In the final installment of our “Arizona Wildcats farewell” articles we will focus on the big cats up front that helped Arizona have one of the top offenses in the Pac-12 the last few years. Left tackle Mickey Baucus, right tackle Fabbians Ebbele, and center Steven Gurrola are all leaving the Wildcats and all three will be missed.
More from Wildcats Football
- Arizona Football begins Conference play against Stanford
- Arizona Football starts slow but runs away from UTEP
- How Wildcats Fans Can Claim $200 INSTANT Bonus at BetMGM Betting $10 Right Now
- Costly Mistakes doom Arizona Football in loss to Mississippi State
- How can Arizona Football beat Mississippi State on the road?
Baucus and Ebbele each redshirted in 2010 but started from 2011-2014 totaling 52 games played during that time. Gurrola came to Arizona in 2013, after being an All-American at Glendale Community College, and played in all 27 games over his two years with the team. He earned 2014 Second-team All-Pac-12 for his performance during Arizona’s Pac-12 South championship season.
Nov 28, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats offensive lineman Fabbians Ebbele (73) against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the 88th annual territorial cup at Arizona Stadium. The Wildcats defeated the Sun Devils 42-35 to win the Pac-12 south title. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Baucus and Ebbele were part of the 2011 and 2012 teams that scored a lot of points and had a lot of yards on offense. In 2011 they helped the Wildcats average 465.2 yards per game and score 30.8 points per game. They protected Nick Foles and allowed him to throw for 4,334 yards and 28 touchdowns. This was a good year for the Arizona offense, but nothing compared to what they would do in 2012.
In 2012, the Wildcats averaged 526.2 yards per game (298.5 passing 227.8 rushing) and 38.2 points per game. They were part of an offense that had a 3,000-yard passer (Matt Scott 3,620), a 1,500-yard rusher (Ka’Deem Carey 1,929) and a 1,000-yard receiver (Austin Hill 1,364). Ebbele and Baucus were part of the line that helped pave the way for Carey to earn All-American honors that season.
Steven Gurrola came to Tucson in 2013 to join these two on the offensive line. During that 2013 season the Wildcats averaged 458.5 yards per game (193.5 passing 264.9 rushing) and 33.5 points per game. They helped Ka’Deem Carey earn the 2013 Pac-12 Player of the Year and All-American status after rushing for 1,885 yards and 19 touchdowns.
This past season, the three helped the Wildcats average 463.6 yards per game (281.8 passing 181.9 rushing) and 34.5 points per game. They cemented an offensive line that allowed true freshman running back Nick Wilson to rush for 1,375 yards and 16 touchdowns. Redshirt freshman quarterback Anu Solomon was able to throw for 3,793 yards and 28 touchdowns behind this offense line and they Cayleb Jones get 1,019 yards and nine touchdowns. It has been a great past four seasons for the Arizona Wildcat offense and these three are big reasons why.
Nov 28, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats offensive lineman Steven Gurrola (56) reacts against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the 88th annual territorial cup at Arizona Stadium. The Wildcats defeated the Sun Devils 42-35 to win the Pac-12 south title. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
These three all have NFL aspirations and potential and will hopefully get their shot during the scouting period to impress NFL teams. However, Mickey Baucus is not done representing the Wildcats in competitive football games yet. He will be competing in the East-West Shrine game Saturday January 17th for one last chance to show scouts what he has in a competitive game.
Thank you, Mickey Baucus, Fabbians Ebbele, and Steven Gurrola, for helping to make the last four seasons of Arizona Wildcats football fun to watch.
Be sure to check out all of our “Thank You” articles to Arizona Wildcats seniors: Jared Tevis, Austin Hill, Jonathan McKnight, Jourdon Grandon, Tra’Mayne Bondurant, and one for Reggie Gilbert and Dan Pettinato!