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Lev’s No. 1:

Khalil Tate bursts onto the national scene with a record-setting performance at Colorado

What went down: Coming off the bench, quarterback Khalil Tate rushed for 327 yards — most ever by a quarterback in FBS — and accounted for five touchdowns in Arizona’s 45-42 victory over Colorado on Oct. 7, 2017, in Boulder.

What we wrote at the time: In your life have you seen anything like that?

A Tiger Woods chip-in at The Masters, maybe?

A Willie Mays over-the-shoulder catch in the World Series?

No quarterback in the history of college football has ever played a perfect game, not from first snap to last snap, but on Saturday at Folsom Field, Arizona’s Khalil Tate was one pitch away.

It was, according to UA cornerback Jace Whittaker, “electrifying.�

It wasn’t that Tate broke the FBS — an abbreviation that when referring to Tate should hence be known as Fabulous — record by rushing for 327 yards, more than any quarterback in Fabulous history. And it wasn’t that he was 11-for-12 passing, with the only incompletion being a drop by Tyrell Johnson.

It was all of those things and more.

Of the 47 snaps Tate took at quarterback, Arizona was only penalized once, for 5 yards. If he made a mistake, it was not shining his shoes and combing his hair before a postgame press conference after Arizona’s 45-42 victory over Colorado, an outcome of such potential enormity that it creates four scenarios that even the hardiest Wildcat fan couldn’t have imagined 24 hours earlier:

One, it probably sold an extra 10,000 tickets for Saturday’s home game against UCLA.

Two, it might have changed the trajectory of coach Rich Rodriguez’s career.

Three, it could save the athletic department $6 million to $8 million in a coaching staff change.

Four, it gives long-long-long-suffering UA football fans a belief that the Quarterback Of The Future wears No. 14 and has at long last arrived.

That’s the truth, Ruth.

Before Saturday’s game, most Arizona football fans weren’t sure if you spelled Khalil Tate’s name with or without the h. The h belongs. It stands for humble.

Tate plays like a pit bull on roller skates, but after Saturday’s game he didn’t say anything that could be re-tweeted or used for a television sound byte.

He was asked if he had ever gained 300 yards in a game, even in high school?

“No,� he said softly. “Maybe. I’m not sure.�

Senior offensive guard Jacob Alsadek described Tate as “reserved, laid back and quiet.�

In many losing football programs, the backup quarterback is the most popular player in the community. But when most of those second-teamers get their chance, you discover why they’ve been sitting on the bench.

Did you have any idea Arizona, or any team, had a quarterback on the bench who could run for 327 yards and complete 11 of 12 passes?

— Greg Hansen

Player of the game: Duh. Tate wasn’t just the player of the game, he was the Pac-12 Player of the Week and the talk of college football. His passing stats later were changed to 12 of 13. Either way, in addition to rushing for over 300 yards, Tate had just one incomplete pass.

By the numbers: So very many to choose from. Tate’s average per carry: 23.4 yards (highest in school history, minimum 10 carries). The average length of his four rushing touchdowns: 52 yards. Tate’s completion rate: 92.3%. His total yards: 481 (fifth most in school history).

The aftermath: The Colorado game wasn’t a one-off for Tate. He would win an unprecedented four consecutive Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week awards, leading Arizona to four straight wins. In each of those games, he rushed for at least 137 yards and accounted for at least three touchdowns.

He reached those same benchmarks in a Nov. 4 loss at USC. The following week, he totaled only two TDs — but rushed for 206 yards in a 49-28 throttling of Oregon State.

Tate finally ran into some resistance the next week at Oregon. He got hurt in the Territorial Cup after a sizzling start (10 of 11 passing in the first half). He came back for the Foster Farms Bowl and set career highs with 302 passing yards and five TD passes in a 38-35 loss to Purdue.

After an injury-riddled, 3-9 season in 2016, Arizona finished 7-6. The arrow seemed to be pointing up.

Even after the surprising dismissal of Rodriguez, mostly for off-field reasons, the UA brought aboard Kevin Sumlin, who had helped Johnny Manziel win a Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M. Sumlin tutoring Tate seemed like the perfect match of coach and quarterback.

It never quite came together. Tate had brilliant games and productive stretches but just as many minor injuries and head-scratching moments. He would play two more seasons at Arizona, never fully recapturing the glory of October ’17.

Personal reflections: Tate wasn’t an unknown commodity to those who followed UA football closely. He was a coveted, four-star recruit who had offers from USC and UCLA, among others. He hadn’t gotten his shot because, in Rodriguez’s view, he wasn’t ready yet. Remember: Tate was a true sophomore at the time, and he was young for his class.

The chance came when starter Brandon Dawkins got banged up crashing into the cramped bench area at Folsom Field. It quickly turned into a Wally Pipp-Lou Gehrig situation. As Tate repeatedly sprinted through the befuddled Buffaloes, a star was born.

Sitting in the press box in Boulder, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. We knew Tate was athletically gifted, but he made the CU defense look utterly helpless. I hadn’t witnessed a performer so breathtaking since Reggie Bush — who, by the way, never won four straight Pac-12 Player of the Week awards.

Rodriguez was predictably incredulous when I asked him afterward whether Tate would be the starter moving forward. But it had to be asked because there was so much uncertainty after a 2-2 start that included a turnover-filled home loss to Utah.

Many also justifiably wondered how Rodriguez hadn’t named Tate the starter well before the Colorado game. How could someone this good be stuck on the sideline?

I always theorized that it was impossible to see how good a runner Tate was in practice because coaches typically halt plays shortly after a quarterback runs past the line of scrimmage. Why? A) They don’t want the QB to get hurt; and B) they want to move on to the next play to maximize the practice window.

Tate proved to be something of an enigma to his coaches, teammates and the media. We won’t rehash it all here, because it’s a lot.

I’ve always said this, though: It was never dull when Tate was in Tucson. He always provided something to talk or write about.

Never more so than on Oct. 7, 2017.

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