The Star's Michael Lev breaks down the storylines to watch when the Arizona Wildcats (0-2) take on UCLA (1-2) on Saturday night in Pasadena.
After rough outing, Arizona Wildcats QB Grant Gunnell knows he can’t let his frustrations show
You could see it on Grant Gunnell’s face.
Frustration. Disappointment. Bewilderment.
Arizona’s sophomore quarterback let the situation get the best of him for a stretch in the second half against Washington last week. The Huskies were dominating the Wildcats. The offense couldn’t move the ball. Gunnell had little time to throw. When he did, he was off target. Or his receivers couldn’t get open.
“He hasn't been through a situation like that where he’s pushed, pestered, hit, sacked, sack-fumble,” said UA coach Kevin Sumlin, whose 0-2 team visits UCLA on Saturday. “He's gotta be better as a leader on the field, and that discussion has already been had.”
Gunnell didn’t have to be reminded after the game. He hadn’t seen himself on TV – hadn’t seen the cameras zooming in on him after a sack or a missed connection – but he knew.
“I was mostly just frustrated with myself,” Gunnell said. “I wasn't playing how I needed to play. I was worrying about things that I didn't need to worry about. I was not making throws.
“I need to work on that. I need to play the next play.”
Managing his emotions was one of Gunnell’s preseason goals. He knew he and his teammates would encounter rough patches.
“You can't let anyone else see you down,” Gunnell said during fall camp, “because the whole offense is gonna be down.”
Gunnell’s body language matched the anguished look on his face as Washington widened its lead to 37-0 through three quarters. But he didn’t stay down. Gunnell threw three touchdown passes and led four TD drives in the fourth quarter.
None of it changed the outcome – Arizona lost 44-27 – but it was a valuable experience for a quarterback who’s still finding his way.
“He was frustrated, but he kept plugging,” Sumlin said. “Hopefully that's something, in a growth process, he's gonna learn from.”
Technically, the Washington game wasn’t Gunnell’s first start on the road. He also started at Oregon last year. But the latter came with an implicit understanding that Gunnell would share time with Khalil Tate.
Against the Huskies, Gunnell would endure all the ups and downs the game sent his way. The hope is that he’ll be better for it in the long run.
“It’s tough,” veteran tight end Bryce Wolma said. “He’s still a young kid, and it's his first real start on the road. Quarterback is the hardest position on the field. It's really frustrating too, because a lot of things weren’t really in his control. The looks maybe weren’t what we expected, and the pressure off the edge – he wasn't having a lot of time.
“I know he was definitely frustrated back there. But I think that overall he handled it well.”
Wildcats missing familiar element on the road: parental support
Tight end Bryce Wolma runs the gauntlet of pads while woking on ball security during the University of Arizona's practice session at Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., October 21, 2020.
Bryce Wolma’s mother had attended every football game her son had played since he was 8 years old – until Arizona’s trip to Washington last week.
Because of COVID-19 protocols, the Wildcats are basically on lockdown when they play on the road. They go directly from the airport to their hotel, and they aren’t allowed to have visitors. Unlike Arizona, Washington didn’t permit guests to attend the game.
So it made no sense for Beth Wolma or any other parents to fly to Seattle to cheer on their boys. The same goes for this week’s trip to UCLA.
“A lot of guys look forward to that,” Bryce Wolma said. “A lot of guys are really close with their families. That support ... knowing they're there and having that time just to communicate and talk kind of puts them at ease. Especially with me it does. It kind of puts me in a more comfortable zone.”
Wolma said his father, Doug, had missed only one game before last week – the 2019 opener at Hawaii. Bryce is especially close with his mother. The two talk on the phone for 10-15 minutes every day.
“I'm definitely a mama's boy,” said Wolma, who’s from Saline, Michigan. “She's my rock.”
Wolma said his mom was “really bummed” about missing the UW game. Defensive tackle Aaron Blackwell said his father, Randy, was “heartbroken.”
“He wants to go to every Pac-12 game we have,” Blackwell said. “He's so excited about being part of this and doing all that, so it's been a real hard loss.”
Blackwell is a fifth-year senior who began his college career at Mesa Community College and spent the past three seasons at New Mexico. His move to the Pac-12 is a big deal for him and his family.
The Blackwells got to watch their son make his UA debut in the opener vs. USC. Arizona is allowing four guests per player to attend games in Tucson, at least for now.
The UA has two more home games on the schedule, against Colorado (Dec. 5) and Arizona State (Dec. 11). Pac-12 teams that don’t make the conference title game are expected to play another game on Dec. 18 or 19. It seems more likely than not that the Wildcats will go on the road after their Nov. 7 opener at Utah was canceled. If so, their families again will have to watch them from afar.
“Guys are walking around and FaceTiming all the time, talking to their families at the hotel,” Wolma said. “It's a little bit different atmosphere for sure.”
Freshman WR Ma’jon Wright has been a bright spot for struggling Wildcats
Ma’jon Wright, left, and the Wildcats played hard for 60 minutes, but still were behind by 38 at one point.
When you’re 0-2 and riding a nine-game losing streak, it’s difficult to find positives.
Freshman receiver Ma’jon Wright has been one for Arizona.
The Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, product has five catches for 75 yards and a touchdown through two games. Wright, who’s listed at 6-2, 197 pounds, already has displayed an array of skills.
His first career reception came on a pass from Grant Gunnell with the UA trailing USC 27-23 late in the fourth quarter in Week 1. The ball was thrown to Wright’s back shoulder, and he had to make a tiptoe grab inside the left sideline. On the next play, the Wildcats scored to take the lead.
“It wasn't easy,” UA coach Kevin Sumlin said. “A man-to-man situation. But to get his foot down and make it look that easy, you see what kind of talent he is.”
Wright showed the ability to run after the catch against Washington. He was tightly covered on his first career touchdown but came down with the ball almost effortlessly. A pass over the middle that Wright bobbled twice required concentration and patience.
“He can catch everything,” fellow receiver Stanley Berryhill III said. “His ball radius is ridiculous. His ball skills are great.”
Gunnell sees a kindred spirit in Wright, whose older brother, Major, played in the NFL with Chicago and Tampa Bay. Gunnell sees a teammate who’s driven to succeed.
“He's a football player,” Gunnell said. “He's not some guy that's out there to be on camera or anything. He wants to be on the field catching balls. He's a dog. ... That’s what’s impressed me the most.”
These Wildcats going to the mat for their team
Defensive end Kwabena Watson turns and burns while running drills as spring practice continues for the Arizona Wildcats, March 5, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Arizona doesn’t have varsity wrestling. But its football team features several players who were successful wrestlers in high school.
Linebacker Kwabena Watson was a three-time letter winner in wrestling at Edison High School in Fresno, California, and made the NHSCA High School Nationals in 2019. He placed sixth in the 220-pound weight division.
Defensive tackle Roy Lopez won a pair of Arizona state titles at Tempe Marcos de Niza and Gilbert Mesquite. He had a career record of 113-3, including a victory over a current teammate.
Lopez faced fellow defensive lineman Aaron Blackwell at the Peoria Invitational in January 2015. Lopez defeated Blackwell, of Peoria Liberty, 7-3 in the third-place match.
“Wrestling was great,” Blackwell said. “It was a really fun kind of in-between-sports thing to keep your body fresh. I had a really great time. My wrestling program at Liberty was outstanding. They’ve won a couple state championships since then. It's just a huge sport, so much fun.”
Blackwell said he had wrestling offers from Grand Canyon (which subsequently dropped the sport) and a handful of other schools.
“But it was never a real option,” Blackwell said. “I was a big football guy.”
Pasadena has proved to be problematic for Arizona
Arizona has beaten UCLA in two of the past three meetings. But the Wildcats haven’t defeated the Bruins at the Rose Bowl since 2010.
Here’s a brief snapshot of each of the UA’s past four visits to Pasadena, California:
Date: Nov. 3, 2012
Result: L, 66-10
Notable: The Bruins compiled 611 total yards under first-year offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, who holds the same title with the Wildcats.
Date: Nov. 1, 2014
Result: L, 17-7
Notable: The loss was one of only two suffered by Arizona during the regular season, and its seven points were a season low.
Date: Oct. 1, 2016
Result: L, 45-24
Notable: While the UA used three QBs – including freshman Khalil Tate, making his college debut – future first-round pick Josh Rosen passed for 350 yards and three TDs.
Date: Oct. 20, 2018
Result: L, 31-30
Notable: Rhett Rodriguez started at QB for Arizona, and the Cats lost a 56-yard touchdown in the second quarter when Darnay Holmes stripped J.J. Taylor from behind at the 1.
