Arizona Backup Khalil Tate Sets FBS QB Rushing Record on Just 14 Carries
Arizona sophomore Khalil Tate filled in for a banged-up Brandon Dawkins under center in the first quarter of the Wildcats' game against Colorado. After a historic performance in a 45-42 win by the Wildcats, it’s easy to envision him locking up the starting job for the time being.
Tate looked like the real-life incarnation of Michael Vick in Madden 2004, running wild for an FBS-quarterback-record 327 yards and four touchdowns on only 14 rushes, good for a mind-numbing 23.4 yards per carry. He broke the previous mark of 321 set by Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch in 2013. Lynch needed 27 carries to reach that number though, nearly double that of Tate’s.
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The backup signal-caller—for now, at least—wasn’t too shabby through the air either, completing 11 of his 12 passes for 142 yards and another touchdown. It was his legs, however, that stole the show, as Tate’s scoring runs went for 58, 28, 47 and 75 yards.
The Wildcats needed every inch of that prolific yardage total, as the Arizona defense had its hands full in the ground game as well. Colorado tailback Phillip Lindsay tallied 281 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 41 (!!!) carries. In fact, Tate and Lindsay also set an FBS record for most combined rushing yards by opposing players with 608.
Those wild numbers may seem extraordinary. But for a #Pac12AfterDark affair like this one, it’s just a normal football game taking place on Saturday evening out on the West Coast.
