TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona sophomore quarterback Khalil Tate has been named a semifinalist for the 81^st Maxwell Award for the Collegiate Player of the Year, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday morning.
 
The semifinalist list is comprised of 18 total players, who were selected by the Maxwell Football Club National Selection Committee. Tate is among one of four sophomores on the list and one of four Pac-12 players to be included, along with Oregon's Royce Freeman, Stanford's Bryce Love and USC's Sam Darnold.
 
Semifinalist voting will begin Tuesday, and will close on Nov. 19. Three finalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 20, and a second round of voting will take place at that time. The winner of the award will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show, which will be broadcasted live on ESPN on Dec. 7.
 
In three starts and six games played, Tate has rushed for 926 yards and eight touchdowns on 69 attempts. He's averaging 13.4 yards per carry and 154.3 yards per game, which is third-best in the country. He's passed for 784 yards and six touchdowns, while completing 69 percent of his passes.
 
In October alone, Tate led Arizona to a 4-0 record and ran for 840 yards in the month, which is the most by any FBS player in the last 10 years. He accounted for 1,583 yards of total offense and 14 total touchdowns. The sophomore from Inglewood, California has produced four-straight 100-yard rushing games, including a 327-yard effort against Colorado, which stands as the most rushing yards ever by an FBS quarterback.
 
Tate also has one rush of 70 yards or longer in each of his last four games, including an 82-yard rush against Washington State, which is the longest run by an Arizona quarterback in school history. He's one of only seven players with four 70+ yard runs in the same season over the last decade.
 
Tate has helped the Arizona offense score 45 or points in four straight games for the first time in program history. On the season, Tate has a pass efficiency rating of 187.5, which leads the Pac-12. The next closest is Jake Browning from Washington at 153.4. He's third in total offense in the league, averaging 285 yards per game.
 
The quarterback has been named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week three straight weeks, and is the first player to do that since USC's Rodney Peete in 1988.
 
Additionally, on Monday, Tate was named one of the Manning Award Stars of the Week for his performance Saturday against Washington State. Tate was one of eight quarterbacks nationally to be recognized.  Tate threw for a career best 275 yards Saturday against the Cougars, while running for 146 yards.
 
The quarterback returns to action with his teammates Saturday evening at USC. The 23^rd ranked Wildcats (6-2, 4-1) and Trojans are set for a 7:45 p.m., kickoff on ESPN.