Opportunistic defense, special teams help Arizona beat UTSA

Midway through the third quarter, the Arizona offense led the Arizona defense 21-14. While the Wildcats were having trouble stopping UTSA, Jamar Allah's 22-yard scoop-n-score gave Arizona some breathing room (35-20). It was the Cats' second defensive touchdown after Anthony Lopez's pick-six on the second play from scrimmage.

The Wildcats took more than their fair share of lumps on defense -- the Roadrunners severely outgained Arizona 525-392 yardage-wise -- but the two defensive touchdowns made sure they didn't feel the loss of an injured Scooby Wright too much on the scoreboard, as Arizona Beared Down to defeat UTSA 42-32 at Arizona Stadium Thursday night.

The special teams also helped, with DaVonte' Neal blocking Daniel Portillo's 44-yard field goal attempt early in the fourth quarter with Arizona leading 35-26. Who picked up the blocked kick? You guessed it -- Jamar Allah.

Yes, Arizona will have to shore things up defensively and hope for good news regarding Wright's injury in order to keep winning games against stiffer competition as the season goes on. But for tonight, the bend-and-sometimes-break-but-take-advantage-of-UTSA's-miscues defense and special teams were enough (and then some) to hand the Wildcats a win in their season opener.