backs had nine carries for six yards at one points and even Tate was bottled up — but eventually the Wildcats broke through and started gashing the Cougars for big yards.

Perfect start nearly ruined

Arizona had a terrific start to the game. The Wildcats won the coin toss and took the ball.

Tate connected with Shawn Poindexter for 42 yards down the middle of the field, which turned into a 30-yard field goal for Josh Pollack.

The Wildcats then forced a three-and-out, and Tate followed that up with a 48-yard touchdown pass to Jamie Nunley to put UA 10-0 with 9:04 left in the first quarter (Nunley later caught a 68-yard pass).

Then, things got a little dicey.

Arizona got yet another stop but Shun Brown muffed a punt deep in Arizona territory, which WSU turned into a touchdown, cutting Arizona's lead to 10-7.

Arizona caught a break on WSU's next possession as a Cougar receiver dropped a sure touchdown, forcing the Cougars to settle for a long field which was missed, shifting the momentum back to Arizona's side.

Shortly after, Tate connected with Brown for a 17-yard TD pass to put UA up 17-7. Tate then appeared to run for an 84-yard TD, but he stepped out at the two-yard line and Arizona eventually settled for another short field goal, making it 20-7 with 2:56 left in the half.

That's when Hilinski entered and immediately led a long TD drive with 10 seconds left in the half to make it 20-14.

Which gets me to this next point.

Not your typical college kicker

After WSU scored with 10 seconds left, Tyrell Johnson had a long kick return, putting Arizona at WSU's 39 yard line with literally one second left in the half.

In came true freshman Lucas Havrisik to attempt the 56-yard field goal, and he drilled it with several yards to spare, putting UA up 23-14 at the break.

WSU actually led in the second half

The start of the second half was just as mind-boggling as the end of the first.

Hilinski drove WSU into UA territory before forcing a pass into triple coverage, which was intercepted by Tony Fields II.

But two plays later, Tate fumbled to give WSU another shot and Hilinski would complete his next three passes, capped by an eight-yard touchdown catch by Tay Martin to trim UA’s lead to 23-20 (PAT was missed).

Tate was intercepted two plays later on a deflected pass (the refs missed a PI) and WSU would take the lead shortly after on Hilinski’s second rushing TD.

But Arizona would re-take the lead two plays later (this was #Pac12AfterDark at its finest) thanks to a 62-yard run by J.J. Taylor and then a two-yard plunge by the diminutive back.

Taylor had a 79-yard TD drive later to make it 37-27.

Erik Powell reponded with a 56-yard field goal of his own to make it 37-30, but that's as close as the Cougars would get.

Tate broke free for a patented 49-yard rushing TD to make it 44-30 with 12:50 left in the fourth, then Schooler got a 66-yard pick-six to make it 51-30 with just under 10 minutes left.

The teams then traded touchdowns later in the fourth.


Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire



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Washington State vs. Arizona open thread, updates, live stream, TV info

Come chat with us!

The Arizona Wildcats are set to host the No. 15 Washington State Cougars on Saturday for Homecoming.

Arizona (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12) has won three straight while the Cougars enter with a 7-1 record (4-1 Pac-12), coming off a 28-0 shutout over the Colorado Buffaloes.

The Cougars are slight favorites for Saturday’s game, which we will be chatting about below.

Join us!


Viewing info

Game time: 6:30 p.m. PT

TV: Pac-12 Networks

Live stream: Pac-12.com/live or Pac-12 Now App

Announcers: Roxy Bernstein (Play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), Lewis Johnson (reporter)


Radio info

Tucson stations: 107.5 FM and 1290 AM

Phoenix station: 910 AM

Announcers: Brian Jeffries (play-by-play), Lamont Lovett (analyst), and Dana Cooper (sideline)

Satellite Radio: Sirius 93, XM 197 (Arizona radio call)


Washington State vs. Arizona coverage


As always, make sure to follow us on Twitter at@AZDesertSwarm and like us on Facebook at http://ift.tt/2xG74I2



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2017-18 Arizona basketball player previews: Talbott Denny

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Washington State vs. Arizona: 5 Cougars to watch

Here are 5 players important for Wazzu’s success

Saturday is going to be another important game for the Arizona Wildcats. If they pull off an upset against the No. 15 Washington State Cougars, they will be bowl eligible. Oh, and it’s homecoming for the ‘Cats.

The Cougs on the other hand are looking to spoil UA’s three-game win streak when they come to Tucson, and there are five players they are going to lean on to make it happen.


Luke Falk, QB

2017 Stats: 233-for-339, 2,483 yds, 22 TD, 7 INT

We’ll start at the top with the obvious choice. Falk slings the ball all over the place and is pretty effective at it. He has been rattled and downright looked confused at times this year but is still as dangerous as ever.

Cal showed that you can rattle and shake Falk when you hit and pressure him throughout a game, causing mistakes on his part. Arizona’s defense will have to step up and pressure Falk to throw him off his game.


Jamal Morrow, RB

2017 Stats: 56 car, 412 yds, 3 TD; 29 rec, 251 yds, 5 TD

It was hard to pick which running back to preview here. I went with Morrow since he usually starts. James Williams and Gerard Wicks are dangerous as well but Morrow leads the group.

As you can see from the stats he is as equally dangerous catching the ball as running it. He has shiftiness mixed with power when he runs and is a sure safety net for Falk. The ‘Cats will have to be sure to do a better job protecting the flats than they did against Cal last week.


Hercules Mata’afa, DT

2017 Stats: 27 tackles, 13.0 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble

Mata’afa isn’t the biggest defensive lineman in the Pac-12, but he is definitely one of the most disruptive. He is well on his way to All-Conference honors and it’s not hard to see why.

Just under half of his tackles this season have been for a loss. And half of those have been sacks. Mata’afa’s job is going to be sure to pressure Khalil Tate into a mistake. It has yet to be seen if that can happen though, as Tate has been incredibly difficult to bring down in the backfield.


Frankie Luvu, LB

2017 Stats: 30 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries

Luvu had a disruptive game against UA last year, and the Cougs are looking for him to continue that type of play Saturday night. He will be counted on to help stop Khalil Tate and Arizona’s running game.


Isaac Dotson, LB

2017 Stats: 30 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 PBU

Another backer who is going to be relied upon by Wazzu is the redshirt senior. Dotson, along with Luvu, will be expected the lead the linebacker unit and stop Arizona’s potent running game. With the way the Wildcat offensive line has played it is a tall order for the Wazzu defense.



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5-star center Semaj Smith commits to Arizona

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How to watch Washington State vs. Arizona: Live stream, TV channel, game time, radio info

Here’s how you can tune into Saturday’s game

The Arizona Wildcats are set to host the No. 15 Washington State Cougars on Saturday for Homecoming.

Arizona (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12) has won three straight behind the arm and legs of quarterback Khalil Tate.

The Cougars enter with a 7-1 record (4-1 Pac-12), coming off a 28-0 shutout over the Colorado Buffaloes.

The Cougars are slight favorites for Saturday’s game, and we predicted the outcome here.

And here’s how you can make sure you don’t miss any of the action.


Viewing info

Game time: 6:30 p.m. PT

TV: Pac-12 Networks

Live stream: Pac-12.com/live or Pac-12 Now App

Announcers: Roxy Bernstein (Play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), Lewis Johnson (reporter)


Radio info

Tucson stations: 107.5 FM and 1290 AM

Phoenix station: 910 AM

Announcers: Brian Jeffries (play-by-play), Lamont Lovett (analyst), and Dana Cooper (sideline)

Satellite Radio: Sirius 93, XM 197 (Arizona radio call)


Washington State vs. Arizona coverage


As always, make sure to follow us on Twitter at@AZDesertSwarm and like us on Facebook at http://ift.tt/2xG74I2



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Friday, October 27, 2017

Washington State vs. Arizona: Three keys to a Wildcats victory over the Cougars

So, will Arizona sink the pirate?

Homecoming week in Tucson.

A Mountain has been lit, the bon fire’s glow on Old Main has been cast, and...the Arizona Wildcats have a chance at becoming bowl eligible?

It’s a thing!

With a renewed energy surrounding the football team, it’s likely that Arizona Stadium will be bumping on Saturday night as the Washington State Cougars roll into town for a battle of top teams in the Pac-12.

So will Arizona be able to stay at one conference loss against a team that has given them trouble recently? Here are three things that’ll need to happen to please all the alumni that will be in Tucson this weekend:

1. Luke’s Italian Beef

I’ve come away from the last couple of games concerned about Arizona’s passing defense, particularly late in the game. Against a coach like Mike Leach and a quarterback like Luke Falk, that doesn’t seem like it will end well for these Cats.

Even though Cal was able to get a bajillion sacks against this WSU team, I still think that the Cougs have one of the top two offensive lines in the conference. With that, it will be a challenge for Arizona to get pressure on Falk and force some of the mistakes that Josh Rosen made or the amount of sacks Steven Montez took.

I also don’t love that Kylan Wilborn, Dereck Boles, and Tony Fields II will be dealing with injuries suffered last week, which could hurt Arizona’s front. But if the Wildcats can overcome all of these things and get to Falk, that’ll put this team in a much better spot.

2. THE EDGE LOUNGE

If you read the best breakdown in the history of Khalil Tate’s existence, you’ll know that Cal started to have success in slowing down the Arizona phenom when it had defenders parked on the edge.

Since Arizona’s offense has been almost entirely dependent on running/quarterbacks gaining the edge, there will need to be a bit of an adjustment by the Wildcats this week.

Will it be different looks in the read option? Will it be different blocking schemes up front? Who knows, but I do know that there will need to be something different there if this offense is to have the success it has had since the bye.

3. Snap Fitness

I believe this game will be close. I don’t think that’s a controversial take given that the line as of Friday night is WSU -2.5. So there’s a good chance this will be a one possession game.

The most inconsistent thing about Arizona this year has been field goal kicking, and in particular, the snap execution of said field goals. It’s gotten to the point where Trevor Wood was doing the long snapping.

Well, Wood is out with a concussion this week, so there’s even more upheaval at that particular position. Will something go horribly wrong on a field goal or extra point? There seems to be a good chance of that!

Avoid that mistake and maybe this team pulls out a close win. Make that mistake and WSU walks away with this one (like maybe with a game-ending field goal like I predicted in our predictions thing).



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Washington State vs. Arizona score predictions

Will Arizona make it four wins in a row?

The Arizona Wildcats are set to host the No. 15 Washington State Cougars on Saturday at 6:30 p.m PT in Tucson.

Arizona has won three straight since Khalil Tate took over at quarterback, but recently history isn’t kind for the UA against WSU.

Last season, the Cougars beat Arizona 69-7 in Pullman, Wash.

While this game will surely be closer, will Arizona be able to do enough to pick up its fourth straight win? Our staff made their predictions.


Ryan Kelapire — Washington State wins 42-35

This game is pretty simple for me. I don’t think Arizona will be able to slow down Luke Falk and the Air Raid, but I do think Washington State’s defense will be able to get just enough stops against Khalil Tate and company to escape with the win.

The only way I see Arizona winning is if it overwhelmingly wins the turnover battle.

Alec Sills-Trausch — Arizona wins 42-38

Well last week was fun, wasn’t it?! So if you all remember our midseason record predictions, the staff went undefeated (good job fellas). With those predictions front and center again, I’m still holding steady with my upset pick over Washington State on Saturday.

While I don’t expect this to be as high of a scoring game as last year’s disaster, I’d be shocked if this game resided in anything less than the 30’s. What I’m most curious to see is how each team's defends the other’s strengths.

First, Arizona has seen the literal blueprint on how to top Wazzu. California did it in glorious fashion and while it’s still up in the air if Arizona can replicate it, it is possible to slow down Faulk and the Cougars.

On the flip side, California gave Mike Leach a roadmap on how to at least contain dark horse Heisman candidate Khalil Tate (if we all say it enough times, it’s bound to find its way to Bristol). Though, that might have only worked because Arizona was on running back 49 out of 50. Anyways, there are a lot of things to keep your eye on but I like the Wildcats in this Homecoming affair.

Robby Leano — Arizona wins 45-35

I’m going to keep this one short and sweet. Arizona is on a three-game winning streak now. They are on a major upswing, while Washington State has proved to be vulnerable a la Cal loss two weeks ago.

Khalil Tate has been the key factor for Arizona these past several weeks. He’s been listed as Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for three weeks straight, and is making his statement for Heisman candidacy. But Tate needs to stay healthy in order for Arizona to keep this streak going.

I think Arizona can pull of the upset over Wazzu this week. But it might come at a cost... What that cost is, I am unsure about.

Gabe Encinas — Washington State wins 54-38

I think Arizona’s run stops here simply because of Arizona’s defense, and what Luke Falk can do.

I don’t think Arizona’s offense slows down, but this game will ultimately come down to the defense staying on the field for too long and just getting picked apart.

Arizona has a lot of guys banged up, and special teams without Trevor Wood is especially concerning if this game gets close and comes down to one possession.

This team can hang with the Cougars, and I’m not ruling out the possibility of an upset win on Homecoming with a big crowd behind them, but I just think the defense finally breaks here.

Brandon Combs — Arizona wins 45-38

This is an interesting game. Wazzu’s defense is very quick and one of the best in the conference. Arizona’s offense is the most explosive.

I’m interested to see how each team reacts to the other’s strength. I don’t even remotely see this game going like last year’s. In fact, I see the opposite.

Even if Wazzu’s D can stop Tate (well, stop him in their point of view), UA has additional weapons on offense to make them pay.

On the other side, UA’s defense is more athletic than last year. Even though they have regressed since the beginning of the season, I think they’ll make enough plays to win.

Sticking true to my midseason prediction.

Christopher Boan — Arizona wins 38-35

Arizona will struggle at times to solve the Cougars’ swarming defense, which is second in the conference, allowing 18.5 points per game this season.

The Cougars also rank third in the Pac-12 in rushing yards per game allowed, at 120.1. They also return the four-letter word, Falk, to Tucson, where he’s feasted on the Wildcats.

Toss those negatives aside, baby, for no one’s stopping the bandwagon right now, not even the The Pirate himself (Mike Leach). Rich Rodriguez said that Saturday’s game is not about “revenge,” a year after the Wildcats suffered its largest loss since 1949 to Falk and company (I won’t inflict the final score upon you fine folks).

Expect the Cats to thrive at home, in what should be a packed Arizona Stadium, getting Arizona to its six-win benchmark, which means one thing — MORE RICH ROD, BABY!

Jason Bartel — Washington State wins 45-42

I just feel like the Cougs are the type of team that matches up perfectly with Arizona’s weaknesses, and even though Khalil and Co. will probably score lots of points, Leach will find a way to score more.

Field goal as time expires to draw out the bowl eligibility deal one more week.



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Arizona, Washington State unveil uniforms for Saturday’s game

Saturday will be a red out at Arizona Stadium

It’s homecoming in Tucson this weekend, so expect to see several former Arizona Wildcats in and around Arizona Stadium as the UA takes on the No. 15 Washington State Cougars.

One of those ex-Wildcats is former running back Ka’Deem Carey. The Tucson native is getting a special honor this week, too. He helped announce Saturday’s uniform combination, which will be red helmets, red jerseys, and red pants.

Arizona is 2-1 all-time when wearing all red (not including the chrome red helmets), according to WildcatUniverse.com.

Fans at Saturday’s game are encouraged to wear red — a “red out”, the kids call it.

The last time Arizona had a “red out”, things didn’t go so well. The Wildcats were blasted 56-30 by the UCLA Bruins after hosting ESPN’s College GameDay.

Scooby Wright III and Anu Solomon both left the game with injuries and Arizona’s season spiraled out of control from there.

Washington State will be wearing white helmets, white jerseys, and red pants Saturday, a very clean look for the Cougars.

Kickoff in Tucson is set for 6:30 p.m. MST and the game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.



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