Arizona at Toledo, Glass Bowl Toledo, OH
Friday, September 3, 2010 8:00 pm Eastern, TV: ESPN
Opening Line: Arizona -12.5
Current Line: Arizona -16
Opening Total: 58.5
Current Total: 60
Money Line: Arizona -800 Toledo +600
All betting odds courtesy of Bookmaker
Coach Mike Stoops leads the Wildcats as they travel to Toledo in the season opener for both teams. The Wildcats are a pretty heavy favorite despite traveling across country. The Wildcats are pretty potent on offense but the defense has some questions. The Rockets have an experienced offensive line and will lean heavily on the running game as they break in new quarterback sophomore Austin Dantin. The problem for the Rockets lies on defense. Last year the defense ranked 116th in the country. If the defense does not improve, it could be a long day and a long season for the Rockets as they take on the high powered wildcats led by quarterback Nick Foles and receiver Juron Criner. The Wildcats can also run the ball with Keola Antolin, but he only rushed for 637 yards and 4 touchdowns last season. On defense, the Cats only return 4 starters from a unit that gave up a ton of points in the high octane Pac-10 last year. The Wildcats are particularly vulnerable up the middle and can be had by a power running team.
Rockets coach Tim Beckman expects to lean heavily on junior running back Morgan Williams as Dantin learns the spread offense. Williams has rushed for almost 1,500 yards the last two seasons, and 8 touchdowns. However he was the backup to DuJuane Collins who left after his four years of eligibility. It might seem strange for a team that runs the spread to depend heavily on the running backs, but the Rockets don’t think it will be a problem. The receivers are led by sophomore Eric Page who is only 18 years old but is considered one of the veterans on a young receiving corps for the Rockets. Page is considered to be among the elite receivers in the country according to some experts. A talented wide receiver can help a young quarterback get his footing in a new system. as I said the defense is a question mark, and was awful last year. They only return 5 starters from that unit. Coach Beckman has taken a more hands-on approach with the defense, which he started last year late in the season. The defense did show signs of life in their last couple of games, so improvement is hoped for.
The game is going to be played in Toledo’s Glass Bowl. It is a small stadium that is pretty old. however, the cramped nature of the stadium makes it pretty tough to play for opponents. The Rockets are 10-3 against the spread as home underdogs since 2000. The game is not expected to be a sellout as 5,000 tickets were left two days before the game. The weather could be a factor as game time temperature is expected to be in the high 50’s or low 60’s with a 30% chance of rain. It might be a little chilly for the desert-dwelling Wildcats, as it might be 50 or 60 degrees cooler than it is in Tucson.
Maddux Sports is still handicapping this college football game. If we do have a premium pick for members tonight you can get signed up for it on our college football predictions page in the morning. We have also released some Saturday picks so dont miss out on any of those winners.
