Photo courtesy Chris Hook for Arizona Athletics
For the first time in Arizona Wildcats history, a football player has won a weekly Pac-12 honor in three consecutive games.
Sophomore quarterback Khalil Tate earned his third straight Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week award on Monday following Arizona’s 45-44 double-overtime victory at Cal on Saturday.
Tate completed 10 of 15 passes for 166 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception, which was something of a desperation heave near the goal line late in regulation. He ran 17 times for 137 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown that marked his third consecutive game with a scoring run of at least 70 yards.
He is the first Pac-10/12 player to be selected Offensive Player of the Week since USC quarterback Rodney Peete in 1988.
They just keep getting better. This 76-yard run from Khalil Tate is our longest play of the season.
Arizona 14
Cal 7
3:22 1st Quarter pic.twitter.com/h4irNBBL9V
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) October 22, 2017
ESPNStatsInfo, via Twitter, said that Tate is the only quarterback within the past 10 years do have such a three-game streak.
Tate’s performance on Saturday, statistically, didn’t stack up with his previous two games, but he did have the long TD run and a touchdown pass to Bryce Wolma to start the second overtime. Tate danced out of trouble in the pocket, looked ready to run, but he kept his poise and his eyes down field and fired a strike to the freshman tight end.
Tate has led Arizona to three consecutive conference victories. In those wins over Colorado, UCLA and Cal, he has rushed 46 times for 694 yards and seven touchdowns (of 58, 28, 47, 75, 45, 71 and 76 yards). He has completed 31 of 41 passes for four touchdowns and one interception.
The only other player in Arizona history to win a Pac-12 Player of the Week award three times in the same season is linebacker Scooby Wright in his All-American season of 2014.
Arizona freshman linebacker Colin Schooler, who made 15 tackles and broken up a two-point conversion pass in the end zone to seal the victory against Cal, was selected Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week.
BTW East coast, most fun player to watch is Khalil Tate… QB #ArizonaWildcats is like Video game Mike Vick only bigger
— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) October 21, 2017
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