It’s very likely there are two sure things in Arizona football coach Kevin Sumlin’s evaluation of his football team with just more than a week left before UA’s season opener: Khalil Tate is the starting quarterback, and, well he knows his team “better than I did a week and a half ago.”
After last weekend’s near-70 play scrimmage he said the depth chart is coming together – he gave no hint at what it was but did say (surprisingly) that there would be one – and they did start talking about travel teams.
Wednesday’s practice, he said, was dedicated to red zone situations while Tuesday was spent working on third-down situations. Sumlin said they were starting to give Tate “game-plan specific” things and his strengths.
“He’s picking that up well,” Sumlin said.
As for the growth of Tate, he continues to do well even with so much being thrown at him under the new system and coaching staff.
“Situational football he’s worked for hard on,” Sumlin said.
When asked if Tate is “quite calm” given he’s been described that way, Sumlin “for what we do and where he is, he needs to operate that way because there are a lot of things going on in our system.”
Sumlin added that Tate just needs to be “who he is.”
“When adversity hits and there’s some sort of crisis, guess what? The real you is coming out,” Sumlin said. “If people hadn’t seen that before, it creates panic. He’s doing a good job with that.”
A&M Connection still out
There is still no word if UA will get the services of Texas A&M transfers Robert Congel and Santino Marchiol.
Marchiol made national news this week when USA Today reported that in making his case to play right away, he said the new A&M coaching staff committed rules violations while he was there which prompted him to leave A&M.
Marchiol’s family hired an attorney to help make his case that centers on a new NCAA rule that “due to documented mitigating circumstances that are outside the student’s control” a player could possibly not have to sit out a year after transferring from one Division I school to another one.
Berryhill gets a scholarship
Redshirt-freshman receiver Stanley Berryhill III has had such a nice fall camp he received a scholarship over the weekend.
“That’s how nice a camp he’s had,” Sumlin said.
Sumlin said he more than aware of the meaning behind the scholarship given that he, too, was once a walk-on at Purdue.
“I’m kind of biased, because I was one,” Sumlin said. “It’s a big deal.
“When that happens, it’s really a statement: I belong here in Division I football.”
The news became public over the weekend when Berryhill tweeted a picture of himself in front of a video screen that said, “AND … STANLEY BERRYILL YOU ARE ON SCHOLARSHIP!”
Scottie Young, Jr. practicing
Because of a suspension, sophomore safety Scottie Young Jr. was out of UA drills, but he’s been back for about a week. Sumlin said Young Jr., will be brought along slowly. Additionally, Young Jr. must sit out the first game because of punishment leveled for an off-the-field incident.
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