Arizona Football: Gunner Cruz likely done for season following injury

BOULDER, CO – Arizona Football quarterback Gunner Cruz is likely lost for the season following a thumb injury suffered in the Wildcats’ 34-0 loss to Colorado. 

It has been a rough, four-year stretch for Arizona Football, and it seems like the bad luck has continued in 2021 as Gunner Cruz is now likely done for the season as well.

Just days after learning that Jordan McCloud would be done for the year following a leg and knee injury, we’ve learned that Cruz is now likely done for the year as well, as the sophomore signal-caller injured his thumb trying to stiff a Colorado defender.

And the loss comes at a crucial time for the Wildcats too. Arizona has fewer opportunities for victory, and as of now, there is just one, healthy scholarship quarterback on the roster. To say that Arizona’s situation at quarterback is bleak would be an understatement.

Following their loss to Colorado, Arizona Football is 0-6 (0-3) and are staring at a real possibility of finishing 0-12, extending their losing streak even further.

All that could have gone wrong for the Wildcats in 2021, has gone wrong. Arizona has seen their fair share of injuries, the offense has often been stagnant and unimaginative, and even worse the development of the current roster has been minimal, further evidenced by their 34-0 loss to Colorado, and the clear regression of this team from week one.

The loss of Cruz on Saturday all but guarantees that the Wildcats are likely to finish winless for the second year in a row, and gives Arizona few options at quarterback moving forward.

So where do the Wildcats go from here?

With only one scholarship quarterback remaining, head coach Jedd Fisch is going to have to get creative in trying to come up with something, because we’ve seen what Will Plummer can do, and it isn’t much.

Based on their personnel, Arizona would be wise to change up the offensive scheme and run more of a Wildcat offense, or even triple-option sets with Jamarye Joiner back in at quarterback.

Either way, things are bleak for the Wildcats and the injury to Cruz makes things even more challenging.