Thursday, December 28, 2023

A defensive juggernaut: Arizona beats Oklahoma 38-24 at the Alamo Bowl

 Alamo Bowl

#14 Arizona 38  #12 Oklahoma 24

The Wildcats' defense gets it done, forces six turnovers...



Arizona came from behind to beat Oklahoma 38-24 at the Valero Alamo Bowl tonight in San Antonio to finish the 2023 season with seven straight wins and a 10-3 record.

Noah Fifita connected on 24 of 38 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns, with 10 of his passes falling in the hands of Tetairoa McMillan, who finished the night with 160 receiving yards.

But it was the swarming Arizona defense that turned the tide. With the Wildcats trailing 24-13 in the final minute of the third quarter, Gunner Maldonado picked up an Oklahoma fumble and rambled 87 yards for a touchdown. The Wildcats went for two, and Fifita shuffled free in the backfield and hit Montana Lemonious-Craig for a 2-point conversion to bring Arizona within three at 24-21.

Arizona would tie the game with a 37-yard field goal to start the fourth quarter, Jacob Cowing hauled in a 57-yard TD pass from Fifita with 5:28 left, and DJ Williams put the finishing touches on a wild come-from-behind win with a 19-yard run at the 2:56 mark.

All of the above were set up by defensive gems by the Wildcats as they ended the night with six takeaways -- three interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Arizona scored 28 points off the six Oklahoma turnovers.

Cowling, who caught a 35-TD pass from Fifita in the first quarter, finished with two touchdowns and 152 receiving yards.

Arizona scored the final 25 points of the game to secure its 10th win and the fourth 10-win season in the school's history.

Way to go, Wildcats! Great season!




The hardware heading home...





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