It was another quick press conference Monday as Rich Rodriguez joined the media to talk about his team's big win and the upcoming game this Saturday against Cal. Some of the questions fans have been wondering about were asked and while some won't like the answers the UA head coach didn't shy away from answering them too much.
Here is a rundown of the major topics touched on to start the week for UA.
* Khalil Tate, who was named Pac-12 Player of the Week again, was officially moved to the the top of the depth chart today with no "OR" between the sophomore and Brandon Dawkins. The depth chart has not read that way at all this season even Saturday before the UCLA game. The biggest question Arizona fans have had is "why has it taken this long for him to start?"
Rodriguez once again leaned on Tate's youth and his shoulder injury for the reasons why the impressive young signal caller was not at the top of the depth chart to start the year.
"A guy plays really good and you open yourself up to, 'where the heck has he been and why hasn't he been starting?'" Rodriguez said. "You know what, I understand the question. Frankly, he was a young guy still learning and Brandon played better in August camp and the start of the season. Then Khalil, it sounds like a coach making a reason, but he got hurt. For about three weeks he could hardly throw, but the Colorado week he was healthy.
"He had a good week of practice and we talked about it and said, 'listen you may get an opportunity.' I didn't know when it was gonna happen and when he got his opportunity he's made the most of it. ... This is the healthiest he's been in a month and he's actually playing better than we anticipated he would particularly running wise."
* The next issue that comes out of Tate being injured is that he was never listed on Arizona's injury report at any point throughout that time. This is not something new and Arizona has done this in many instances before. The program doesn't have to put out an official injury report and just because it does that doesn't mean it will always divulge the full detail of all the injured players. For example, it took two weeks before Nick Reinhardt was listed on the injury report this season when it was known fairly soon that he hard a torn ACL. It happens and normally it is because the staff doesn't want to give its opponent any type of advantage. Rodriguez played coy with the question today as to why Tate never made it on the injury report.
"Oh he wasn't?" Rodriguez said when why Tate was never officially listed as injured. "How 'bout that? ... Yeah, he had a dinged up shoulder. He probably could've been on the report, but why put it on there you know? ... Sometimes it doesn't make it on there."
* Brandon Dawkins was in good spirits before the game and was never caught sulking on the sidelines during Saturday's game and Rodriguez continues to want to keep his spirits up. Although Tate is now officially listed as the lone starter atop the depth chart, much like the injury report, that can be a suggestion more than it is a strict list that the team will stick to. Rodriguez said Monday he still believes the team has two starters at quarterback and he has expressed that to Dawkins.
"I talked to him a little bit last week," Rodriguez said of his now backup quarterback. "I haven't talked to him since this game. I thought he was terrific in how he handled everything last week. I told him, 'I still feel we've got two starting quarterbacks.' He had a good week of practice and he seemed pretty focused last night (Sunday). It's good."
I'll have some more from Monday's press conference later this week too. I've had some car trouble so I was't able to make it to the press conference so I just had to watch it online but here is the school's video of it in its entirety.
Here is a rundown of the major topics touched on to start the week for UA.
* Khalil Tate, who was named Pac-12 Player of the Week again, was officially moved to the the top of the depth chart today with no "OR" between the sophomore and Brandon Dawkins. The depth chart has not read that way at all this season even Saturday before the UCLA game. The biggest question Arizona fans have had is "why has it taken this long for him to start?"
Rodriguez once again leaned on Tate's youth and his shoulder injury for the reasons why the impressive young signal caller was not at the top of the depth chart to start the year.
"A guy plays really good and you open yourself up to, 'where the heck has he been and why hasn't he been starting?'" Rodriguez said. "You know what, I understand the question. Frankly, he was a young guy still learning and Brandon played better in August camp and the start of the season. Then Khalil, it sounds like a coach making a reason, but he got hurt. For about three weeks he could hardly throw, but the Colorado week he was healthy.
"He had a good week of practice and we talked about it and said, 'listen you may get an opportunity.' I didn't know when it was gonna happen and when he got his opportunity he's made the most of it. ... This is the healthiest he's been in a month and he's actually playing better than we anticipated he would particularly running wise."
* The next issue that comes out of Tate being injured is that he was never listed on Arizona's injury report at any point throughout that time. This is not something new and Arizona has done this in many instances before. The program doesn't have to put out an official injury report and just because it does that doesn't mean it will always divulge the full detail of all the injured players. For example, it took two weeks before Nick Reinhardt was listed on the injury report this season when it was known fairly soon that he hard a torn ACL. It happens and normally it is because the staff doesn't want to give its opponent any type of advantage. Rodriguez played coy with the question today as to why Tate never made it on the injury report.
"Oh he wasn't?" Rodriguez said when why Tate was never officially listed as injured. "How 'bout that? ... Yeah, he had a dinged up shoulder. He probably could've been on the report, but why put it on there you know? ... Sometimes it doesn't make it on there."
* Brandon Dawkins was in good spirits before the game and was never caught sulking on the sidelines during Saturday's game and Rodriguez continues to want to keep his spirits up. Although Tate is now officially listed as the lone starter atop the depth chart, much like the injury report, that can be a suggestion more than it is a strict list that the team will stick to. Rodriguez said Monday he still believes the team has two starters at quarterback and he has expressed that to Dawkins.
"I talked to him a little bit last week," Rodriguez said of his now backup quarterback. "I haven't talked to him since this game. I thought he was terrific in how he handled everything last week. I told him, 'I still feel we've got two starting quarterbacks.' He had a good week of practice and he seemed pretty focused last night (Sunday). It's good."
I'll have some more from Monday's press conference later this week too. I've had some car trouble so I was't able to make it to the press conference so I just had to watch it online but here is the school's video of it in its entirety.
