On the final play, Toledo threw incomplete into the end zone on fourth-and-20.

Be back with more later …

* * *

Arizona scores first in OT, as Matt Scott scrambles to this right on third-and-goal from the 10, avoids a tackle near the sideline and fires to Terrence Miller at the goal line for the score. And John Bonano made the PAT, too.

* * *

Arizona drives 72 yards late in the game, setting up a 25-yard field goal by John Bonano, who pulls the kick wide left on the final play … and we’re going to OT tied at 17. Bonano earlier missed from 24.

His fall camp competition, Jake Smith, suffered a leg injury a few weeks ago.

* * *

The aggressive RichRod (I like that part) gets burned on a 4th-and-1 call from his own 46 with 11:46 to go. Taimi Tutogi is stuffed behind the line of scrimmage, and now the defense has to go to work in a tie game. (And it’s a nice job by the defense, forcing a three-and-out.)

* * *

UA defense holds on third-and-1 from the 21, and Jeremiah Detmer comes in to kick a 40-yard field goal for Toledo to tie the game at 17 with 14:18 to go.

* * *

Can the UA defense hold up? Toledo has gone to a power running game and is at the UA 21 as the third quarter ends. Arizona leads 17-14.

* * *

Matt Scott, late in the third quarter, has 336 passing yards, a career high.

* * *

Arizona could have extended the lead, but John Bonano bounced a 24-yard FG attempt off the right upright.

* * *

When you’re a two-way player, these kind of things happen: Defensive end Taimi Tutogi recovered a fumble at the Toledo 32, then stayed in the game as UA took over. He was then called for an illegal block on what was a 32-yard reverse to Richard Morrison.

* * *

Ka’Deem Carey strikes. He takes an inside handoff through a hole in the middle, weaves through the Toledo defense, breaking a few tackles and then out-racing DB Chris Dukes into the end zone for a 73-yard score.

Arizona follows that with another momentum boost, as kickoff man John Bonano surprises Toledo with an on-side kick right in front of him. Bonano let the ball go 10 yards and then pounced on it for the recovery. The drive goes nowhere, though, and UA has to punt.

The Cats lead 17-14 with 9:43 to go in the third quarter.

* * *

The internet ate part of this post from early in the game, so, as a reminder, the Arizona defense started two walk-ons — OLB Sir Thomas Jackson and DT Tevin Hood — as well as a former walk-on, S Jared Tevis, who received a scholarship after spring ball.

* * *

Arizona is moving the ball well on offense — 333 yards in the first half — but is making critical mistakes and not winning enough crucial situations.

Not surprisingly, then, Toledo leads 14-10 at halftime.

Arizona’s myriad of mistakes include two lost fumbles — one at the Toledo 6 by Richard Morrison and another in Rockets’ territory by Austin Hill. A holding penalty brought back a 64-yard touchdown run by Daniel Jenkins. Morrison dropped a potential TD pass near the goal line in a drive that ended in a field goal.

Late in the first half, Matt Scott overthrew a wide-open Morrison deep over the middle in Toledo territory.

Cornerback Shaq Richardson bit on a run fake and allowed a wide-open 59-yard touchdown pass.

Toledo converted 10 of 15 third-down opportunities in the first half.

On top of that, Arizona is down to its third-string left guard, after Chris Putton and Cayman Bundage left with injuries. Shane Zink came in during the second quarter.

* * *

And just as I hit send on the post below, Austin Hill loses a fumble at the end of a 32-yard catch. RichRod says Arizona can’t play poorly and beat anyone … and right now they are beating themselves.

* * *

Sorry … computer issues. What did we miss here? Too many UA mistakes, that’s what, including Richard Morrison losing a fumble near the Toledo goal line and a holding penalty on Fabbians Ebbele that negated a 67-yard TD run by Daniel Jenkins.

Toledo just marched 64 yards for a touchdown to take a 14-10 lead with 6:01 to go before half.

On the plus side, Austin Hill did score the first UA touchdown of the season by laying out in the end zone to haul in a 30-yard score. That will show up in the season-ending highlights.

* * *

Arizona’s defense holds, thanks to a big play on third down, stuffing a screen pass for a loss of 7 yards on third-and-10 from the UA 24. Toledo then attempts a 48-yard field goal from Jeremiah Detmer, whose attempt floats wide right.

* * *

Whew. No time to type when Arizona has the ball in its no-huddle offense. Cats look good, though, on the first drive, with a 27-yard catch and run by Terrence Miller and two good runs by Ka’Deem Carey. Richard Morrison lets a third-down pass threw his hands, though. John Bonano kicks a 26-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

* * *

Internet is really slow here at Arizona Stadium. If updates are slow here, I might have more stuff on Twitter — @AGWildcatReport

* * *

Arizona going with the all-blue look — helmets, jerseys, pants.

* * *

Your backup kicker for tonight is redshirt freshman Casey Skowron, who made the team in recent tryouts. He’s a high school soccer player from Brophy Prep.

* * *

[NOTE: Check back at this link before, during and after the game for more news, notes and analysis from Arizona Stadium. Have your say or leave a question in the comments section]

Toledo’s new helmet, shown in gray.

Toledo’s old helmet

We know the Arizona Wildcats will break out their new copper helmets at some point this season.

And, I wouldn’t be surprised if red helmets make an appearance this season, although athletic director Greg Byrne threw some cold water on that idea when a photo of a red helmet hit Twitter in June. Byrne responded by tweeting, “That was a mock-up that we had in the equipment room. At this point, they are not on the radar screen.”

We’ll see.

What we do know for sure is that new helmets will be seen at Arizona Stadium for tonight’s game season-opener against Toledo.

Toledo will introduce a midnight blue helmet, one that prominently features the Rockets logo and drops the word “Toledo” from the side.

* * *

With construction continuing in the north end zone of Arizona Stadium, capacity has been reduced from 57,400 to 51,811. Considering an attractive eight-game home schedule, a boost from the hiring of Rich Rodriguez and attendance figures that averaged better than 52,000 for six consecutive seasons (2005 to 2010), the stadium should be close to full all season.

* * *

If you’re watching from home tonight, check me out at KOLD-13 during the 5:30 newscast. I’ll be talking with sports director Damien Alameda at around 5:50 p.m.

* * *

So excited for Arizona football tonight! I love the Wildcats!!!! @greg_byrne @coachrodaz

— Amanda Beard (@AmandaRayBeard) September 1, 2012

* * *

Some pregame reading:

–Arizona-Toledo: Five things to watch

–Miss any of Javier Morales’ countdown of the top 50 football games in UA history? A recap and all the links are right here.

–A big Friday night for some UA running back recruits (and others).

–Greg Hansen’s Mr. Football preview returns to the Arizona Daily Star.

* * *

First-year Toledo coach Matt Campbell, 32, is the youngest head coach in the FBS. He is already 1-0, having coached the Rockets to a bowl victory last season. Here is a season promo from Toledo featuring Campbell and his long-haired offensive linemen:

* * *

If Rodriguez was king of college football, here is one change he would make:

“It’s kind of silly that we play at this level of football and you don’t have any preseason or scrimmage games. I mean, they do it at the small college level, you do in high school and you can do it in the level above us, but you don’t do it on this level,” Rodriguez said.

“They all count. They’re all pretty important, so I wish they would change the rules and let us have a preseason game or a scrimmage game or something. But I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”

* * *

Looking for an Arizona video? If you haven’t already seen this, this is the Haka the Cats will do in front of the Zona Zoo before the game:

Arizona coach Mike Stoops had a few things to yell about during the game but came away mostly pleased/Photo by Rick Osentoski, US PRESSWIRE

A gathering of quick thoughts from around the Internet, including this one from … me:

Arizona coach Mike Stoops, in the final days before the season opener, claimed that his defense was “starting to come together.”

Turns out, that wasn’t just preseason posturing … and it was, perhaps, an understatement.

The Wildcats got huge games from quarterback Nick Foles and wide receiver Juron Criner, and a super 36-yard touchdown run from running back Nic Grigsby in a 41-2 victory at Toledo on Friday night.

But all that — including 518 total yards — was mostly to be expected. There wasn’t much question that the offense was going to be a strength.

It’s the other side of that score that really matters. The two points allowed, rather than the 41 points scored, was by far the most encouraging part of Arizona’s performance.

Read the rest at FoxSportsArizona.com: Defense delivers in Wildcats’ season-opener

* * *

TOLEDO, Ohio — Arizona co-defensive coordinator Greg Brown stepped out of the tiny visitors’ locker room at the Glass Bowl late Friday, looked up at the scoreboard and smiled. Fifty-one weeks ago, Brown had emerged from the same cramped locker room after one of the most embarrassing nights of his professional career.

“Redemption” was the word Brown chose. It fit. Friday, Brown’s defense allowed zero points in Arizona’s 41-2 win at Toledo. Last September, Brown’s Colorado defense allowed 54 points in a 16-point loss.

Brown wasn’t the only one redeemed Friday. Though the opponent wasn’t elite, the win provided a fresh start for a bunch of Wildcats who finished last season on the business end of a Nebraska shutout in the Holiday Bowl. “Everybody always talks about the Holiday Bowl,” Arizona quarterback Nick Foles said. “It’s something people will probably always talk about. We’ve just got to show what kind of team we are.”

Read the rest at SI.com: Wildcats start redemption process

* * *

The questions were numerous and the answers were few entering the 2010 season regarding the University of Toledo’s defense, which ranked near the bottom in most statistical categories in the Mid-American Conference last year.

But no matter how the defense fared, the Rockets’ offense was expected to pick up where it left off at the end of 2009, even with a new starter behind center. To that point, sophomore quarterback Austin Dantin said earlier this week that the offense was “extremely, extremely close to being great.”

The Rockets were far from great Friday night in a 41-2 season-opening loss to Arizona at the Glass Bowl with an announced crowd of 25,907 on hand, although only a couple thousand remained at the final whistle. UT’s offense saw several drives stall near midfield, and the defense did all it could before wilting under the Wildcats’ offensive firepower.

“Of course we’re very, very disappointed, but we played a good football team,” UT coach Tim Beckman said. “[Arizona coach] Mike Stoops has done a great job with that program. That team beat [Southern Cal] last year.”

Read the rest at the Toledo Blade: Rockets grounded: Arizona shreds UT’s defense

Erin Andrews won't be there to interview coach Mike Stoops, but ESPN will be on hand for the Arizona-Toledo game/Photo by Kirby Lee, US PRESSWIRE

You’re ready for some football. Of course, you are.

For Arizona, the goal is Pasadena, the time is now.

The season starts tonight with a game at Toledo (5 p.m., ESPN) … so let’s get to it.

Arizona player to watch: RB Nic Grigsby
The senior has feasted on non-conference opponents over the years, including rushing 20 times for 135 yards and three touchdowns against Toledo in 2008.

Throw out Grigsby’s four carries against Nebraska last season, when he shouldn’t even have played because of his injured shoulder, and he has played in eight non-conference games in the past three seasons. His numbers: 135 carries for 919 yards and 10 touchdowns.

That’s an average of 6.8 yards per carry and 114.9 yards per game. Half of his career rushing touchdowns have come in those 10 games.

Toledo player to watch: WR Eric Page
The sophomore is the Rockets’ top weapon — fast, shifty and versatile.

“He’s a nightmare. The guy can play,” said Arizona co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Greg Brown. “He’s not a particularly big guy, but he knows how to play. They are going to get the ball in his hands and see what kind of damage he can do.” Brown knows. When he was on the staff at Colorado last season, Page caught three passes for 138 yards and a touchdown in his second career game.

He’s great in open space (as you can see in the video below) and can impact the game as a returner. The Wildcats’ secondary will especially have to tackle well.

He said it
“I think we’re going to come out and try to pound the ball down their throat.” — Arizona senior left tackle Adam Grant.

Stat watch
Arizona coach Mike Stoops has been cautioning his team about Toledo’s 5-1 record in its past six home games against BCS-conference opponents. It’s an impressive stat, although some of the games took place several years ago (when the Rockets were more dangerous than they are now), and only two of those BCS foes went on to winning seasons. They were 2007 Purdue, which beat Toledo, and 2003 Pittsburgh).

Here is the list:

2009: Toledo 54, Colorado 38
2007: Toledo 36, Iowa State 35
2007: Purdue 52, Toledo 24
2006: Toledo 37, Kansas 31
2003: Toledo 35, Pittsburgh 31
2001: Toledo 38, Minnesota 7

Don’t sleep on …
Toledo’s offensive line. This is an experienced group, including junior tackle John Morookian, who have made a combined 99 starts. Arizona’s expected starting offensive line — with Jovan Hayes at right guard instead of Vaughn Dotsy — has 63 career starts.

He said it, Part II
“We want to make sure speed is a factor in this game. We want to be as fast as we possibly can.” — Stoops

Injury update
Arizona is in great shape. Just a couple of minor questions: Offensive guards Conan Amituanai (knee) and Vaughn Dotsy (back) missed most of camp, so how is their conditioning and how much can they play? FB Taimi Tutogi (ankle) should get some playing time.

He said it, Part III
“I’m starting to get more excited about what we’re doing. I’m starting to see some growth and maturity, and that’s important. It took us a little bit longer to come together, but that’s OK.” — Stoops, on his defense.

Prediction
Arizona will get tough. The Wildcats will use their superior offensive line and depth of tailbacks to control the game against the Rockets. Toledo’s offense will have its moments — and it will be telling how the Wildcats fare against a spread team with a wide-open attack — but Arizona just has too much at the end. Arizona 38, Toledo 21.

What do you think?

This week’s coverage from TucsonCitizen.com:

Would all-white be all right for the Wildcats?

Meet Arizona’s ‘sleeper’

Center Colin Baxter still has a lot to prove (plus notes)

Matt Minkus’ podcast with coach Mike Stoops

Arizona Wildcats football and the Curse of Davy Crockett

Seven crucial questions for the Wildcats

This Week in the Pac-10

Few worries about co-coordinators

The best play in the Arizona football in the the last 40 years is …

Inside the depth chart: Running backs

Inside the depth chart: Quarterbacks

He said it, Part IV

Our Sports Network partner WildcatSportsReport.com uploaded this press conference video of co-defensive coordinator Greg Brown. Good stuff:

Stoops

Arizona coach Mike Stoops said Wednesday he could have a new offensive coordinator by the end of the week.

Stoops said he has brought in three coaches for interviews.

“We’re close,” Stoops said. “I’d say by Friday we’ll make some kind of decision.”

Stoops must replace Sonny Dykes, who left to become the head coach of Louisiana Tech on Jan. 20 – two weeks before signing day. The Wildcats lost quarterback recruit Matt Brown because of it; Brown signed with TCU.

“I’ve liked everyone I’ve had in,” Stoops said. “There are a lot of unbelievable coaches out there who have great experience and great ideas. We’re trying to find someone who will fit in with our staff the best.”

Even with a new coordinator, there likely won’t be a major shift in scheme as the Wildcats figure to remain a spread team, using plenty of four-receiver sets and the shotgun formation.

“The decision is going to be very difficult,” Stoops said. “I have interviewed three tremendous guys I have taken a liking to. That really is the hardest part of our job sometimes, hiring people and telling other people no.”

The new hire could possibly have a co-coordinator title with Bill Bedenbaugh, the offensive line coach and running game coordinator. Arizona will have co-defensive coordinators next season, with linebackers coach Tim Kish and newcomer Greg Brown, who will be coaching the secondary.

RELATED: Free press conference video from ArizonaWildcats.com

The official Arizona release on its 20-player signing class

SWITCHING POSITIONS
Richard Morrison, who redshirted as a freshman quarterback last season, has moved to a slot receiver position. Morrison, who is listed at 6-0, 180, was a dual-threat quarterback at Royce City (Texas) High School.

DeWayne Peace, who redshirted at receiver last season, will now try cornerback. Peace is 5-11, 180.

“They’re both tremendous athletes that we need to get on the field,” Stoops said. “I have been really impressed with both players.”

UPDATING MATT SCOTT
Junior quarterback Matt Scott, who was a transfer possibility after losing the starting job to classmate Nick Foles after the third game of last season, is back to compete at the position. Arizona also has junior Bryson Beirne.

“There is always the possibility of redshirting,” Stoops said of Scott.

Scott also is athletic enough to play another position.

“We’ll look at all our options, see what Matt feels comfortable doing, where he’s at, how he’s playing,” Stoops said. “All those things we’ll research and prepare for by the season if he’s not the starter.”

OPENER ON ESPN
Arizona announced Wednesday that the team’s season-opener at Toledo has been moved from Saturday, Sept. 4, to Friday, Sept. 3, to accommodate ESPN television.

“It’s going to be great,” Stoops said. “The Friday night before the first football (weekend), playing that game on ESPN, it just continues to give us national exposure … you know, if we play well.

“I think it’s certainly going to get our players’ attention.”

Toledo was 5-7 last season under first-year coach Tim Beckman, and Stoops noted that the Rockets defeated visiting Colorado last season, 54-38.

“I keep reminding Coach Brown about that,” Stoops said of his new co-defensive coordinator. “I think we will be well prepared.”

NEW UNIS
Stoops said Arizona is tweaking its uniforms for next season, and that he wouldn’t rule out using the white helmets, which the Wildcats wore for the first team in his tenure during the Holiday Bowl loss at Nebraska.

“We’re going to have a bunch of different looks that we will be able to accessorize our players with,” Stoops said. “That is kind of the fad we’re in right now with kids and players. We’re trying to keep up with it.

“If it makes them happy, then I’m happy. I really don’t care what we wear.”

Stoops said the uniforms would be “more toward our old look and a little more traditional but still modern” … whatever that means.

At least the colors will stay the same.

NOTABLE
Redshirt freshman defensive end Jackson Powell has left the program, Stoops said. … Stoops on safety recruit Josh Robbins from Canyon del Oro High School: “I think Josh Robbins is kind of a diamond in the rough. He has a huge upside.” … UA officially announced the hiring of Dave Emerick as the assistant director of operations/director of on-campus recruiting. He has spent the past six seasons with Texas Tech, the last two in a “chief of staff” position.