ARIZONA FOOTBALL

Stars Khalil Tate, Ed Oliver take stage in Sumlin’s Houston homecoming

Sep 7, 2018, 7:03 AM

AP Photos...

AP Photos

The Kevin Sumlin era at Arizona got off to a rocky start Saturday in the Wildcats’ 28-23 loss to BYU, and he’ll square off against his former employer in week two.

Quarterback Khalil Tate threw for only 197 yards and rushed just eight times for 14 yards in the loss, and the next team on the schedule isn’t exactly a cupcake — Houston. Despite trailing 24-17 at halftime against Rice Saturday, Houston stormed out of the gates in the second half, outscoring the Owls 28-3.

Sumlin coached at Houston from 2008-2011, leading the Cougars to three winning seasons in four years and a 12-1 season in his final year.

In last year’s meeting between Houston and Arizona, the Cougars prevailed in a 19-16 defensive battle. This year, the game is played in Houston, and Sumlin will return to UH for the first time since leaving in 2011.

Essential info

What: Arizona at Houston

When: 9 a.m.

TV: ABC/ESPN2

Storylines to follow

Can Tate get past Ed Oliver?

Tate struggled in the opener vs. BYU, and that defense didn’t have a player near the caliber of Houston’s Ed Oliver.

Oliver, standing 6-foot-3 and 293 pounds, is a junior defensive tackle who is expected to be selected in the first few picks of the 2019 NFL Draft. In the Cougars’ first game of 2018, Oliver recorded 13 total tackles.

Perhaps more memorable to an Arizona fan is what he did in last year’s game against the Wildcats. In the Houston win, Oliver forced a fumble, blocked a kick and had 11 tackles.

In his pre-Houston press conference, Sumlin praised Oliver’s abilities.

“He’s a great player — not a good player, a great player,” Sumlin said. “Oliver is a very, very special athlete and one of the best players in the country. He’s done it against everybody, and as a coaching staff, we’ve got to put our guys in the best position to be successful.”

As a whole, Houston’s defense may not be as stout as BYU’s, but Oliver alone will put loads of pressure on Tate and an inexperienced offensive line.

How will Arizona run the offense?

Last week, Sumlin and his staff were criticized for how they utilized Tate.

The junior dual-threat threw the ball 34 times, one shy of his career-high, and rushed just eight times. Granted, this is partly because Arizona had to attempt to throw its way out of an 18-point deficit, but even so, there weren’t as many designed quarterback runs as last year when the Wildcats had the lead.

“I think it’s not just me and Noel (Mazzone) with Khalil, I think it’s our team,” Sumlin said. “We’ll know a lot more Saturday night than we did last week, and we do know a lot more.”

With Oliver haunting the offensive line, Tate may find himself scrambling to make plays more often in week two.

Can Arizona stop Houston’s offense?

Houston has one of the best offensive coaching staffs in college, led by head coach Major Applewhite and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles.

For years, Briles was a offensive pioneer at Baylor before the Title IX investigations led to his dismissal from the program. Briles was once again successful in his one season at Florida Atlantic, and he brought his fast-paced offense to Houston.

Quarterback D’Eriq King excelled in Houston’s week one win, despite a slow start, throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Additionally, Houston ran for 247 yards on the ground, split between seven rushers.

Houston’s offense is much faster and more athletic than BYU’s.

Can Arizona’s line protect Tate?

In Arizona’s week one loss, the offensive line looked like a unit that only retained one starter from last year.

The Wildcats are now without starting center Nathan Eldridge, who is out indefinitely, adding to the laundry list of the Wildcats’s offensive line woes. Although Tate was only sacked once in week one, he was not given much time to make plays because of pressure from the BYU front seven.

“We had four first-time starters, and I didn’t even think about that going into the game because that’s who we have right now,” Sumlin said. “That’s college football. It’s not like we’re going to get someone else, so we’ve got to coach them.”

The only light at the end of the tunnel: tackle Layth Friekh returns from his suspension after this week.

Key Wildcats

QB Khalil Tate

Tate didn’t look like the same dual-threat weapon he was last year in week one, but that’s expected in his first game behind an inexperienced offensive line and a new offensive system. That being said, he still found a way to throw for almost 200 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

With Oliver on the other side, Tate may find himself scrambling for his life.

S Isaiah Hayes

Though Arizona’s defense struggled in a variety of ways Saturday, Isaiah Hayes was a bright spot for the Wildcats’ defense. Hayes missed 2017 with injury but looked crisp in the loss, recording 13 tackles, 11 of which were solo.

Despite being one of the youngest members of the unit, Hayes proved Saturday he is a leader for a defense that lacks a pass rush and depth in the secondary.

Key Cougars

DT Ed Oliver

Oliver hit the ground running in his first game of 2018, with 13 total tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. Because of his stellar performance, Oliver was awarded with the week one Lott IMPACT Player of the Week.

Arizona and Sumlin are well aware of his talents, so it won’t be surprising if Oliver picks up a double team.

RB Patrick Carr

Terence Williams entered the season expecting to be the Cougars’ go-to back, but after week one, that may not be the case. Williams rushed for just 16 yards on seven carries, while Patrick Carr ran for 74 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.

Arizona had trouble last week with BYU running back Squally Canada, so Houston will likely look to Carr and dual-threat quarterback D’Eriq King frequently on Saturday.

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