9:45 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — My lasting memory of the 1998 Holiday Bowl, the last time Arizona won a postseason game, was about 15 minutes after the final gun. Running back Kelvin Eafon said thank-you to the fans on a microphone and turned to the Pride of Arizona.
“Play my song!” he shouted, and the group launched into “Bear Down, Arizona.”’
The UA faithful in the corner of Qualcomm Stadium sang and jumped and were rewarded for making the trip.
Tonight, the Wildcats’ fans were rewarded again — for the first time in a decade.
9:15 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — Arizona just attempted a quick kick — and failed miserably. Jason Bondzio lined up for what would have been a 53-yard field goal, but the ball was snapped directly to him.
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His punt, however, went a dozen yards. It was one of the few tricky plays we've seen from UA coach Mike Stoops — a fake punt against New Mexico being the only memorable one this season.
Stoops' brother, Mike, however, is the master of deception. The bad kick didn't pain the Wildcats too much — BYU's Max Hall threw an interception on the ensuing possession. Hate to jinx anything, Wildcats fans — but this is looking verrrrrrrry promising for the Arizonans.
8:42 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — The Wildcats are back in business. Delashaun Dean took advantage of blown coverage by free safety Kellen Fowler, scoring on a 37-yard reception to give the Wildcats a 17-14 lead in the Las Vegas Bowl.
8:16
LAS VEGAS — Nice story here: Glyndon Bolasky, a sophomore safety from Sabino High School, played for the first time all season.
Wearing No. 35, Bolasky is playing special teams for the Wildcats against BYU.
7:40 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — A break from our scheduled silliness for some serious sports stuff:
— BYU running back Fui Vakapuna has a shoulder injury and will be re-evaluated at halftime.
— Arizona has benefited from some great luck. On BYU’s last drive of the second quarter, wide receiver Austin Collie dropped a sure touchdown on a post pattern. The Cougars were then flagged for three-straight penalties. After rushing the ball to the 22-yard line, BYU tried a field goal — and pushed it left.
— UA right tackle James Tretheway missed one drive in the second quarter with what appeared to be an injury; he has since returned.
— Arizona’s dance squad danced to “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” Rockettes-style in the end zone. (You didn’t think it would be all straight news, did you?)
6:49 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — Terrell Turner was galloping 61 yards down the field on a reception, moving the Wildcats closer to a touchdown and a 7-0 lead in the Las Vegas Bowl.
David Hasselhoff, meanwhile, was talking to Jim Livengood outside his luxury box.
When the crowd roared, the UA's athletic director invited the television star into his box. Through one quarter, there has been one score — and only while the two were talking. Coincidence?
6:02 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — The countdown clock at Sam Boyd Stadium has frozen at seven minutes. ESPN has a "five-minute slide," meaning it can delay the start while another game is finishing.
Syracuse and Memphis were playing the final minute of their basketball game.
5:57 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — Quick David Hasselhoff National Anthem review: he wasn’t bad.
With more than 50 cameramen gathered around him, Hasselhoff sang an annunciated anthem filled with elongated pauses and hand gestures.
He sang it like he was in a musical, singing the national anthem.
And the surreal-ness — VH1 calls it Surreality — of Hasselhoff singing the anthem outweighed the song itself. Weird.
5:04 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — The first thing you notice when you step out of your car at Sam Boyd Stadium is the majesty of the … wait, is that David Hasselhoff?
As we walked through the parking lot, the Hoff himself’s voice danced through the air. About an hour and a half before the Las Vegas Bowl kickoff, Hasselhoff was practicing his version of the national anthem.
A bit later, Hasselhoff emerged indoors wearing sunglasses and a full-length leather trench coat out of “Shaft.” Arizona’s most famous football fan — well, fame being relative — was whisked down the hall, presumably to focus for his big moment.
4:10 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — Flags bearing Cats cover every fourth car as we're in traffic headed from the UA basketball game to the Las Vegas Bowl.
As Arizona fans sit sit at every red light, they have to be concerned. They're late for their tailgate and today did not start well — as the Cats lost to UNLV 79-64.
4:08 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — In transit from UA basketball game to Las Vegas Bowl. Sitting in traffic on corner of Tropicana.
Las Vegas has just about everything you need; you can literally walk from Paris to New York to Venice.
One thing it doesn't have: a freeway.
2:56 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — If performance against the Wildcats is any measure, it’s hard to imagine a more popular choice for Arizona’s next coach than Lon Kruger.
UNLV’s boss has declared his comfort at this campus, a dice throw from the Strip. He didn’t wear the Lute Olson uniform today like Mark Few did Sunday. He didn’t really do anything to call attention to himself. Even his announcements on the scoreboard were stilted, as if the former NBA coach wasn’t really comfortable speaking in front of the camera. All Kruger did was beat the daylights out of Arizona.
And maybe that’s something lost in the daily march of speculation.
2:42 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — After two Arizona steals closed the game within 12, UNLV rattled off three-straight three-pointers.
Arizona called a timeout, and the loudspeakers started blaring “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown. Fans stood and clapped a cheered.
“Rebel fans, do you feel good?” the emcee screamed.
With 7:02 to play, the atmosphere is turning more celebratory with each possession. Chants of “Rebbbbb-elllls” hang in the air. Fans are relaxing. The home team has got this.
2:29 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — The Rebels appear to be pulling away, and the crowd can feel it.
Thomas & Mack Center is loud, the result of UNLV’s 13-0 — and counting — run. Arizona fans might be a basket or two away from considering their football tailgate.
A few random notes thus far:
—UNLV radio announcer Glen Gondrezick had a heart transplant Sept. 20 after spending 172 days on the transplant list. He was back on the air, healthy, by the start of November. Gondrezick, a former All-American, played here from 1973-77.
—Just saw associate head coach Mike Dunlap scream at an official for maybe the first time all season. During a timeout, Dunlap yelled that a non-call when Chase Budinger dribbled the ball into a defender was “garbage.”
—UNLV forward Rene Rougeau graduated at a ceremony Tuesday with a degree in criminal justice.
—And, sadly, UNLV’s Joe Darger noticed his shorts were on backward and halftimeHe fixed them.
2:02 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — At halftime, someone was looking to score — big.
It took at least four people to hold up a sign at least 10 feet long that read “Melissa — I want to spend eternity with you. Will you marry me?” The sign was even shown on the UNLV video screen, but no word on the answer yet. The Rebels’ halftime emcee said he did not know where Melissa was.
Meanwhile, Arizona has at least one thing going for it, despite trailing 32-27 at the half. The Rebels’ most effective player so far, Joe Darger, is wearing his shorts backward.
Look for it on television — that is, unless he fixes it at the half. The black swoosh is on his backside.
The end of the first half saw UNLV and UA fans are getting testier by the minute, screaming “Ar-i-zona!” and “Rebbbbbbbels” back and forth above the din of the 18,500-capacity arena.
More updates— short, and about shorts — to come.
1:35 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — The UNLV ticket office opened early today, at 9 a.m., presumably expecting a rush of buyers wearing cardinal and blue.
Thomas & Mack Center isn’t sold out, however — one upper-deck corner is nearly empty, and UNLV fans outnumber the UA ones. Wildcats fans in the upper deck started an “Ar-i-zona” cheer a minute ago that rang through the arena before being shouted down by the home crowd.
The most famous person we’ve seen so far is also the most inconspicuous. About 10 rows behind the UA’s bench sits future Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux, wearing a gray t-shirt and eating popcorn. The Mad Dog, who retired earlier this month, lives here.
1:05 p.m.
LAS VEGAS — The most fun day in Arizona Wildcats history just had the perfect introduction. No one does pregame introductions better than they do here at Thomas & Mack Center.
Just before the Arizona vs. UNLV basketball game, the Rebels took the floor after officials rolled out a literal red carpet for them to run on.
After the Wildcats were introduced, the magic started.
A player on the video board said, “Lights, please” — and the lights dimmed.
The video screen showed a graphic that read, “It’s high noon in Vegas — and big bad Arizona is in town.”
Then the fireworks started — literally.
Before players were introduced, explosions of red and gold flames shot out of the basket supports and from suspensions above the floor with the beat of the fight song.
UNLV invented the showy pregame. In this town, could it be any other way?
Follow Star reporter Patrick Finley today as he chronicles this day in Arizona sports.
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