It was the biggest moment of Grant Gunnell’s football career to date, and his parents were sick to their stomachs.
Chris and Julie Gunnell made the trip from Houston to Tucson to watch their son, not knowing when they boarded the plane that the freshman would be making his first career start. That’s what happened Saturday night against UCLA, when Khalil Tate couldn’t play because of hamstring and ankle injuries.
Chris, Julie and their eldest son, Nelson, took in the action from the family section at Arizona Stadium. Chris described the experience as “nerve-wracking.”
“I’ve felt that way every game,” Chris Gunnell said by phone Tuesday — “every game” also encompassing the ones Grant played in high school.
“Just stay healthy and be the best he can be. I don’t ask for anything more. I don’t pray for anything more.”
Grant Gunnell performed superbly, completing 29 of 44 passes for 352 yards and a touchdown in the Wildcats’ 20-17 victory. He was easily the calmest Gunnell in the building.
Asked Tuesday to describe Gunnell’s demeanor, senior offensive lineman Cody Creason said: “Composed, especially for his age. Really mature. … To me, he didn’t look nervous at all.”
“He held his own,” added receiver Jamarye Joiner. “He got hit in the backfield. He got sacked. He was getting pressured all night. And he just handled it like he’s been there before.”
Gunnell had some nervous-looking moments. He missed some seemingly simple throws early in the game. UA coach Kevin Sumlin said Gunnell appeared to be “rushing some things.” Sumlin expected as much from a true freshman making his starting debut. He was pleased with how Gunnell handled the “game operation.”
“He’s got talent, he’s a winner and he’s gonna be just fine,” said Sumlin, whose team visits Colorado on Saturday. “He’s just a young guy. … He did a very good job during the game of communicating with the team.”
Receiver Brian Casteel said Gunnell is the type of player who won’t make the same mistake twice. That trait became evident as the game unfolded. Gunnell completed 58.6% of his passes in the first half, 80% in the second. He went 8 for 8 in the fourth quarter.
“Grant, he has it,” Casteel said. “He’s going to do something special in the future.”
Whether that future includes another start Saturday remains to be seen. Sumlin and his staff will determine over the course of the week whether Tate is well enough to return.
In the meantime, Gunnell will continue to do what he’s been doing since he arrived on campus in January: preparing in case he’s needed.
“He knew his place coming in,” Chris Gunnell said. “He just keeps his head down. If called upon again, he’ll do everything possible to help the team. If it’s on the field or the sideline, it’s going to be the same.”
By the time Grant emerged from the UA locker room after the UCLA game, it was too late to go out to dinner. He and his family hung out for a little while at his apartment. Chris said his son was tired – as much mentally as physically. Although he appeared to handle everything smoothly, Grant Gunnell still felt the burden of responsibility that comes with being a Division I starting quarterback.
“There was a lot on his shoulders,” his dad said. “He just wanted to perform for his teammates.”
Heeke on attendance, stadium
After a rare afternoon kickoff for Arizona this week at Colorado, the Wildcats return to their usual #Pac12AfterDark time slot next week. The UA is slated for an 8 p.m. kickoff next Saturday against No. 15 Washington.
Schools throughout college football have minimal control over start times. Most of those decisions are made by TV networks, whose rights fees provide millions of dollars in revenue for each institution.
Still, one can’t help but wonder how the late start times are affecting Arizona’s attendance. The Wildcats drew fewer than 40,000 fans for the Texas Tech and UCLA games, which both kicked off a little after 7:30 p.m. Arizona hadn’t had consecutive crowds under 40,000 since 1997.
“We can’t change kickoff times, as much as we dislike them,” UA athletic director Dave Heeke said. “I have real strong concerns about kickoff times. We have lots of conversations. Those won’t end. I’m very sympathetic to our fans. I won’t ever take my eye off that.
“But we’ve got to focus on what we can control: the product on the field; the experience at the stadium.”
Heeke spoke to the Star on Saturday about the athletic department’s “strategic plan,” a 35-page document it released Tuesday that outlines its goals for the next several years. The plan is divided into five pillars. The second is dubbed “Grand Challenges.” The first initiative within that pillar is revenue growth, and the first objective listed is to “develop strategies to increase ticket revenue.”
“You’ve got revenue streams that need to be more maximized,” Heeke said. “In football, we’ve got a big gap.”
Heeke knew Saturday afternoon that there would be “a lot of open seats” for the UCLA game – even though Arizona was coming off consecutive victories and facing a Pac-12 rival. He compared the empty seats to “inventory sitting on (a) shelf.”
“We’ve gotta figure that out,” Heeke said. “That’s not just as easy as saying, ‘Win.’ That’s a big part of it. But it’s been a tough ticket here for a long time to max out.
“Do we have the right mix inside the facility? What other things can we do?”
The UA already has refurbished the east side of the stadium and made minor upgrades to the west side. The next big step is overhauling the latter.
Heeke told the Star earlier this year that finalizing plans would take about a year; that the construction project would take about two years; and that the cost would be at least $150 million. Finishing the project in time for the start of the 2022 season would be the best-case scenario. Heeke on Saturday reiterated a timeline of “three-plus years.”
“It’s beyond a rough draft,” Heeke said of the project’s current status. “We definitely have some really good plans and concepts on paper that we’ve reviewed with our team. We’ve got to get to a point where we’re going to settle on what is most important and get a final figure, a cost figure. And that’s what we’re trying to do here over this next … 8-12 months.
“And at the same time building a funding model – a very aggressive but responsible funding model that can support that. That’s challenging when you start approaching the 150-plus mark. But we can’t stand still. We’ve got to figure out a way to do that.
“I don’t want to put us on a timeline, but we’re going to try push it as hard as we can.”
Extra points
• Senior Tony Brown — not 2018 breakout star Laviska Shenault Jr. — leads Colorado in receptions (19), receiving yards (301) and touchdowns (four). Shenault has been in and out of the lineup because of injuries. “There wasn’t really too much chatter about Tony Brown,” Buffaloes quarterback Steven Montez told reporters Tuesday. “But now there should be chatter, and rightfully so. … He’s just one of those guys that just does everything right.”
• Colorado coach Mel Tucker on Arizona’s offense: “They get spread out, get a lot of one-on-ones, a lot of run after the catch. They also do a good job running the football … and they’re not afraid to take shots down the field. … We have to play assignment football, make sure that guys do their jobs, be disciplined.”
