Arizona Football: 5 reasons Khalil Tate will win 2018 Heisman Trophy

1. Country’s premier returning rushing quarterback

Even after sitting on the sidelines through most of the first month of the season, Khalil Tate still managed to finish 2017 with the seventh-best rushing total in the country. Only Army quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw finished the year with more rushing yards at the position. Tate concluded last season with over 1,400 rushing yards, a number that could have gone over 2,000 yards with four more starts at the beginning of the year in non-conference play.

Tate burst on to the scene in his first career start. The quarterback racked up 327 yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries against defending Pac-12 South champion Colorado. He followed that performance up with 230 yards and two scores against UCLA and another 200-yard day later in the year against Oregon State.

Among qualified runners, Tate finished first overall in the nation in terms of yards per carry. The Arizona quarterback ended 2017 averaging 9.2 yards per game every time he ran the ball. Tate also finished with 12 touchdowns on the ground. Getting to 20 touchdowns and 2,000 yards rushing is entirely possible in 2018 for the talented runner under center for the Wildcats.

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Thanks to his improving arm and his dangerous scrambling ability, Tate is going to surprise the field to emerge as the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner.