ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

No. 14 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ (9-3) vs. No. 12 Oklahoma (10-2)

What:ÌýValero Alamo Bowl

When: 7:15 p.m. Thursday

Where: Alamodome; San Antonio

TV:Ìý·¡³§±Ê±·

Radio:Ìý1290-AM, 107.5-FM

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats

Record:Ìý9-3 (7-2 Pac-12)

WHEN ARIZONA IS ON OFFENSE (PROJECTED):

[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]

XWR | 4 | Tetairoa McMillan | 6-5 | 210 | So.

FWR | 2 | Jacob Cowing | 5-11 | 175 | Sr.

LT | 62 | Joseph Borjon | 6-8 | 325 | R-So.

LG | 72 | Wendell Moe | 6-2 | 340 | R-Fr.

C | 75 | Josh Baker | 6-3 | 305 | Jr.

RG | 79 | Raymond Pulido | 6-6 | 335 | Fr.

RT | 71 | Jonah Savaiinaea | 6-5 | 330 | So.

TE | 84 | Tanner McLachlan | 6-5 | 245 | R-Sr.

ZWR | 5 | Montana Lemonious-Craig | 6-2 | 200 | Jr.

QB | 11 | Noah Fifita | 5-11 | 194 | R-Fr.Ìý

RB | 6 | Michael Wiley | 6-0 | 215 | Sr.

WHEN ARIZONA IS ON DEFENSE (PROJECTED):

[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]

KAT | 90 | Isaiah Ward | 6-5 | 225 | R-Fr.

DT | 92 | Tyler Manoa | 6-5 | 315 | Sr.

NT | 45 | Bill Norton | 6-6 | 325 | Sr.

DE | 11 | Taylor Upshaw | 6-5 | 270 | Grad.

WLB | 5 | Jacob Manu | 5-11 | 225 | So.

MLB | 10 | Justin Flowe | 6-2 | 225 | R-So.

STAR | 2 | Treydan Stukes | 6-2 | 195 | Jr.

CB | 7 | Ephesians Prysock | 6-4 | 190 | So.

CB | 23 | Tacario Davis | 6-4 | 195 | So.

BS | 43 | Dalton Johnson | 5-11 | 200 | R-So.

FS | 9 |ÌýGunner Maldonado | 6-0 | 195 | Jr.

UA 2023 SCHEDULE

September

2 |ÌýN. ARIZONAÌý| W, 38-3

9 | at Mississippi State | L, 31-24 (OT)

16 |ÌýUTEPÌý| W, 31-10

23 | at Stanford | W, 21-20

30 |ÌýNo. 7ÌýWASHINGTONÌý| L, 31-24

October

7 | at No. 9 USC | L, 43-41 (3OT)

14 | at No. 19 Washington State | W, 44-6

28 |ÌýNo. 11ÌýOREGON STATEÌý| W, 27-24

November

4 |ÌýNo. 19ÌýUCLAÌý| W, 27-10

11 | at Colorado | W, 34-31

18 |ÌýNo. 22ÌýUTAHÌý| W, 42-18

25 | at ASU | W, 59-23

December

28 | vs. No. 12ÌýOklahoma*

Home games inÌýBold;Ìý*=Alamo Bowl in San Antonio

UA 2023 STATS

PASSING

[Name | Comp-Att-INT | Yards | TDs | Long]

Fifita | 217-295-5 | 2,515 | 23 | 69

de Laura | 89-128-5 | 1,120 | 10 | 55

RUSHING

[Name | Carries | Yards | TDs | Per carry | Per game]

Coleman | 123 | 851 | 5 | 6.9 | 70.9

Williams | 79 | 345 | 4 | 4.4 | 31.4

Wiley | 63 | 292 | 3 | 4.6 | 32.4

Luke | 37 | 153 | 1 | 4.1 | 12.8

de Laura | 21 | 121 | 3 | 5.8 | 17.3

RECEIVING

[Name | Receptions | Yards | TDs | Per catch | Per game]

McMillan | 80 | 1242 | 10 | 15.5 | 103.5

Cowing | 83 | 696 | 11 | 8.4 | 58.0

McLachlan | 42 | 500 | 4 | 11.9 | 41.7

Wiley | 28 | 306 | 5 | 10.9 | 34.0

Lemonious-Craig | 27 | 291 | 3 | 10.78 | 24.3

Coleman | 23 | 282 | 1 | 12.3 | 25.6

DEFENSE

[Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FR | FF]

Manu | 108 | 6.5 | 1 | 0 | 0

Johnson | 73 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3

Maldonado | 72 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1

Prysock | 57 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0

Stukes | 48 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0

Flowe | 44 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0

Upshaw | 30 | 8.5 | 0 | 0 | 1

Oklahoma Sooners

Record:Ìý10-2 (7-2 Big 12)

WHEN OKLAHOMA IS ON OFFENSE (PROJECTED):Ìý

[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]

WR | 4 | Nic Anderson | 6-4 | 207 | R-Fr.

TE | 81 | Austin Stogner | 6-6 | 258 | Sr.

LT | 75 | Walter Rouse | 6-6 | 323 | R-Sr.

LG | 53 | Caleb Shaffer| 6-5 | 344 | R-Sr.

C | 52 | Troy Everett | 6-3 | 294 | R-So.

RG | 72 | McKade Mettauer | 6-4 | 316 | R-Sr.

RT | 76 | Jacob Sexton | 6-6 | 327 | So.

WR | 3 | Jalil Farooq | 6-1 | 208 | Jr.

WR | 12 | Drake Stoops | 5-10 | 189 | R-Sr.

QB | 10 | Jackson Arnold | 6-1 | 216 | Fr.

RB | 27 | Gavin Sawchuk | 5-11 | 195 | R-Fr.

WHEN OKLAHOMA IS ON DEFENSE (PROJECTED):

[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]

DE | 80 | Rondell Bothroyd | 6-3 | 273 | R-Sr.

DT | 94 | Isaiah Coe | 6-2 | 311 | R-Sr.

DT | 54 | Jacob Lacey | 6-1 | 282 | R-Sr.

DE | 40 | Ethan Downs | 6-4 | 265 | Jr.

LB | 28 | Danny Stutsman | 6-4 | 236 | Jr.

LB | 7 | Jaren Kanak | 6-2 | 228 | So.

CHT | 1 | Dasan McCullough | 6-5 | 219 | So.

CB | 9 | Gentry Williams | 6-0 | 182 | So.

SS | 2 | Billy Bowman | 5-10 | 192 | Jr.

FS | 21 | Reggie Perason | 5-10 | 197 | R-Sr.

CB | 5 | Woodi Washington | 5-11 | 192 | R-Sr.

OU 2023 SCHEDULE

September

2 |ÌýARKANSAS STATEÌý| W, 73-0

9 | SMUÌý| W, 28-11

16 |Ìýat Tulsa| W, 66-17

23 | at Cincinnati | W, 20-6

30 |ÌýIOWA STATEÌý| W, 50-20

October

7 | vs. No. 3 Texas^Ìý| W, 34-30

21 |ÌýUCFÌý| W, 31-29

28 |Ìýat Kansas | L, 38-33

November

4 |Ìýat No. 22 Oklahoma State | L, 27-24

11 |ÌýWEST VIRGINIA | W, 59-20

18 | at BYU | W, 31-24

24 |ÌýTCUÌý| W, 69-45Ìý

December

28 | vs.ÌýNo. 14ÌýÃÛèÖÖ±²¥*

Home games inÌýBold; ^=in Dallas; *=Alamo Bowl in San Antonio;

OU 2023 STATS

PASSING

[Name | Comp-Att-INT | Yards | TDs | Long]

Gabriel | 266-384-6 | 3,660 | 30 | 63

Arnold | 18-24-0 | 202 | 2 | 50

RUSHING

[Name | Carries | Yards | TDs | Per carry | Per game]

Sawchuk | 105 | 610 | 8 | 5.8 | 55.5

Walker | 95 | 496 | 7 | 5.2 | 45.1

Gabriel | 93 | 373 | 12 | 4.0 | 31.1

Major | 78 | 308 | 1 | 3.9 | 44.0

Barnes | 37 | 140 | 1 | 3.8 | 17.5

RECEIVING

[Name | Receptions | Yards | TDs | Per catch | Per game]

Stoops | 78 | 880 | 10 | 11.3 | 73.3

Anderson | 31 | 725 | 9 | 23.4 | 60.4

Anthony | 41 | 637 | 2 | 15.5 | 53.1

Gibson | 13 | 372 | 5 | 28.6 | 31.0

Stogner | 17 | 196 | 1 | 11.5 | 16.3

Freeman | 18 | 86 | 1 | 4.8 | 7.2

DEFENSE

[Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FR | FF]

Stutsman | 99 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2

Bowman | 61 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0

Kanak | 60 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1

Lewis | 59 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0

Lawrence | 44 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1

Dolby | 43 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0

Downs | 28 | 4.5 | 1 | 0 | 0

Head to Head

4 Tetairoa McMillan vs. 2 Billy Bowman Jr.

McMillan, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s first Associated Press All-American selection in five years, is eighth nationally in receiving yards. His 1,242 yards this season ranks fourth in program history behind Dennis Northcutt, Bobby Wade and Austin Hill. McMillan needs 123 yards on Thursday to move ahead of Hill — 148 to pass Wade and 181 for Northcutt. If McMillan tallies 56 receiving yards in the Alamo Bowl, he'll become the eighth ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ receiver all-time to have 2,000 or more receiving yards in a UA career.ÌýÌý

Bowman has started every game this season at safety and ranks second nationally with six interceptions, which matches ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s season total as a team. The Sooners are the top Power 5 team in college football in interceptions (19). Bowman's three pick-sixes and 238 return yards after interceptions this season is a school record. The All-Big 12 selection recorded four interceptions in the last five games of the regular season.Ìý

13 Martell Irby vs. 12 Drake Stoops

Irby, who lost to Oklahoma twice by a combined 97-35 during his UCLA career, missed the last two games of the season with a knee injury, but is healthy and expected to have a major role in the Alamo Bowl. The graduate transfer defensive back started at linebacker in wins over UCLA (Irby's former team) and Colorado, before suffering an injury. Irby, a backup nickelback behind Treydan Stukes, is a vital part of the Wildcats' pass coverage as a linebacker-defensive back hybrid. His ability to defend the pass could allow ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ star linebacker Jacob Manu to creatively maneuver on blitzes and apply pressure on OU quarterback Jackson Arnold, who is making his collegiate start.Ìý

Stoops, son of Oklahoma coaching legend Bob Stoops and nephew of former UA head coach Mike Stoops, is about to play in his fifth bowl game in five years — his second Alamo Bowl in three years. Stoops received All-Big 12 First Team honors and was named one of three finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy, an accolade given to an excelling player who started their career as a walk-on.ÌýÌý

The matchup

When ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has the ballÌý…

Oklahoma defensive coordinator Ted Roof complimented the Wildcats for their "tremendous balance" and said "there's no weaknesses" in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s offense that ranks 17th nationally in total yards (453.4) per game. The key for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is protecting the football. The Wildcats have not fumbled since the nonconference finale against UTEP. They also haven't thrown more than one interception in a game this season since the four-interception performance by former starting quarterback Jayden de Laura at Mississippi State.

When Oklahoma has the ballÌý…

The shell of Oklahoma's offense is still intact, but the Sooners are missing several key pieces, including three starters on the offensive line and starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who transferred to Oregon earlier this month. Oklahoma's offense ranks fifth nationally in total yards, but it'll be without Gabriel, key starters on the offensive line and offensive play-caller Jeff Lebby, who took over as head coach at Mississippi State. Former ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, now OU's co-offensive coordinator with Joe Jon Finley, will marry Lebby's offense with a few air-raid twists.Ìý

Prediction: No. 14 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 30, No. 12 Oklahoma 20

Both teams are riding the hot hand entering Thursday. The Wildcats are riding a six-game winning streak, the longest since the 1998 season, while the Sooners won three straight contests since their heartbreaking loss to Oklahoma State in the final Bedlam Series with both teams in the Big 12. But only one team is enduring the significant loss of players to theÌý transfer portal and coaches leaving for other jobs, and it's not ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. Not having left tackle Jordan Morgan, who is preparing for the NFL Draft, hurts the Wildcats, but projected starter Joseph Borjon has started in two games this season and hasn't allowed a sack in 175 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. If the Wildcats can disrupt Oklahoma, which ranks ninth in college football on third-down conversions, and force the Sooners to play catch-up, look for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ to win its first bowl game in eight years. And the Wildcats will.Ìý