Arizona’s Khalil Tate, Jace Whittaker graded highly by PFF in loss to Hawaii

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Wildcats lost to the Hawaii Warriors Saturday despite having the two best performers on the field, according to Pro Football Focus.

UA quarterback Khalil Tate was given an 88.2 grade on the night by the evaluation service, easily the highest grade for an offensive player. Coming in at No. 2 was Hawaii wide receiver Cedric Byrd II (81.0), who caught 14 passes for 224 yards and four touchdowns.

Tate completed 22 passes for a career-high 361 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also rushed for 108 yards on 13 carries.

Per PFF, which evaluates every play, Tate had a deep passer rating (passes 20+ yards) of 128.2 and forced seven missed tackles as a ball carrier.

Khalil Tate looked back to his old ways last night in Week 0. pic.twitter.com/cvGnRaGM5L

— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 25, 2019

Arizona wide receivers Stanley Berryhill III (three catches, 92 yards, 1 TD) and Tayvian Cunningham (four catches, 64 yards) were the third- and fourth-best offensive performers, while UA right guard Cody Creason was No. 5.

Here are the highest-graded players on the offensive side from last night's shootout between Arizona and Hawaii! pic.twitter.com/JxMIcy1mp5

— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 25, 2019

On defense, Jace Whittaker received a game-high grade of 91.3. The redshirt senior had five tackles, two interceptions, and a pass breakup, while allowing a passer rating of just 27.5 and 0.72 yards per cover snap.

Jace Whittaker was ON POINT in coverage against Hawaii. pic.twitter.com/Sp6EHt0Hcs

— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 26, 2019

Fellow cornerback Lorenzo Burns was the fourth-highest graded defensive player in the game (72.0) while linebacker Tony Fields II (67.9) checked in at No. 5. Both intercepted a pass.

A glaring omission is Colin Schooler, who led the team with nine tackles.

There wasn't a lot of defense played, but several players had some good individual performances, including Jace Whittaker with an ELITE 91.3 grade. pic.twitter.com/FOMfR4aBEY

— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 25, 2019

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