UT prepared for nationally-televised affair with Arizona

The Rockets will begin their season at home as they welcome Pac-10 runner up Arizona to the Glass Bowl Friday on ESPN at 8 p.m. It will be the first time a Pac-10 team has played in a Mid-American Conference stadium.

"The whole nation and the whole world's going to be watching," senior linebacker Archie Donald said. "We've just got to go out there and showcase our talents and come out with a win.

"We've got to come out and fly around with a lot of enthusiasm and make plays and just show everyone what the Toledo Rockets are made of."

Second-year head coach Tim Beckman took the Rockets to a 5-7 record last year, one year removed from just a three-win season. Toledo started the season 4-3 but lost four-of-five games down the stretch finishing one game out of bowl contention.

Toledo currently ranks third all time in consecutive years with wins over a BCS team by a non-BCS squad (4), while Arizona hasn't won a non-conference road game since 2001. The Rockets also hold a 45-13 record since 2000 at the Glass Bowl.

"It's a loud place to play at," Beckman said. "We get great backing. I really do think this is one of the hardest places to play in the Mid-American Conference because of the community and the support that we get on Saturday and Friday or whatever day we play on. We're excited about playing out here and it's just a great atmosphere for our kids to play in."

Sophomore Austin Dantin won the quarterback job in the offseason and will attempt to replace four-year starter Aaron Opelt, who threw for 1,997 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.

"He's my boy," Opelt said. "I'm just excited to watch him go out there and do it. I've got all confidence in him.

"Austin and I got along soon as he came in his freshman year. He's a great athlete. He's gotten a lot of reps in this offseason and he's one of those kids who is a competitor. He's ready to get out there and play and I'm real excited to get out there and watch him play."

"Right now [the offense] is extremely close to being great," Dantin said. "We have flashes of greatness every day. Chemistry-wise we are extremely good, we've been running routes, executing very well at times. I'm extremely excited about Friday to see how we can play."

Beckman said on Monday that Dantin would split time with senior Alex Pettee and sophomore David Pasquale, while freshman Terrance Owens would be used in emergency situations.

"Being all the way from Florida I don't want to come up here and just sit the bench, sit on the sidelines and cheer," Dantin said.

"I obviously want to play the entire game. I don't want to come out. At the same time I'm a big team player and I want us to win regardless, however that may be. I plan on coming out, not being injured. I've worked extremely hard in the offseason so hopefully everything goes well."

Returning for the Rockets is cornerback Desmond Marrow who hasn't played since Oct. 18, 2008 after tearing his ACL and meniscus against Northern Illinois. The senior gave up just 19 yards on five catches the week before to Michigan's top receiver Greg Matthews in UT's 13-10 win over the Wolverines.

"I can't really explain it," Marrow said. "I just wake up every day with a smile on my face. I'm just excited to get back here and play in front of all the fans. I just miss it like the fans miss me and I miss the fans. I just want to get out there and help my team the best I can".

"He is a great player," Donald said. "If he stays healthy he has a chance of making it to the next level. When I'm on the field with this guy, we just click. We know exactly what we are trying to do and we get the job done. It's great to have him back. He keeps advancing himself. I'm really excited to see what he can do."

It won't be just any game for Marrow and his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, as Arizona's head coach Mike Stoops attended the same high school as the UT cornerback, Cardinal Mooney.

"It's like this big deal in Youngstown", Marrow said. "It's real important for me to win for when I go back there. I see Stoops from time to time around Mooney or downtown Youngstown so I can give him a little smile or head nod saying ‘I got you.'"

Marrow isn't the only one familiar with Stoops, as Beckman first met the UA coach during his childhood when Stoops played for Iowa, where Beckman's father coached.

"I was young," Beckman said. "My dad was coaching and I was on the sidelines throwing dummies at them while they were on the field. They were great players, very well respected in Youngstown. I remember them from their days at Iowa and as a young player growing up wanting to be a lot like Bob [Stoops] and Mike, because they were great football players."

Arizona returns nine starters from last year's offense, including junior quarterback Nick Foles and senior running back Nic Grigsby. The Wildcats also have five starting senior offensive lineman averaging 6-5, 317 pounds—an average of nearly 51 pounds heavier per man over the Rockets defensive line.

"They are a good fast team," Donald said. "They are going to come out and try and run the ball on us. Our objective is to try and stop that and make them beat us through the air."

"It's always good to just go out there and try to prove yourself because we are a smaller school," Page said. "Pretty much everybody looks at smaller schools as not being as good so we are just going to go out there and try to prove the world wrong."