Arizona QB Khalil Tate to start at Colorado, per report

Khalil Tate is back after a one-game absence.

The Arizona Wildcats quarterback will start against the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, according to C.J. Holmes of The Athletic.

Tate missed last week’s win vs. UCLA due to hamstring and ankle injuries, allowing true freshman Grant Gunnell to make his first start and, eventually, be named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.

Tate has terrorized the Buffaloes the last two seasons. In 2017, he famously replaced the injured Brandon Dawkins and ran for an FBS quarterback 327 yards and four touchdowns in addition to a nearly flawless game through the air in which he completed 12 of 13 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown.

In 2018, Tate was hindered by an ankle injury and held to 15 rushing yards, but still passed for 350 yards and five touchdowns on just 22 attempts.

Arizona won both matchups narrowly, and will likely need Tate to have another big day Saturday in what is expected to be a high-scoring affair, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see Gunnell get some action if Tate looks limited.

Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. MST on the Pac-12 Network.