GAME BREAKDOWN
KEY MATCHUP: When Arizona and USC take the field Saturday night in Tucson there will be quite a bit of attention on both quarterbacks. Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate has transformed his game, albeit with some growing pains, from being primarily a running quarterback to one who spends a lot of time in the pocket. On the other side, USC freshman quarterback JT Daniels is just trying to figure out how to guide a college team.
Both players have different kinds of pressure on them, but both will be expected to be big parts of wins for their respective teams this week. Despite his youth, Daniels has Arizona head coach Kevin Sumlin concerned heading into Saturday’s game.
“With the type of competition they’ve played, he’s seen a variety of defenses now in the first four weeks of the season,” Sumlin said. “… Last week I thought he handled the second half very well.”
DRAFT SLANT
–WR Shawn Poindexter continues to make a case for being the best receiver on Arizona’s roster, and he showed that again last week in the win over Oregon State with a team-high four catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. Poindexter continues to lead the team with 369 receiving yards on 16 catches through the first four games.
ROSTER REPORT
–RB JJ Taylor earned the Pac-12 Player of the Week on offense after his career day against Oregon State in which he ran for 284 yards and two touchdowns. The redshirt sophomore leads the team with 477 yards and three rushing touchdowns.
–CB Jace Whittaker remains an uncertainty for Arizona heading into the game against USC. The veteran starting cornerback has only played in a portion of one game this season and he did not play against Oregon State. Kevin Sumlin declined to comment on Whittaker’s status, citing a personal policy to not discuss injured players with the media.
==