Robert Husseman | SPORTS REPORTER
Arizona’s brothers Gronkowski hail from Amherst, N.Y. Chris, a junior fullback, is the older brother, checking in at 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds. Little brother Rob, a sophomore, is a 6-foot-6, 260-pound tight end, the best player in the Pacific-10 Conference no one had heard of.
After Oregon’s 55-45 win over Arizona on Saturday, everyone will remember their names.
Rob Gronkowski entered the Oregon game as quarterback Willie Tuitama’s safety valve with 22 catches on the year for 257 yards and seven touchdowns. Gronkowski led all the receivers with 12 receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown, moving the ball seemingly at will.
“That was one of the best games I’ve ever seen played from a tight end,” head coach Mike Stoops said.
The Ducks have had myriad troubles with tight ends in the passing game, and Rob Gronkowski had little resistance within zone defense or on man coverage. As many as three Oregon players at a time were required to tackle him.
“He played physical and broke tackles. I was really proud of the way he played,” offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes said.
“First half, I thought I was a little shabby,” Rob said in reference to the Wildcat offense’s struggles. “Second half, we were on. I ran the routes well.”
The brothers also helped pave the way for 228 Wildcat rushing yards on 52 carries. Chris Gronkowski, a transfer from Maryland in his first season with Arizona, did not record a carry but paved the way for 147 yards and four touchdowns from sophomore running back Nic Grigsby and freshman running back Keola Antolin – who had all four of Arizona’s rushing touchdowns.
But Chris Gronkowski factored into the passing game, with three catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. At the 9:34 mark in the second quarter, Oregon defensive backs and linebackers failed to pick up Chris Gronkowski along the sideline and Tuitama delivered a strike for a 37-yard touchdown.
“He has the potential to be a big-time, impact player,” Rob Gronkowski said.
Rob Gronkowski’s score came with 8:53 left in the third quarter, on a seven-yard pass to bring the score to 48-24, Oregon.
Arizona heads home next week to take on Oregon State, which has emerged as one of the Pac-10’s top teams this year and is vying for a Rose Bowl bid. Stopping the brothers Gronkowski will be critical to stopping the conference’s top scoring offense.
“We’re gonna make sure we’re fired up,” Rob Gronkowski said.
ROBERT HUSSEMAN
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