Players to Know in the 2017 Foster Farms Bowl
Friday, December 22, 2017
By: Matthew Asher
Digital Media Coordinator, San Francisco 49ers
The 2017 Foster Farms Bowl pits the Arizona Wildcats (7-5, 5-4) out of the Pac-12 against the Purdue Boilermakers (6-6, 4-5) from the Big Ten. The game will take place on Dec. 27, 2017 at Levi’s® Stadium and can be viewed on FOX at 5:30 p.m. PT.
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Arizona Players to Know:
QB Khalil Tate, #14: Tate exploded onto the scene this year and put up Heisman-like numbers for head coach Rich Rodriguez and the Wildcats. The sophomore set a new FBS single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 372 against Colorado this season. The electrifying QB ranks sixth nationally in rushing yards per game with 135.3. Tate finished the season throwing for 1,289 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for 1,452 yards and 12 touchdowns.
WR Shun Brown, #6: Brown is Tate’s go-to target, leading the team in all receiving categories. He finished the season with 39 receptions for 511 yards and five touchdowns. Brown is also the team’s punt returner and has the ability to break out a big return. No. 6 will be looking to make an impact every time he touches the ball.
RB J.J. Taylor, #21: The Pac-12 Co-Freshman Offensive Player of the Year is a key cog in the offense behind Tate. Taylor is the Wildcats No. 1 running back. He’s racked up 838 yards on 133 carries and scored eight times. Taylor will look to put a stamp on a great redshirt campaign in the Foster Farms Bowl.
LB Tony Fields II, #1: The true freshman led the team in tackles and was a key in the Wildcats ramped up defensive play. Fields notched 91 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and one interception in his first season in Tucson, Ariz. Fields moves all over the field and is always around the ball.
LB Colin Schooler, #7: The Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the year is ready to take on this high-powered Boilermaker offense. Schooler lead the Wildcats in tackles for loss with 13.5, he also racked up 88 total tackles, four sacks and two interceptions. Schooler will look to be a difference maker on Dec. 27.
Purdue Players to Know:
QB Elijah Sindelar, #2: Sindelar took over for the injured David Blough and took the offense to a new level. The sophomore has thrown for 1,703 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season. Sindelar will look to continue his strong play against a young and stingy Wildcat defense.
WR Jackson Anthrop, #33: Anthrop leads the Boilermakers with seven total touchdowns on the season. He’s hauled in 44 passes for 391 yards and five touchdowns. Anthrop has added two rushing touchdowns as well. The redshirt freshman has become a real threat for defenses to focus on.
WR Anthony Mahoungou, #21: Mahoungou is the team leader in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns with 570 yards and six touchdowns, respectively. He has become a big-time target for Sindelar down the stretch catching 12 passes for 248 yards and four touchdowns over Purdue’s final three games.
LB Ja’Whaun Bentley, #4: A three-time team captain is looking to lead the Boilermaker defense past Arizona. Bentley racked up 89 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and one interception in 2017. The senior linebacker is graded as the top overall run-stuffing linebacker by Pro Football Focus. Bentley will be a key in stopping the Wildcats stout rushing attack.
LB Markus Bailey, #21: Bailey leads the team with seven sacks and is looking to live in the backfield. Bailey tortured offenses notching 78 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and one interception on the season.
