The Offensive MVP was: Nick Foles. The guy was incredible last night. He threw for 360 yards on 32 of 37 passing. He also ran one in. His only interception came off the hands of his own receiver, Taimi Tutogi. The guy is incredible and got to shine in the national spotlight. His arm is huge and should be an NFL caliber quarterback by the time he leaves Arizona. Props to the offensive line as well for giving Foles the time he needed to pick apart the Toledo defense. The first quarter pass to Douglas was a thing of beauty. Grigsby, Nwoko, and Antolin carried the ground game well. They combined for 18 carries for 98 yards. The holes weren't as big last night as I had hoped they would be. Toledo's front four didn't do a bad job against Arizona's massive O-Line. Grigsby's draw touchdown was impressive. He flashed the speed we remembered from 2008. Juron Criner = Beast Fast.
The Defensive MVP was: The entire linebacking crew. Paul Vassallo was an animal. He recorded 10 tackles and one tackle for loss. I watched the tape again this morning and he filled a hole almost as quickly as the back got the ball. He crushed him. Jake Fischer had three tackles and a sack. Derek Earls had an interception. The best part was they were always in the right spot. All we have been hearing all week long is that they are still missing their reads and missing their assignments. It sure didn't look like it on Friday. Props to the interior D-Line as well. Arizona liberally rotated in the backups all night. D'aundre Reed, Willie Mobley, and Justin Washington all got a lot of playing time and made the most of it. They kept the I was also really impressed with Justin Washington on the DL last night. He was shucking blockers and creating havoc when he was in there. He obliterated a running back in the second quarter. He also had a great sack where he got rid of his blocker and went straight after the QB. (Just watched more tape. Washington was all over the place last night. Great news for the Cats going forward. ) The defense limited Toledo's standout wide receiver Eric Page to only 43 yards on 4 receptions.
Special Teams: Props to Adam Hall on Bug Wright's punt return. The kid crushed a streaking Toledo player, got up and literally put in two more blocks to help spring him. If you taped the game, watch Wright's return in the 1st quarter. Zendejas was a perfect 5-5 last night on extra points. No attempts on field goals. Keenyn Crier averaged a solid 43 yards per punt and pinned Toledo inside their own 20 once. The kickoff and punt coverage was excellent and Bonano got one touchback.
Freshman Watch: Shaquille Richardson and Marquis Flowers both got in the mix last night. It was pretty hard to watch their performance in the secondary but PT this early in the season is a positive.
Next Up: Citadel in Tucson, Saturday, September 11, 2010. Fear Factor=0.