SALT LAKE CITY — Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez readily admits it would have been nice to redshirt 17-year-old quarterback Khalil Tate.
Circumstances, though, said otherwise.
Injuries to Anu Solomon (knee) and Brandon Dawkins (ribs) moved Tate up the depth chart. The 6-foot-2, 212-pound quarterback from Inglewood, California, saw his first collegiate action in last Saturday’s 45-24 loss at UCLA.
“I thought he played pretty well and showed some glimpses that we’re going to be OK at that position in the future,” Rodriguez said.
Tate replaced walk-on Zach Werlinger in the third quarter and wound up completing 5 of 9 passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 79 yards.
Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Tate could make his first start for the Wildcats.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said he’s a great athlete and a big, strong kid who can run and throw.
“They have some unsettled issues at quarterback and I’m not sure what we are going to see,” Whittingham said. “Obviously we have a lot of video on Anu Solomon from over the years and Brandon Dawkins has played a lot this year, not so much on tape, and then what we saw at UCLA.”
Despite Arizona’s uncertainty at quarterback, Tate is on Utah’s radar in the wake of his performance against the Bruins.
“He’s a talented freshman that brought some juice to that game a little bit when he started running the ball and made some great plays throwing the ball, escaping the pocket,” said defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley. “So he gave them an opportunity to get back in the game and we’ve got to be aware of that.”
For the Utes, the Wildcats provide a contrast in style from last week’s game against pass-happy California and quarterback Davis Webb.
“No question. He was much more of a thrower — get the ball out, get the ball out on time,” Scalley said. “Whereas these guys, if it’s not there, they’re very athletic and they can make plays with their feet.”
Arizona enters the game at Utah ranked second in the Pac-12 with 246.8 yards per game on the ground. The Wildcats (2-3, 0-2) have averaged 285.2 yards rushing in defeating the Utes the past four seasons.
“We’ve played well against them,” Rodriguez said. “For whatever reason, it’s probably been as well as we’ve played in each game the last three or four years.”
Injuries, though, have taken a toll on Arizona prior to this meeting. Rodriguez noted that 28 players were on his team’s injury list Monday, including 18 starters.
The Wildcats are also young. Rodriguez said there are 35 first-year players in the program. He expects about the same number next season.
“So we’re going to be OK going forward,” he continued. “But just right now, it’s a little bit tougher.”
The cupboard, though, isn’t bare — even if experience is lacking.
Safety Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and kicker/punter Josh Pollack are sophomores to watch. So, too, is senior linebacker Cody Ippolito.
Arizona opened the season with an 18-16 loss to BYU. That was followed by wins over Grambling State (31-21) and Hawaii (47-28). Pac-12 play began with a 35-28 overtime loss to nationally-ranked Washington. Then came the setback at UCLA.
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Arizona Wildcats at a glance
Record: 2-3, 0-2
Head coach: Rich Rodriguez (155-107-2 overall, 35-23 at Arizona)
Offense: Sophomore quarterback Brandon Dawkins, who is questionable this week because of a rib injury, leads the Wildcats with 698 yards passing and 435 yards rushing.
Defense: Sophomore safety Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles tops the team with 27 tackles and two interceptions.
Special teams: Sophomore Josh Pollack is a busy guy. He’s made five field goals and 17 PATs as the kicker and is averaging 44.6 yards as the punter.
Series with Utes: Utes lead 20-19-2
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Arizona (2-3, 0-2) at No. 24 Utah (4-1, 1-1)
Saturday, 8 p.m.
TV: FS1
Radio: ESPN 700AM
email: dirk@deseretnews.com
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