Tag: Alamo Bowl

Nic Anderson named a freshman All-American by FWAA

The accolades keep on coming as Nic Anderson was named a freshman All-American by FWAA.

We are nearly a month since the 2023 college football season for the Oklahoma Sooners came to a close. Still, the accolades keep on coming for the Sooners.

This time, it’s for wide receiver [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag]. Anderson was named to the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America Team, the FWAA announced Tuesday. Anderson joins [autotag]Marvin Mims Jr.[/autotag] as the only Sooners to be recognized by the FWAA as freshman All-Americans.

Anderson finished the year with 798 yards and 10 touchdowns on 38 receptions. His 10 touchdowns were a school freshman record, and his 798 receiving yards are the second most ever by an OU freshman, falling nine yards short of [autotag]CeeDee Lamb[/autotag]’s record.

He ranked fifth nationally with his 21.0 yards per reception and he registered at least 100 receiving yards three times on the year and 90 or more receiving yards in five games.

Anderson was a touchdown machine. He scored multiple touchdowns twice this season. His coming out party was when he snagged three touchdowns on three receptions with a season-high 120 yards at [autotag]Tulsa[/autotag].

He also scored twice while gaining 105 yards on five catches against [autotag]UCF[/autotag]. His most memorable play was when he caught the game-winning touchdown against the Texas Longhorns with 15 seconds remaining.

He had 119 yards on four catches against [autotag]West Virginia[/autotag]. He made his record-setting 10th touchdown on a great catch in the [autotag]Alamo Bowl[/autotag] against [autotag]Arizona[/autotag] on a great throw by [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag].

Anderson was also named a Freshman All-American by The Athletic and was a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award and the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.

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Jackson Arnold could be more prolific than Gabriel says 247Sports

It wasn’t perfect nor was it all bad. Jackson Arnold’s first start gives Sooner fans some optimism for the future.

The [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] era had a rocky start for the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners lost, 38-24, in the Alamo Bowl, and Arnold turned the ball over four times.

While you want to win every game you play, the most important thing about that bowl game was Arnold getting some experience as the starter against a good team. You would much rather him have a game like this in a meaningless game than when the Tennessee Volunteers come to Norman next season.

While there was obviously some bad, there was also abundant good.

He showed off his incredible arm talent and his ability to run. The throw he made to [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] for a touchdown is a prime example of that talent. There aren’t many people on earth, let alone a true freshman, who can make that throw.

He also had a great ball to [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] on third and long, which might have been his best throw of the day. He showed great mobility in the pocket. He was under pressure at times and found ways to escape and still make plays.

247Sports broke down the new wave of college football quarterbacks and how they think each new quarterback fared in their debuts.

Much development still needs to take place but Arnold can be even more prolific than Dillon Gabriel with his elite arm and mobility. — Clint Brewster, 247Sports

Brewster is exactly right. Arnold has work to do. Understandably so. He’s a true freshman, but his ceiling is very high. The talent is there to be the next great quarterback at Oklahoma. Now it’s about putting it all together.

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Jackson Arnold will be better for Alamo Bowl experience

Jackson Arnold’s first start for the Oklahoma Sooners wasn’t smooth sailing, but the adversity will only make him better.

Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell wasn’t concerned about easing his true freshman quarterback into the game. Jackson Arnold threw the ball on the Sooners’ first three plays of the game.

They weren’t straight dropbacks as the Sooners dialed up the run-pass option on the first play of the game and a play action naked bootleg on the second. On his first straight drop on 3rd and 10, Arnold threw a good ball to Drake Stoops, but Arizona safety Genesis Smith drove on the ball and through Stoops to intercept the pass.

It was Arnold’s first interception of his career and first in a game in which the Sooners had six turnovers. In total, Arnold had three interceptions and a fumble.

Despite three first half turnovers, the Sooners took a 14-13 lead into halftime, thanks in large part to a tremendous defensive effort, but also because Arnold settled in and found his stride.

It wasn’t the start that everyone had hoped for as the Sooners ultimately fell 38-24, but it was a game that revealed a lot of positive things about the Sooners’ quarterback.

Arizona’s last football game as a Pac-12 school is a memorable statement vs Oklahoma

Arizona’s regular season momentum continued into the bowl season. The Wildcats’ Pac-12 finale was special.

The Arizona Wildcats are heading to the Big 12 next year. The Oklahoma Sooners are leaving the Big 12 next year. The 2023 Alamo Bowl was a grand finale for each team before conference realignment, with Arizona leaving the Pac-12 and Oklahoma going to the SEC.

Arizona definitely had the grander time in San Antonio.

The Wildcats watched Oklahoma score 24 straight points to take a 24-13 lead in the third quarter. However, the U of A had the final say, scoring the last 25 points of the game to win the Alamo Bowl over the Sooners, 38-24.

For a lot more details on this game, read our partners at Sooners Wire.

Arizona’s defense played well against both USC and Washington this season. The Wildcats did not get a chance to face Oregon. That defense continued to perform well in the Alamo Bowl, forcing six Oklahoma turnovers. In a battle of freshmen quarterbacks, Arizona’s Noah Fifita outplayed OU’s Jackson Arnold.

Arizona finished the season 10-3, marking one of the few times in U of A football history that the Wildcats have won at least 10 games in a season.

With Oklahoma and Texas going to the SEC next year, Arizona will join Utah as a foremost favorite and contender in the Big 12. It will be fascinating to see how the Cats fare in their new conference.

They certainly seem to be ready.

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Report Card: Oklahoma Sooners up and down in Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona

It was an up and down performance in the Oklahoma Sooners 38-24 loss to Arizona and here’s our final report card for 2023.

All of the excitement that had been built up in anticipation of Jackson Arnold’s first start as the Sooners starting quarterback was dashed with a couple of first quarter interceptions.

It wasn’t how anyone hoped or expected it would start. Arnold rebounded to play well over the next two quarters as the Sooners built a 24-13 lead. However, turnovers at the end of the third quarter and in the fourth dashed Oklahoma’s hopes of ending the season on a high note.

Though there were six turnovers and the Sooners defense allowed some big plays, there were a lot of positives to take away from the game.

For the final time in 2023, here’s out postgame report card.

No. 12 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Arizona Wildcats: Sooners Wire staff predictions

The Oklahoma Sooners take on the Arizona Wildcats in the Alamo Bowl. Sooners Wire staff predicts the final game of 2023.

The [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] era has officially begun in Norman, Oklahoma. He’ll make the first start of Sooners’ career in the Alamo Bowl when the Sooners take on one of the hottest teams in the country, the Arizona Wildcats.

On paper, this looks like an even matchup between two teams that rank inside the top 50 on both sides of the ball.

Like Oklahoma, the Wildcats will start a freshman at quarterback, Noah Fifita. He’s played really well in 2023 and is a big reason Arizona is on the verge of a 10-win season.

To get you ready for the 2023 Valero [autotag]Alamo Bowl[/autotag], here are our final Sooners Wire staff predictions for the 2023 season.

No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners vs No. 14 Arizona Wildcats: How to Watch and key players for game day

The Sooners play their final game of the season in the Alamo Bowl, here is how you can watch the game and some key players.

The Oklahoma Sooners are set to wrap up their 2023 season. The Sooners are 10-2, but will face an [autotag]Arizona Wildcats[/autotag] team that is 9-3 and ranked No. 14.

The Sooners’ two losses came by a combined eight points. The Wildcats also know about close losses. Their three losses came by a combined 16 points, and two came in overtime.

There is a strong argument there isn’t a hotter team in college football than Arizona. It has won six straight by an average margin of 20.2 points per game, including four against ranked teams.

The Wildcats bring in the nation’s 18th-ranked offense and the 36th-ranked defense. They rank in the top 26 in both scoring offense and scoring defense.

Outside the [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag], Arizona might be the most complete team the Sooners have faced all season. So, let’s take a look at how you can watch the game, some key players and an update on who is playing.

Seth Littrell not looking to change things up ahead of Sooners Alamo Bowl contest

Though the offensive coordinator will be different, the Sooners offense will remain the same in their Alamo Bowl matchup with Arizona.

Anytime there’s a coordinator change, you can expect things to look different on that side of the ball. However, that won’t happen just yet with the Oklahoma Sooners as they get set to take on the Arizona Wildcats.

Gone is [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag]. Insert [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] as the new offensive coordinators. Littrell will call the plays. While the play-caller will be different, the offense will look a lot like the one Lebby produced with the Sooners.

Speaking with the media in the buildup to the [autotag]Alamo Bowl[/autotag], Littrell spoke about maintaining continuity for the Sooners in their bowl preparation.

“The offense that we’re running will stay consistent with what we’ve done throughout the year,” Littrell said. “Then we can look up after the season and figure out what we need to do moving forward as far as adjustments and kind of evolving and how we grow. But this isn’t the time for that. This is the time for these guys to go out there and play fast and have that camaraderie together.”

The tenets of the offense that have been so good this year will still be evident in Littrell’s execution. They’ll want to play fast, run the football, and try to hit big plays in the passing game. With [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] in at quarterback, the Sooners will have a bigger arm to help push the ball down the field.

The question is, will the true freshman have time? Oklahoma will be missing their left guard and center from the final three games of the season after [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] transferred and [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag] opted out of the bowl to prepare for the NFL draft.

The Alamo Bowl may provide our first look at the offensive philosophy of Seth Littrell. Though the scheme and the plays will remain the same, how they’re called, the flow of the game and Littrell’s offensive demeanor may look different.

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver enters the transfer portal

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver LV Bunkley-Shelton enters the transfer portal.

The Oklahoma Sooners have one of the better wide receiver rooms in college football heading into 2024.

[autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] was a steady force amid breakout seasons from [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag]. [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] had a really nice year in a rotation role for the Sooners. The Sooners are losing Drake Stoops, who had a career year.

The quality of Oklahoma’s depth made it difficult for a guy such as [autotag]LV Bunkley-Shelton[/autotag] to see consistent playing time. According to On3’s Hayes Fawcett, Bunkley-Shelton plans to enter the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] with two years of eligibility remaining.

Heading into the [autotag]Alamo Bowl[/autotag], Bunkley-Shelton was third on the depth chart at one of the wide receiver spots behind Anderson and Gibson.

In his two years with the Sooners, Bunkley-Shelton caught five passes for 57 yards. That performance came after he spent two seasons with the Arizona State Sun Devils when he had 44 receptions for 518 yards and two touchdowns.

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Oklahoma Sooners to face one of their tougher tests of the season

Arizona didn’t suffer many losses in preparation for the Alamo Bowl, which will provide the Oklahoma Sooners with a tough test.

The Oklahoma Sooners are 10 days away from taking on the [autotag]Arizona Wildcats[/autotag] in the [autotag]Alamo Bowl[/autotag].

The Wildcats are 9-3 and their three losses were by a combined 16 points, including two that ended in overtime. The other loss was by seven points to a 13-0 [autotag]Washington Huskies[/autotag] team that’s playing in the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag].

So far, it looks like only one starter for the Wildcats plans to opt out of the bowl game. The Sooners, on the other hand, have several starters missing as they bid for an 11-win season.

Arizona will be one of the more complete teams the Sooners have faced this season. The Wildcats have a top-20 offense and a top-40 defense. The one area they struggle in is they don’t force many turnovers (12), leading to a plus-two turnover margin.

Brent Venables spoke with reporters about Arizona and the youth the Sooners will face next Thursday.

“I think they have eight players that have ever been to a bowl game. Arizona hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2017 but only eight players on their roster. So, they have 110 and they’ve got 102 guys that have never been to a bowl game. So, they’ll be excited to be there. I think they have one gentleman who opted out. Their left tackle. Otherwise, to this point, everybody on their depth chart will be in San Antonio.”

People look at the Arizona brand and immediately think this should be an easy win, but there’s no doubt that if Oklahoma doesn’t play well, they can be beaten. This is a very good Arizona team that can give Oklahoma all kinds of fits.

Having nearly their entire roster available will benefit the Wildcats and create some obstacles for a Sooners squad that is dealing with transfer and NFL departures in the run-up to the Alamo Bowl.

It will be a tough test for the Sooners, but it will provide some valuable information about this team heading into the offseason.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.