One of the quarterback battles still ongoing in the Pac-12 Conference was to be resolved Monday at the University of Arizona, but instead Coach Jedd Fisch will announce a winner Tuesday. SportsLine oddsmakers solidly favor Washington State transfer Gunner Cruz to be the guy under center for the Cats' Sept. 4 home opener against BYU over Will Plummer. Arizona is an 11-point underdog at Caesars Sportsbook for the matchup in Las Vegas.
The Arizona program is a bit of a mess right now; it finished last season 0-5 and was absolutely embarrassed by rival Arizona State 70-7 in what would prove to be UA's season finale -- coach Kevin Sumlin was fired essentially right after the game ended. The Wildcats enter 2021 on a 12-game losing streak and have covered the spread in just two of the 12. Fisch, a former New England Patriots assistant, beat out San Jose State coach Brent Brennan to replace Sumlin.
In 2020, Grant Gunnell was largely the starting quarterback but transferred to Memphis. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Cruz, who is from Arizona, signed with Washington State out of high school as the No. 28 pro-style QB in the Class of 2018 via sister site 247Sports. Cruz redshirted in 2019 and saw action in one game last year, completing 5-for-7 for 34 yards and a TD vs. Southern Cal. He decided to transfer back close to home.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Plummer, the lone scholarship returnee among the team's quarterbacks, was the No. 34 pro-style QB in the Class of 2019 for Arizona. He got into three games last year including a start vs. Colorado – which the Cats lost 24-13. Plummer finished his three games a combined 43-for-80 for 388 yards, no TDs, three picks and nine sacks.
Arizona held a scrimmage on Saturday, and Cruz unofficially was 10-for-14 for 149 yards and a TD and Plummer 7-for-13 for 81 yards and a touchdown. A third QB, South Florida transfer Jordan McCloud, appears to be a distant third as he only arrived with the program in June.
Not much is expected of the Wildcats this year as they have an Over/Under of just 2.5 wins and they are the longest shots (+10000) to win the Pac-12. The Cats might be favored only once all year: Sept. 18 at home vs. FCS school Northern Arizona.
BYU and Arizona last met in 2018, a 28-23 Cougars road victory.
Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Who starts Week 1 at QB for Arizona vs. BYU?
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