‘We needed a week’: UA used bye to rest, recover
No team in the Pac-12 needed a bye week more than Arizona — even if the Wildcats entered last weekend’s break as one of the league’s hottest teams.
UA — and quarterback Khalil Tate — are finally healthy as it heads into Saturday’s game at No. 8 Washington State.
Tate suffered an ankle injury during the season opener versus BYU, which lingered throughout the season and kept him out of the UCLA game four weeks ago.
It wasn’t just Tate who needed the break. Running back J.J. Taylor rushed a career-high 40 times against Colorado, six days after posting 30 carries in Arizona’s 44-15 win over Oregon. Taylor ranks fourth in FBS in rushing with 1,221 yards; he trails ASU’s Eno Benjamin (1,295), Memphis’ Darrell Henderson (1,446) and Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor (1,548).
Arizona’s late bye was a first for coach Kevin Sumlin. Washington State, by comparison, had its bye the second week of October.
“I know we’re one of few teams to play 10 weeks in a row. From that standpoint and just from physical and mental health with the combination of travel and late games 10 weeks in a row, we needed a week,” Sumlin said Monday. “I don’t think there’s been a time in my coaching career in 30 years that we’ve gone to the schedule and played 10 straight weeks in a row.”
What did UA accomplish during the week off? The Wildcats practiced three times and sought treatment for injuries. Sumlin and his staff dispersed to California, Kansas, Texas, Georgia, Florida and parts of Arizona to recruit. Sumlin said Monday he attended a junior college football game, but didn’t specify which one.
Several players also traveled back to their hometowns for the first time since June, when preseason camp began.
Familiarity with WSU’s Leach
Saturday marks the time Sumlin and Washington State’s Mike Leach will coach against each other in the Pac-12, but the two have a long history dating to their time in the Big 12 Conference.
Sumlin was the tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator at Oklahoma from 2003-07.
Leach, himself a former Sooners offensive coordinator, was the head coach at Texas Tech from 2000-09.
The coaches have “shared ideas, we’ve visited with each other and we’ve just known each other for a long time,” Sumlin said.
Leach’s quirky personality is part of his charm, whether he’s providing dating advice, referring to slot wide receivers as “elves” or making his picks for which Pac-12 mascots would win if they came to life.
Sumlin said he has plenty of stories about Leach — just none he can repeat.
“Not one that I could share,” he said. “I’ve got plenty of good ones though.”
Minshew and the Wazzu offense
Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew is now college football’s top passer with 3,852 yards. Some could even make a case that he’s entered the Heisman Trophy discussion.
Minshew is averaging 385.2 yards per game and completing 69.6 percent of his passes.