TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Arizona Wildcats are set to host Oregon State in the final home game of the season Saturday night. Game time is set for 8:15 p.m., on ESPN2. Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore and Quint Kessenich will have the call. 

Below is a full preview:

Some Game Themes: The Wildcats return to action Saturday night at Arizona Stadium, marking the final home game of the 2017 season and the last for some 18 seniors. These games are always bittersweet and often emotional, but with a pair of road games on deck, the script is far from written for this senior class … Arizona saw its four-game win streak snapped last week as a comeback bid fell short against USC. The key now is making sure the Trojans don't beat the Wildcats this week, too. … Motivation should be high for the Wildcats, even though they welcome a winless Oregon State squad to town. After all, it was this time last year the Beavers handed the Cats an eighth-straight loss. This time around, Arizona has a chance to return the favor … However, circumstances are a bit different. OSU has shown a renewed spirit the last three games under the direction of interim head coach Cory Hall. Often times, underdogs relish the opportunity to spoil the expectations when facing adversity the way the Beavers have throughout the year. To that end, expect Oregon State to play loose, aggressive and perhaps come with a few tricks up its sleeve … In addition to Senior Night festivities, it is Military Appreciation Night at Arizona Stadium to coincide with Veteran's Day weekend. Around 1,000 tickets have been donated to military personnel around the state for this game, and a special pregame ceremony will honor a handful of World War II veterans … Beyond that, it's the last chance for the home crowd to catch Khalil Tate and the high-powered Wildcat offense at Arizona Stadium. The Cats have scored at least 35 points in five straight games for the first time in program history, and the last two home outings have seen Arizona score 47 and 58 points in victories over UCLA and nationally-ranked Washington State, respectively … Still, this is a series dominated this century by Oregon State, which has won 13 of the last 16 meetings. A win for the Wildcats would bolster prospects for December bowl destinations and ensure a winning conference record with a couple more games to come … It's another edition of #Pac12AfterDark, or as it feels around here #ArizonaAfterDark. The Cats are set to play their 19th game in the last 21 outings (home or road) after 5 p.m. local time. But football is football no matter the time of day. See you Saturday night.

Thank You, Seniors! Saturday marks the final home game for 18 players. These seniors will go out having secured the program's fifth bowl berth in the last six seasons. For most, they were a part of the 2014 Pac-12 South Championship team that earned a trip to the Fiesta Bowl. Yet after an injury-riddled 2016 season that produced a 3-9 record, most all prognosticators picked the Wildcats dead last in the Pac-12 South this year. Led by a determined senior class, Arizona used the last-place predictions as motivation for a season of redemption. It's perhaps the most meaningful accomplishment yet for this senior class, and they're work isn't quite done. Playing in the final home games under the lights Saturday night: OL Jacob Alsadek, TE/DE Jack Banda, WR Zach Benjamin, DL Luca Bruno, DB Dane Cruikshank, OL Gerhard de Beer, OL Layth Friekh, RB Zach Green, DL Marcus Griffin, WR Tyrell Johnson, DB Kwesi Mashack, DB Jarvis McCall Jr., LB/DE DeAndre' Miller,WR  Shawn Poindexter, LB Brandon Rutt, DB Isaiah Strong, RB Nick Wilson and DL Parker Zellers.

Tate First QB to 1,000 Yards: In the last five games alone, Khalil Tate has rushed for 1,001 yards and nine touchdowns on 85 carries. Adding in limited action from two earlier games, the sophomore has 1,087 net yards on 95 carries this season. He is the first Pac-12 quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, topping the previous record of 986 yards set by Washington's Jake Locker in 2007. Tate officially eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on his 20th carry of the Nov. 4 game at USC, which was his 89th rush attempt of this season. According to research by ESPN and College Football Reference, current Stanford running back Bryce Love reached 1,000 yards on his 87th carry this season. That is the fewest carries needed to reach 1,000 rushing yards by an FBS player since at least 2000. Arizona's previous single-season quarterback rushing record was held by current offensive analyst B.J. Denker, who tallied 949 yards in 2013. Junior quarterback Brandon Dawkins, who has 358 rushing yards this season, was close to the mark a year ago, rushing for 944 yards.

Tate's High Five: Quarterback Khalil Tate, who last week was named one of 18 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, has strung together an incredible five-game run since the beginning of October. The Wildcats are 4-1 in that stretch with their only setback coming last week at No. 17 USC, a game in which Tate helped rally the team from a 22-6 deficit to tie things 35-35 midway through the fourth quarter. Despite the loss, Tate rushed for 162 yards, totaled 307 yards of offense and accounted for three touchdowns. Since Oct. 1, Tate leads all FBS players with 1,001 rushing yards (next closest: Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor – 850 yards). Additionally, Tate now leads all FBS quarterbacks with a QBR of 96.1, ahead of Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma), Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State), Lamar Jackson (Louisville) and J.T. Barrett (Ohio State) who round out an impressive top five. On Oct. 7, Tate set the FBS single-game quarterback rushing record with 327 yards and he's gone on to become the first Pac-12 quarterback ever to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Here's a look at Tate's last five games:

                                Rushing                                Passing                                 Total Offense
Opponent           Att-Yards-TD                      C-A-YDS-TD                        Plays-Yads-YD
at Colorado         14-327-4                               12-13-154-1                        27-481-5
UCLA                     15-230-2                               9-13-148-1                           28-378-3
at California        17-137-1                               10-15-166-2                        32-303-3
vs. Wash. St.       13-146-1                               10-17-743-2                        30-421-3
at USC                   26-161-1                               14-31-146-2                        57-307-3
Total                      85-1,001-9                           55-89-889-8                        174-1,890-17
Avg./Play             11.8 ypc                               10.0 ypp                               10.9 ypp
Avg./Game         200.2 ypg                            177.8 ypg                            378.0 ypg

Bowl Bound: The Wildcats achieved bowl eligibility by the end of October and have three more regular season games to bolster their postseason prospects. It marks the fifth time in Rich Rodriguez's six seasons that the Wildcats have been bowl-eligible. Last season, an injury-riddled and depleted roster struggled to a 3-9 clip as Arizona missed out on a bowl berth for only the second time in nine seasons. Now, at 6-3, the Wildcats are essentially assured of a post-season destination for their eighth bowl game in the last decade. Arizona's recent bowl trips include the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl (win vs. BYU), 2009 Holiday Bowl (loss vs. Nebraska), 2010 Alamo Bowl (loss vs. Oklahoma State), 2012 New Mexico Bowl (win vs. Nevada), 2013 AdvoCare V100 Bowl (win vs. Boston College), 2014 Fiesta Bowl (loss vs. Boise State) and the 2015 New Mexico Bowl (win vs. New Mexico).

Senior Night Already? Yes, it's here. A six-game home schedule, including only four Pac-12 home games, means Senior Night arrives earlier than normal this season. In fact, Nov. 11 date is the earliest date for Arizona's final regular season home game since 2001 when Stanford visited Arizona Stadium on Nov. 10. Since, the Wildcats have even played at home as late as Dec. 6 in the days prior to the Pac-12 Conference creating a league championship game. In 2015, UA played 12 consecutive weeks without a bye, which included its final home game on Nov. 14 and the final regular season game a week later on Nov. 21.

Road Warriors: Despite their setback last Saturday at the Coliseum, the Wildcats are 3-1 away from home in 2017. They will have a chance to build on that success as, after this week, the final two regular season games will be played on the road at Oregon (Nov. 18) and at Arizona State (Nov. 25). Arizona has not finished a regular season with consecutive road games since 2009, when a Holiday Bowl-bound squad defeated Arizona State and USC in consecutive weeks. Prior to that, UA's last back-to-back road swing to finish a season came in 1999 and previously 1993. So it's certainly not a common occurrence to do what this year's Arizona football team is about to do.

Record-Chasing: As the regular season enters the home stretch, Arizona's offense is in position to challenge two rather prominent records: scoring average and single-game rushing average. Through nine games, Arizona is averaging 43.9 points per game (nearly 20 points better than the 24.8 average in 2016). The program record has long been held by Art Luppino & Co., who averaged 38.5 points in the 1954 season. Rich Rodriguez's first Arizona squad challenged that mark, posting a 38.2 clip in 2012. As far as the rushing average record, that 1954 squad that featured the Cactus Comet (Luppino) rolled up 276.5 yards per game on the ground. Currently, the Wildcats are averaging an astounding 327.0 yards per game. That means if the UA were to not rush for a single yard this week against Oregon State, it would still be averaging 294.3 yards per game – nearly 20 yards ahead of the current average. Sure, there's plenty of football to play, but we'll be keeping an eye on these marks – and others – the rest of the way.

Team Rushing (per game average)           Team Scoring Average                  
1.            276.5     1954       1.            38.5        1954
2.            270.8     1973       2.            38.2        2012
3.            268.9     1953       3.            37.4        2014
4.            264.9     2013       4.            36.6        2008
5.            254.8     1952       5.            34.7        1998
Current: 327.0 yards per game  Current: 43.9 points per game

Arizona's Offense in the Rankings: Three-quarters of the way through the regular season, Arizona's offense statistically ranks as one of the best in the nation. Here's a look at where the Cats rank in the FBS and Pac-12 for select categories.
Category                                                  Stat            FBS           Pac-12
Scoring Per Game                                   43.9            4th           1^st
Rushing Yards Per Game                       327.0         4^th             1^st
Total Offense Per Game                         507.0         8^th             1st
Sacks Allowed Per Game                      1.11            11^th           1^st
Offensive Plays of 40+ Yards                 25               1st            1st

Havrisik Can Kick: True freshman kicker Lucas Havrisik, who has been Arizona's primary kickoff specialist this season, has seen his role expand the last two weeks. The lanky righty has been designated as the long-kick option much of the season and he's finally been called on to show his talents. On Oct. 28 against Washington State, Havrisik ended the first-half by drilling a 57-yard field goal, tying the two decade-old school record first set by Jon Prasuhn in 1995.Then last week at USC, the rookie successfully booted 45 and 43-yard field goals. He's now 3-for-4 on field goals this season with all the attempts 43 yards or longer. His distance is a nice compliment to junior Josh Pollack, who is 10-for-14 on all field goal tries, including 8-for-10 inside 40 yards. Additionally, Havrisik has 45 touchbacks on 68 kickoffs (66.2 percent is No. 23 nationally), which is tied for fourth-most among FBS kickers.

Returns Turnaround: Sometimes overlooked in the age of prolific offensive numbers is how a team can gain an advantage in hidden yardage, notably through returns. After nine games, Arizona has a 227-yard advantage when factoring in all returns (punts, kickoffs, fumbles and interceptions. The Wildcats, who have a 905-678 edge in return yards, have already surpassed their yardage total gained in 2016. Yes, a year ago UA was outgained by nearly as many yards (513) as they gained (582) on returns over 12 games. The 1,095-582 yardage disparity was yet another indicator of how lopsided the 3-9 season went. Plenty goes into the turnaround. Shun Brown has two punt return touchdowns, Tyrell Johnson averages over 27 yards has been close to breaking several kickoff returns, the Wildcats have returned two interceptions for scores and Lucas Havrisik has boomed 45 touchbacks (last year UA had only 20 touchbacks).

(Field) Positioned For Success: One very interesting correlation to Arizona's success – or its demise – in recent years has been where the opponents, on average, have started their offensive drives. The 2017 season has been, to this point, a perfect indicator of this. When the opponent has been limited to an average starting field position inside its own 30-yardline, the Wildcats are 6-0 this season. If the opponent has started at the 30 or better, the Wildcats are 0-3. Going back through the 2016 season, UA is 9-3 in games when opponent starts inside the 30-yardline and 0-9 when the opponent starts at the 30 or better. The last time the Wildcats won when their opponent had a starting field position at the 30 or better? How about the 2015 New Mexico Bowl when the Lobos' average drive start came at their own 32-yardline. Otherwise, dating to the start of the 2015 season, Arizona is 1-13 when that opponent starting field position is the 30-yardline or better.

Score from Anywhere: Through nine games, Arizona has scored 11 touchdowns from 50 or more yards out. Last season, the Wildcats had just five such touchdowns in 12 games. The Wildcats have four touchdowns from 70-79 yards out, four from 60-69 yards out and three from 50-59 yards out. Of the 11 touchdowns, quarterback Khalil Tate has accounted for five of those, posting four rushing touchdowns from 58, 71, 75 and 76 yards out. He also hooked up with Shun Brown for a 56-yard touchdown pass against Cal. Of Arizona's 51 touchdowns this season, 27 have come from 20 or more yards out. Last year, Arizona had 13 touchdowns total from 20 or more yards out. The Wildcats have gained 1,471 yards this season on touchdowns alone and the team is averaging 28.8 yards per touchdown.

Arizona's Five Longest Touchdowns This Season
1. J.J. Taylor 79-yard run vs. Washington State
2. Khalil Tate 76-yard run at California
3. Khalil Tate 75-yard run at Colorado
4. Khalil Tate 71-yard run vs. UCLA
5. Shun Brown 66-yard punt return vs. NAU
5. Brandon Dawkins 66-yard run vs. NAU
5. Colin Schooler 66-yard interception return vs. Washington State

Big Play Shun: Khalil Tate isn't the only reason Arizona has had success scoring from anywhere on the field. Junior receiver Shun Brown has proven to be a big-play threat in his three seasons at Arizona. Against USC, Brown established a new career high in receptions with eight. He had eight catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Brown now has eight receiving touchdowns in his career and has one score in three straight games. Of Brown's eight receiving touchdowns, six have come from 30 or more yards out, including Saturday's 30-yard touchdown catch from Tate. Including returns, Brown has 11 plays this season of 20 or more yards, including seven pass receptions. The Shreveport, Louisiana native is also averaging 17.1 yards per punt return with two return touchdowns on the season. He had a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown against UTEP and a 66-yard return touchdown against NAU. Brown owns the team lead with 32 receptions and leads the team with his five touchdown grabs. No other Arizona receiver has more than two. Four of five Brown's receiving touchdowns have come on the road. His 431 receiving yards are tied for the team lead with Tony Ellison.

Shun Brown's Five Longest Plays This Season
1. 66-yard punt return vs. NAU*
2. 63-yard punt return at UTEP*
3. 56-yard catch at Cal*
4. 53-yard catch vs. UCLA
5. 36-yard catch at UTEP*
*-scoring play
 
Jumpin' Jace: Junior cornerback Jace Whittaker started his 16th straight game Saturday night versus USC. Whittaker has three interceptions over his past four games. Whittaker had two interceptions against UCLA, and returned one for a touchdown. After notching a pass breakup against Cal, Whittaker picked off his third past of the season against Washington State, and broke up another pass. The junior from Oceanside, Calif., leads Arizona with nine pass breakups this season. For his career, Whittaker has 24 career pass breakups, which is tied with Martin Rudolph for 15th all-time with 24 pass breakups. He's also third in the Pac-12 in passes defended with nine pass breakups and three interceptions for a total of 12 passes defended.