Arizona plans to use both QBs Gunner Cruz and Will Plummer against BYU
Two quarterbacks are better than one.
That's what Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch believes will be the case when the Wildcats travel to Las Vegas to take on BYU in the season opener next month. None of the top three candidates emerged as the clear frontrunner throughout training camp, so Tuesday afternoon Fisch decided to announce that two members of that group will have an opportunity to see the field Sept. 4 at Allegiant Stadium.
Redshirt freshman Gunner Cruz and freshman Will Plummer will both take snaps in Arizona's season opener after a training camp competition failed to produce a number one option.
"As we went back and watched all of the film, all of the statistics, all of the information it was clear that it would be hard to tell the other person why they were not the starter more than anything else and that is why we made that decision," Fisch said to reporters gathered at the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility for the team's first post-camp press conference Tuesday.
Arizona will hand the ball to Cruz first against BYU, but there is no plan for how many drives he will lead throughout the course of the night. Fisch wants to feel how the game plays out before figuring out exactly how and when to utilize Plummer.
"We'll decide either by drive, probably, but that's not to say we can't make a substitute within a drive," Fisch said. "Not to say it's going to be alternating drives. Right now we don't believe that there is one that I can tell is not going to play."
The old football adage is that when a team has more than one quarterback the reality is it doesn't have any capable of leading the offense to success. Fisch doesn't believe that is the case with his team in this situation, but there will certainly be critics of his decision.
Arizona not have a clear pick after three weeks of camp simply made it too difficult to decide between Cruz and Plummer forcing Fisch to make the decision he has.
"Neither one of them deserves not to be the starter," he said. "They both have found ways to move the football. They both have not turned the ball over in team settings. One has thrown 13 touchdowns, one has thrown 11 touchdowns in team live periods. Their completion percentage, one was 64% and one was 63%.
"The team seemed to rally behind both of them. They both seem to be getting better."
Just because Arizona is going to have two quarterbacks take the field against BYU doesn't mean it will continue beyond that game. Fisch is not tying himself to any deadline for naming a permanent starter, but he also doesn't feel as though both quarterbacks will remain on the field for the rest of the season beyond the first week.
"Now I don't believe that that will remain all year long," Fisch said about having both quarterbacks on the field. "I don't believe we'll be in a two-quarterback system for the year. I would be surprised. But, what I believe currently that the right thing to do for all people involved was to tell them both they'll be prepared to play."
The odd man out from Arizona's quarterback competition is South Florida transfer Jordan McCloud, who was the lone member of the trio to not participate in spring ball. He had to finish up his obligations at USF in order to graduate in the spring meaning he didn't arrive to UA until the summer.
McCloud struggled at moments during camp turning the ball over as he worked to catch up to Cruz and Plummer. Though he will not be playing against the Cougars, Fisch still wants to see the veteran quarterback remain ready should his number be called at some point.
"If he was here in the spring there might have been a little different situation because of all his experiences," Fisch said of the graduate transfer signal caller from Florida. "The fact that he missed all of the spring and some of the summer was really just a challenge to get fully caught up to speed. I also believe that that is not to say that as the year progresses that Jordan is not a viable option if need be.
"Jordan has two years to play. Jordan will continue to develop, and I'm hopeful that as he continues to gain experience in our system he too will be able to compete."
McCloud has the most experience on the roster as Cruz and Plummer have yet to play significant roles early in their careers. Plummer played in three games and made one start as a freshman at Arizona last season when starter Grant Gunnell missed time with an injury. Cruz contributed in one game during his career at Washington State as he completed five of seven passes with a touchdown in a loss to USC last year after redshirting as a freshman in 2019.
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