QB Tate’s status up in the air for UCLA game
The saga of Khalil Tate’s left ankle continues.
The junior quarterback hurt the ankle early in Week 2 against Houston, an injury that has contributed to — but isn’t completely responsible for — his unusually low rushing total (112 yards) after a 1,411-yard season on the ground. And now the situation appears worse.
Tate played only two series in Friday night’s 42-10 loss at Utah, leaving the game after linebacker Chase Hanson landed on the ankle after making a sack.
Arizona coach Kevin Sumlin was asked Monday about Tate’s status.
“Don’t know yet,” he said.
Considering it’s his usual policy to not talk about injuries — and that he doesn’t have any further scheduled availability with the local media this week — chances are that Tate’s status could be a mystery at least until warm-ups for Arizona’s game at UCLA on Saturday night from the Rose Bowl.
The Bruins (1-5, 1-2 Pac-12) beat Cal 37-7 last weekend for their first win under coach Chip Kelly. Arizona is 3-4 overall, 2-2 in the Pac-12.
Tate, under first-year Arizona coach Kevin Sumlin and new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, hasn’t developed into the Heisman candidate he looked like for part of last season while running the zone-read system of Rich Rodriguez.
The new staff has wanted him to be more of a pocket passer — which is a worthy goal — and Tate himself has been reluctant to scramble and improvise at times. Without Tate’s running threat, Arizona has been only modestly successful through the air, with Tate completing 95-of-178 passes for 1,415 yards, with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. His numbers are inflated by a big effort against FCS school Southern Utah.
If Tate needs a rest this week, Sumlin’s options appear to be true freshman Jamarye Joiner and sophomore Rhett Rodriguez, the son of the former coach Rich Rodriguez. Joiner, a dual threat, played two series after Tate’s injury Friday night, replaced by Rodriguez for a two-minute drill at the end of the first half.
He then finished the game, completing 20 of 38 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown as Utah cruised following a 28-0 halftime lead.
“I thought he did a nice job in a very, very difficult situation — being down, being on the road,” Sumlin said. “He looked very, very comfortable and poised throughout that time. I just felt like Rhett was doing as good a job as anybody could do at that point, and he continued to play.”