Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Nate Phillips will be sidelined for the rest of the season due to a foot injury, head coach Rich Rodriguez announced on Tuesday. The sophomore wen’t down in the first half of the Wildcats’ 38-20 win over Colorado this past Saturday and underwent surgery earlier today.
After posting a solid freshman campaign, Phillip’s performance dipped a bit, mainly due to the fact that Arizona has many weapons on the outside.
In 2013, Phillips recorded 51 receptions for 696 yards and seven touchdowns. Through nine games in 2014, he caught 25 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns.
Arizona is having a solid season thus far. The Wildcats are 7-2 and still have much to play for. Their last three remaining games will be touch. They host the Washington Huskies this upcoming Saturday, followed by a road trip to No. 23 Utah, and will finish out the season against No. 6 Arizona State.
The Wildcats biggest win of the season was their upset victory over the Oregon Ducks in early October. The Ducks have rallied since, and find themselves ranked No. 2 in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings.
Despite their two losses, Arizona is ranked No. 14. If they finish out the season with 10 wins, that ranking will surely rise.
Arizona still has a chance to make to the Pac-12 championship. They will need to finish out the season strong, and will need USC and UCLA to drop another Pac-12 contest.
All in all, it has been a successful season thus far for Rich Rodriguez and his team. His offensive prowess has paid off as the Wildcats are ranked No. 14 overall in total offense, averaging over 500 yards per game.
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out and if the Wildcats can keep climbing the College Football Playoff Rankings.
*Section Photo credit to Christian Petersen, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Ron Chenoy, USA Today Sports.
