Arizona Dominates Oklahoma in Alamo Bowl Victory

Alamo Bowl: Arizona 38, Oklahoma 24

Arizona capped off one of college football’s most impressive turnarounds in a game that started Thursday evening and bled into Friday’s early morning hours, beating No. 12 Oklahoma 38-24 in the Alamo Bowl. For the Wildcats, who advanced to 10-3 with the win, this is their first postseason victory since 2015 and first 10-win season since 2014.

This for an Arizona team that had six total wins from 2021-22, a losing record five straight years from 2018-22 and a bowl dry streak that extended all the way back to 2017 entering this season. The Wildcats have one of this Bowl Season’s most impressive defensive efforts to thank for their shiny new Alamo Bowl trophy.

Arizona forced six total turnovers, including three interceptions off of Oklahoma freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold in his first career start. The Wildcats picked Arnold off on just his third pass attempt of the game and parlayed that into a touchdown and a 10-0 lead.

But the Sooners stormed ahead from there, rattling off a 24-3 run that gave them a two-possession lead midway through the fourth quarter. Oklahoma was driving late in the third frame with a chance to slam the door shut, but Arizona’s defense reared its head again with an 87-yard fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.

Arnold threw an interception to open the fourth quarter and was on the receiving end of a sack-fumble with less than four minutes left the game. The Wildcats offense scored as a result of both turnovers to take a decisive lead. Arizona’s own freshman quarterback Noah Fifita deserves a nod — he finished the game with 354 yards passing and two touchdowns, including a 57-yard strike to speedster Jacob Cowing that put Arizona up for good midway through the fourth quarter.

2024-01-02 12:40:57
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