Sports-heavy Saturday in LA

Arizona-UCLA was probably the least exciting game for Los Angeles sports fans on Saturday night, and that’s not a knock on either the Wildcats or Bruins.

Just consider what was going on at 7:30 p.m.: The Dodgers were locked in a Game 7 NLCS matchup with the Brewers in Milwaukee. And across town, LeBron James was making his home debut for the Lakers. Their opponent: the West runners-up Houston Rockets.

It all made for a fun pregame. UCLA tailgaters watched playoff baseball from the parking lot and adjacent golf course. The game was eventually put on the Rose Bowl’s video board. When Yasiel Puig hit a three-run home run to put the Dodgers up 5-1 late in the decisive game, fans broke out in cheers and “Let’s go Dodgers” chants.

When the final score was announced, the Rose Bowl, with an attendance of 54,686, once again celebrated.

Arizona recruit making history in Texas

Wildcats commit Grant Gunnell became the state of Texas’ all-time prep passing yards leader in Friday’s 34-14 win over Concordia Lutheran. Gunnell, who plays at Houston’s St. Pius X High School, completed 21 of 31 passes for 487 yards and five touchdowns. He has thrown for 14,577 yards, which surpasses Hunter Lile’s 14,408 from 2011-14.

The 6-foot-6-inch, 222-pound Gunnell passed notable Texas quarterbacks along the way. How’s this for a who’s who? Drew Brees, Nick Foles, Andrew Luck, Matthew Stafford, Case Keenum, Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield all below Gunnell in the rankings.

Gunnell threw for 4,973 yards as a sophomore in 2016, the fifth-best single season total in Texas history. He threw for 4,936 yards last year, which ranks sixth all-time.

Gunnell committed to Arizona in June. Scouting services say he’s the highest-ranked recruit in the Wildcats’ 2019 class.

In-game commitment

Just as Arizona took a 27-24 lead in the fourth quarter Saturday, the Wildcats scored again.

Ahina “Rocky” Aitogi, a 6-foot-8-inch, 340-pound offensive tackle from Fort Scott College in Kansas, verbally committed during the game.

The UA offered Atogi a scholarship on Tuesday, He becomes the 12th commit in Arizona’s 2019 recruiting class. Atogi grew up in Kona, Hawaii.

Welcome back, Noel

It was homecoming weekend for UCLA, and several former Bruins made their way to the Rose Bowl.

A few of them coached from the visitor’s sideline. UA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone coached at UCLA from 2012-15.

In his four-year stint as the Bruins’, Mazzone coached Brett Hundley and current Cardinals rookie Josh Rosen.

He also coached quarterback Jerry Neuheisel, who is now on Chip Kelly’s UCLA staff. Neuheisel led the Bruins to an upset win over Texas in 2014; his father Rick, who was fired as the Bruins coach following the 2011 season, watched it from the Pac-12 Networks Studios.

UA cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin also has some baby-blue blood: He coached at UCLA from 2011-17, and served as Jim Mora’s associate head coach from 2014 until Mora was fired at the end of last season.

This day in history

Saturday was the seven-year anniversary of Arizona beating UCLA 48-12 in 2011.

The game was Arizona’s first under interim coach Tim Kish, who took over for Mike Stoops after he was fired a few weeks earlier.

Nick Foles threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns in the Wildcats’ upset win. The game is probably best known for the fracas that happened just before halftime.

A fan disguised as a game official ran on the field just before the half, stopped a play, stripped down to his underwear and ran around before being taken down by security and law enforcement.

Following the fan’s 15 minutes of fame, Arizona and UCLA got into a skirmish that delayed the game.

The big number

27

Years since Arizona started a local kid at quarterback before Rhett Rodriguez took over Saturday. Rincon High School grad Billy Prickett started his first game for the Wildcats in 1991, when the UA played UCLA — and lost, 54-14. Rodriguez, the son of former UA coach Rich Rodriguez, attended Catalina Foothills High School.