Tate began his senior season looking like a true dual threat. He rushed for 100-plus yards in two of Arizona’s first three games and threw for a career-high 404 yards at Colorado on Oct. 5 as the UA started 4-1.

Tate and the Wildcats then hit a wall. He struggled to move the offense against Washington and USC and ended up sharing time with freshman Grant Gunnell until the season finale. Arizona lost its final seven games. Tate passed for 1,954 yards but threw nearly as many interceptions (11) as touchdowns (14).

Regarding the transition from Rich Rodriguez’s scheme to Mazzone’s, Tate told the Star-Telegram: “Going from an offense that was real run heavy to one that had a lot of passes was different. But it’s something you have to do as a quarterback. You’ve got to be able to adjust and perform to the best of your abilities.”

Tate is hopeful the success of Lamar Jackson will make NFL teams more open-minded. Jackson won the Heisman Trophy at Louisville but entered the NFL with concerns about his accuracy. He led the Baltimore Ravens to the No. 1 seed in the AFC in his second season and is the front-runner to be named league MVP.

“I feel like it’s perfect timing,” Tate said. “He’s doing really well.”

Contact sports reporter Michael Lev at 573-4148 or mlev@tucson.com. On Twitter @michaeljlev

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