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 Arizonas 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 Arizonas 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.