Arizona
7th PAC-127-5
Oklahoma State
3rd Big 1210-2
Arizona @ Oklahoma State preview
Alamodome
The Skinny: Oklahoma State (10-2) has a chance to reach 11 wins for the first time in school history but enters the Alamo Bowl disappointed after squandering an opportunity to play in the Big 12 Championship game by falling to rival Oklahoma in its final regular-season game.
Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen -- who came over from Houston before the season and turned the Cowboys into the No. 1 team in the nation in total offense and the No. 3 team in scoring offense -- did so well he got hired away. West Virginia named him offensive coordinator for next season, with a guarantee he'll be head coach in 2012. Holgorsen will coach the Cowboys in the bowl, though.
Arizona (7-5) will have more than a month to think about its last regular season game, a double-overtime loss to rival Arizona State that included two blocked extra point attempts. That was the latest in a series of disappointments for a promising team, which lost three games by a total of six points.
Point Spread: Oklahoma State -6. Over/Under — 65.5
Oklahoma State’s Edge: Offense, specifically running back Kendall Hunter. Quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon are one of the most dangerous combinations in college football but Hunter, who rushed for 1,516 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, will be going up against an Arizona defense that allowed 205 rushing yards to USC and 398 to Oregon.
The Cowboys are averaging nearly 45 points per game and balance it out with equally impressive rushing and passing numbers.
Arizona’s Edge: Defensive end Ricky Elmore led the Wildcats with 11 sacks and 13 tackles for a loss this season and will be one of the keys to stopping Oklahoma State’s attack. His ability to get to Weeden in the passing game and help his fellow linemen bottle up Hunter on the ground could make the difference.
No slouch on offense itself, Arizona led the Pac-10 in passing yardage this season and will be going up against a secondary that most recently yielded 47 points to Oklahoma.
The Quarterbacks: The Cowboys put 27-year-old Weeden, a former minor league baseball player, under center this season and took off. His 4,037 yards and 32 touchdowns this season not only made their way up school record books but ranked third and fifth in the nation, respectively.
Arizona signal-caller Nick Foles completed 67.6 percent of his passes — eighth-best in the country — for 2,911 yards while tossing 19 touchdowns. He had 10 touchdowns against two interceptions in the last four games.
NFL Prospects: Oklahoma State — WR Justin Blackmon, RB Kendall Hunter, PK Dan Bailey. Arizona — DE Brooks Reed, WR Juron Criner.
Bowl history: Oklahoma State is 12-8 all-time in bowls but has lost its last two, including a 21-7 setback against Mississippi in the 2009 Cotton Bowl. The Cowboys last played the Alamo Bowl in 2004, when they were crushed, 33-7, by Ohio State.
Arizona is 6-8-1 all-time and will be playing in a bowl for the third straight season after a 10-year drought. The Wildcats are coming off a 33-0 loss to Nebraska in last year’s Holiday Bowl.
Etc.: Oklahoma State cleaned up in the postseason awards arena, with Blackmon taking the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver and Bailey winning the Lou Groza Award for place-kicking.
Arizona will have to rebuild both lines after the season but won’t have to wait long to see the Cowboys again as they are expected to be the Wildcats’ toughest non-conference opponent in the 2011 campaign.
Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen -- who came over from Houston before the season and turned the Cowboys into the No. 1 team in the nation in total offense and the No. 3 team in scoring offense -- did so well he got hired away. West Virginia named him offensive coordinator for next season, with a guarantee he'll be head coach in 2012. Holgorsen will coach the Cowboys in the bowl, though.
Arizona (7-5) will have more than a month to think about its last regular season game, a double-overtime loss to rival Arizona State that included two blocked extra point attempts. That was the latest in a series of disappointments for a promising team, which lost three games by a total of six points.
Point Spread: Oklahoma State -6. Over/Under — 65.5
Oklahoma State’s Edge: Offense, specifically running back Kendall Hunter. Quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon are one of the most dangerous combinations in college football but Hunter, who rushed for 1,516 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, will be going up against an Arizona defense that allowed 205 rushing yards to USC and 398 to Oregon.
The Cowboys are averaging nearly 45 points per game and balance it out with equally impressive rushing and passing numbers.
Arizona’s Edge: Defensive end Ricky Elmore led the Wildcats with 11 sacks and 13 tackles for a loss this season and will be one of the keys to stopping Oklahoma State’s attack. His ability to get to Weeden in the passing game and help his fellow linemen bottle up Hunter on the ground could make the difference.
No slouch on offense itself, Arizona led the Pac-10 in passing yardage this season and will be going up against a secondary that most recently yielded 47 points to Oklahoma.
The Quarterbacks: The Cowboys put 27-year-old Weeden, a former minor league baseball player, under center this season and took off. His 4,037 yards and 32 touchdowns this season not only made their way up school record books but ranked third and fifth in the nation, respectively.
Arizona signal-caller Nick Foles completed 67.6 percent of his passes — eighth-best in the country — for 2,911 yards while tossing 19 touchdowns. He had 10 touchdowns against two interceptions in the last four games.
NFL Prospects: Oklahoma State — WR Justin Blackmon, RB Kendall Hunter, PK Dan Bailey. Arizona — DE Brooks Reed, WR Juron Criner.
Bowl history: Oklahoma State is 12-8 all-time in bowls but has lost its last two, including a 21-7 setback against Mississippi in the 2009 Cotton Bowl. The Cowboys last played the Alamo Bowl in 2004, when they were crushed, 33-7, by Ohio State.
Arizona is 6-8-1 all-time and will be playing in a bowl for the third straight season after a 10-year drought. The Wildcats are coming off a 33-0 loss to Nebraska in last year’s Holiday Bowl.
Etc.: Oklahoma State cleaned up in the postseason awards arena, with Blackmon taking the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver and Bailey winning the Lou Groza Award for place-kicking.
Arizona will have to rebuild both lines after the season but won’t have to wait long to see the Cowboys again as they are expected to be the Wildcats’ toughest non-conference opponent in the 2011 campaign.