DALLAS (FWAA) – Quarterback Khalil Tate had
a fourth straight masterful performance and the Arizona Wildcats
kept pace with the leaders of the Pac-12 South with a resounding
58-37 win over No. 15 Washington State on Saturday. For its first
win over a ranked team since 2015, Arizona (6-2) has earned the
Football Writers Association of America National Team of
the Week honor for games of the weekend of Oct. 28.
The announcement came on "Off Campus with Mark Packer" on ESPNU
Radio on SiriusXM. Each Monday during the season, the FWAA National
Team of the Week will be unveiled during the program, which airs
weekdays from 4-7 p.m. ET.
Tate rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown and passed for 275
yards and two other touchdowns – the bulk of Arizona’s 585 total
yards. The redshirt sophomore led the Wildcats' youth movement with
an 82-yard touchdown run and averaged 11.2 yards on his 12 carries.
J.J. Taylor, a redshirt freshman, averaged 11.7 yards per carry
in his 157-yard night, including scoring runs of 79 and 3 yards
after Washington State had rallied to take the lead in the third
quarter.
Washington State ran 101 plays while Arizona ran a mere 51.
"This game we talked about redemption and relevance and
that was the last thing I said to them before the game," Arizona
head coach Rich Rodriguez said. "I said that we had a chance
to be relevant by beating a top-25 team. Every player wants to be
relevant. The more you win the more there is at stake and we have
a pretty big one next week."
The win was Arizona’s fourth straight in Pac-12 play. The Wildcats’
last win over a ranked opponent came on Nov. 14, 2015, a 37-30 double-overtime
win over No. 10 Utah.
This is Arizona’s second time to win the FWAA award and first
since 2010..
The other National Team of the Week nominee for the weekend of
Oct. 28 was:
• Iowa State (6-2): The Cyclones won a battle
between the Big 12’s top two defenses, forcing three turnovers
that keyed a 14-7 win over No. 4 TCU in Ames. Iowa State led
14-0 at the half and held on late with Marcel Spears’ interception
with 1:16 left. It was the second win over a top-five team this
season for the Cyclones, who won the National Team of the Week
honors on Oct. 9 for their win over then-No. 3 Oklahoma. ISU
is now bowl-eligible for the first time since 2012.
• Ohio State (7-1): 1) The Buckeyes rallied
from 11 points down in the final five minutes and handed No.
2 Penn State its first loss, 39-38. J.T. Barrett was 33-for-39
for 328 yards and four touchdowns, three of them in the fourth
quarter after OSU trailed 35-20. Two of the fourth-quarter touchdown
passes went to Johnnie Dixon.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national
team of the week since the 2002 season. Members of the 12-person
FWAA All-America Committee – plus one fan vote from Twitter –
decide the weekly honor.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football.
The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key
executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas
that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team.
For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson
at tiger@fwaa.com.
2017 FWAA ALL-AMERICA
COMMITTEE |
Kirk Bohls |
Austin American-Statesman |
National |
Ken Capps |
TexasFootball.com |
C-USA |
Tim Griffin |
Cox Communications |
Big12 |
Clay Henry |
Hawgs Illustrated |
SEC |
Joey Johnston |
FanRag Sports |
American Athletic |
Bobby La Gesse |
Land of 10 |
Big Ten |
Stefanie Loh |
Seattle Times |
Pac-12 |
Nate Mink |
Syracuse Post-Standard |
ACC |
Matt Roberson |
Jonesboro Sun |
Sun Belt |
Phil Steele |
Phil Steele Publications |
Independents/Mountain West |
John Wagner |
Toledo Blade |
Mid-American |
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