Arizona: By the Numbers and Depth Chart
Cal and Arizona face off Saturday for the Bears' homecoming game (5 PM, Pac-12 Network), and it's set to be a matchup of two teams that have already exceeded expectations. For Cal, it's been behind a turnover-creating defensive effort. For the Wildcats, it's been on the back of a few young guns, most prolifically, sophomore QB Khalil Tate.
Numbers on Tate:
Tate played sparingly in the first four games of the season before taking on Colorado, getting in after starter Brandon Dawkins got knocked out of the game, and he's put together two strong performances in gaining the starting job.
557: the two game rushing tally for Tate, who flummoxed Colorado for 327 yards on 14 carries for 4 touchdowns, and continued against UCLA with 15 carries for 230 yards and 2 more touchdowns, which equals to 19.2 yards per carry. Setting an edge to deal with the quarterback runs is imperative for the Bears, along with tackling well. Tate has totaled 39 carries for 643 yards on the season (16.5 yards per carry). Tate has also not been sacked in the past two games.
74.3: The completion percentage for Tate, who's only thrown 35 passes on the year, 26 of those coming in his previous two games. He's a thrower when he needs to be, as he had a couple of nice throws deep in the last game against UCLA, but the likelihood is that he'll keep it simple going forward. He's 26-35 for 343 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT on the year so far.
More Numbers on the Wildcats:
342.3 and 6.9 - The rushing averages per game and per yard. Arizona has done this with Tate in the last few games, but Nick Wilson and JJ Taylor have been big contributors as well. Wilson has proven to be a more bruising runner, and he went over the 100 yard mark a week ago.
120 - Combined starts from the offensive line, with RG Jacob Alsadek having the most with 39, and left tackle Layth Friekh having the second most with 27. It's an experienced group, with RT Gerhard de Beer being one of the most interesting players on the team (15 career starts), as he joined the track and field program, coming to Tucson from South Africa and joining the football team despite not knowing about football (but having played rugby at home)
7 - Starters or co-starters that are freshmen or redshirt freshmen. Arizona is a young team, and a lot of players are contributing early, especially true freshmen linebackers Kylan Wilborn (had 4 sacks a week ago), Colin Schooler, and Tony Fields II. Look for the Bears to try to go after the youth with play action and rollouts, forcing them to run and negating the pass rush advantage. Redshirt freshman Lorenzo Burns has also been the top tackler for the group, with 37.
2 - Number of interceptions Jace Whittaker had a week ago, picking Josh Rosen twise and returning one for a touchdown.
5 - Number of sacks Arizona has given up, partially due to their running QB and tendency toward the run (about two-thirds of their plays on offense have been runs), but they don't get stopped in the backfield often. In the last two weeks, UA has given up 2 TFLs, as their line has progressed mightily.
21- receptions by their top receiver, Shun Brown. For a comparison, Cal has three players with at least 21 receptions (Noa, Laird, and Wharton). Tony Ellison may be the bigger deep play threat, averaging 17.7 yards per reception on 17 catches.
(Note: Scottie Young may be out this weekend)
Other Key Players to Watch:
Tony Fields II: Flashes on tape a lot, true freshman with a lot of speed at the Will linebacker spot. Can make plays in the backfield, penetrates very well in the run game. Maybe a little undersized at 225 lbs, but doesn't show it.
Colin Schooler: Another true freshman linebacker, brother Brenden is at Oregon. Was a good tackler in high school, and that's continued over. Might also be a little undersized, but has enough speed to make teams pay.
Nick Wilson: A lot of attention is going to go to Tate, but Wilson (the only player on the roster who played a big role in UA's last game against Cal) is a bruising runner who is averaging over five yards a carry. Cal has to account for him in the run game every time, which means discipline with Tate being the big threat.
Ellison: Quick wideout in the slot, Bears have to account for him regardless, need the defensive backs to play him well, as Tate is just as capable at hitting the short passes to his wide receivers, something that may keep the Bears in nickel packages more than they ought to.