Grady Gross of the Washington Huskies left Saturday night’s win over Washington State with more than just the satisfaction of kicking a game-winning field goal.
He was given a scholarship.
Following the 24-21 win in the Apple Cup rivalry game, Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer announced the sophomore’s scholarship in the locker room.
“It’s Thanksgiving weekend. I’m thankful for Grady Gross,” DeBoer said, via The Seattle Times. “And you know what I hope Grady Gross is thankful for? The scholarship he’s earned.”
Before lining up to kick the field goal, Gross struggled. He missed one kick against Oregon State last week and was 2-of-3 against Utah the previous week. On the season, he’s at 73.3%.
“I felt fine,” he said of his confidence before the kick. “It’s going to be in the back of your mind, but you just have to know that every kick is a different entity. So if you can make the next one, it’s just as good as the first one.”
Washington was undefeated in the regular season, becoming the Pac-12 Conference’s first unbeaten club in the 12-team era. The last conference club to go undefeated during the regular season was Oregon in 2010, before the league expanded to 12 teams.
“I’m happy to do a little bit of something for all the big things that the rest of the team has done,” Gross added.
Washington still needs to win the Pac-12 Championship Game to be eligible for the College Football Playoff. In a rematch of their dramatic regular-season encounter earlier this season, the squad will face Oregon.
