Tag: Valero Alamo Bowl

5 takeaways from the Sooners 38-24 loss to Arizona in the Valero Alamo Bowl

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners season-ending loss to the Arizona Wildcats.

Team 129 had one final chance to play together on Thursday night in San Antonio. Brent Venables’ team tried to make the best of it, but it finished the 2023 season by losing to the No. 14 Arizona Wildcats, 38-24. Oklahoma ended its season 10-3.

The game was incredibly entertaining if nothing else. It had some head-scratching moments that will stick with fans for the next few weeks into the offseason.

Jackson Arnold was up and down, as one might expect for a freshman. He showcased some real talent and things that his coaches would love to build on in the offseason. He also made some decisions that someone who had fewer than 100 snaps in real game action would make.

Turnovers ultimately did the Sooners in. One of their six on the evening turnovers was returned for a touchdown.

In the wake of the Sooners’ loss, here are five takeaways:

5 Arizona Wildcats to know ahead of the Valero Alamo Bowl

Taking a look at five Arizona Wildcats to know as Oklahoma prepares for the Valero Alamo Bowl.

Oklahoma’s final game of the 2023 season will see them return to San Antonio for the second time in three years. The last time the Sooners were there, they were coached by legendary Oklahoma coach [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag]. Brent Venables will wrap up his second campaign as the head man at Oklahoma, returning to San Antonio to take on the Arizona Wildcats, led by head coach Jedd Fisch.

This season has been a much better experience than his inaugural one, and Venables will look for his first bowl win as a head coach. To get that, the Sooners will have to take down a tough Arizona team that finished 9-3 and third in an ultra-competitive Pac-12. Fisch has a hungry team that certainly is talented, with 13 players receiving all-conference honors.

Oklahoma would be wise to check their egos at the door and remain humble. Arizona won’t roll over, and if the Sooners approach this game taking the Wildcats lightly, they may get run off the field.

Arizona has a surplus of impact upperclassmen coupled with Pac-12 Freshman of the Year quarterback Noah Fifita.

Let’s look at Arizona and break down some key Wildcats ahead of Thursday’s Alamo Bowl.

Oklahoma Sooners depth chart for Alamo Bowl matchup vs. Arizona Wildcats

A look at the Oklahoma Sooners depth chart heading into the Alamo Bowl.

The Oklahoma Sooners released the depth chart for the 2023 Valero Alamo Bowl matchup with the Arizona Wildcats.

The depth chart is one of the more intriguing storylines, considering the opt outs and the transfer departures. That is particularly true on the offensive side of the ball. Oklahoma will break in a new starting quarterback and multiple offensive linemen when it takes on an Arizona defense that ranked No. 27 in the nation in points per game allowed.

The biggest storyline for the Sooners comes at quarterback. Jackson Arnold is set to make his first career start for OU. That alone makes the game incredibly intriguing for the Sooners, who hope Arnold can take their offense to another level as they prepare for their first season in the SEC.

The Oklahoma Sooners depth chart heading into the Alamo Bowl:

Sooners projected to play in the Alamo Bowl by 247Sports

An early bowl projection has the Sooners in a bowl they are familiar with having played in it within the last two years.

We’ve hit that part of the summer where the anticipation is beginning to build toward week one. The 2023 college football season can get here fast enough.

To keep building that anticipation, national publications are releasing season predictions and bowl projections.

247Sports released their latest bowl projections ahead of the 2023 season.

This one had the Sooners in a bowl they are familiar with, having played in it just two years ago.

They have the Sooners taking on the Washington Huskies in the Alamo Bowl.

Brad Crawford with 247Sports said this is a make-or-break season for Brent Venables and Co.,

Should the Huskies finish short of the New Year’s Six, it’ll come via close losses to other Pac-12 elites. Consider Oregon in that group as well. That might be the toughest conference to call when you look at the wealth of quarterback talent out there. Brent Venables hopes to finish with a winning record in Year 2 with the Sooners. If not, the jeers begin and they will be loud. – Crawford, 247Sports

On the surface, the Alamo Bowl isn’t a bowl that’s going to get fans excited. It’s not the College Football Playoff or a New Year’s Six bowl, but in 2021 when the Sooners played in the Alamo Bowl, they had 10 wins going into that game. So, it’s not a terrible bowl to be a part of. There was much more disappointment with that season after being the favorites to win the Big 12 and struggling down the stretch, including a loss to Oklahoma State and the departure of Lincoln Riley the day after.

Crawford’s projections have Texas in the playoff, so you would hope the Sooners are at the least the Big 12 runner-up, earning an opportunity to play in one of those NY6 bowls.

Ultimately, we’ve said it a lot, a nine-plus win season has to happen, and it would be a great building block for Brent Venables and his staff.

Oklahoma is about winning championships, but you have to start somewhere. This rebuild was bigger than people thought, including a complete roster turnover.

Most of the players who participated in the 2021 Alamo Bowl are no longer a part of the program. They’re either off to the NFL or found a new home via the transfer portal. Of the players that played more than 20 snaps in that game, only Drake Stoops and Jalil Farooq remain on the offensive side of the ball. On defense, the Sooners have eight players still on the roster that played more than 20 snaps in the win over Oregon. Ethan Downs and Danny Stutsman were true freshmen, and D.J. Graham moved to wide receiver.

It’s going to take time before Oklahoma is back to competing for national championships. That’s not making excuses. That’s just a reality. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. But with what the Sooners have added over the last two offseasons, Oklahoma’s laying the foundation for to be national championship contenders in the future.

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Washington 27, Texas 20 Valero Alamo Bowl What Happened, What It All Means

Washington 27, Texas 20: Valero Alamo Bowl what happened, player of the game, and what it all means

Washington beat Texas 27-20 to win the Valero Alamo Bowl. What happened, who was the player of the game, and what does it all mean?

Washington 27, Texas 20 Valero Alamo Bowl What Happened, Player of the Game, What It All Means

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Valero Alamo Bowl What Happened

– Michael Penix Jr. threw two touchdown passes in the second half, Wayne Taulapapa ran for a 42-yard score in the first quarter, and Washington took a 27-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Texas struggled to get the offense going, but it was able to pull within seven after scoring ten unanswered points. The final Longhorn drive stalled at midfield on a long pass.

– Helped by that long bomb that ran out the clock, Texas QB Quinn Ewers finished with 369 yards with a touchdown pass to Jonathon Brooks, but too many drives stalled. There were a few crisp scoring marches, but two ended in field goals and there wasn’t enough consistency.

– Fourth downs mattered. Washington is always pushing the ball deep, but Penix Jr. was able to come through on some of the shorter plays. too. He and the Huskies were good at keeping the chains moving – going 2-of-3 on fourth downs – and Texas was also able to connect on two fourth down tries. Washington was able to do more with its conversions.

100 Best Bowl Players | Ranking How Good the Bowls Were

Valero Alamo Bowl Player of the Game

Bralen Trice, DE Washington 
The offensive parts for Washington were great, but Trice headed a terrific effort for the much-maligned defense with a team-tying six tackles with two sacks.

CFN Experts Picks CFP NY6, Dec 28-Jan 2

Valero Alamo Bowl Fun Stats

– Michael Penix Jr. completed 32-of-54 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns with a pick. Wayne Taulapapa ran 14 times for 108 yards and a score.

– Texas QB Quinn Ewers completed 31-of-47 passes for 369 yards and a touchdowns. He was plagued by a slew of drops.

– Third down conversions: Washington 11-of-20 – Texas 6-of-15. Washington held the ball for almost 36 minutes.

Valero Alamo Bowl What It All Means

For all of the good things Texas was able to do, and even though it closed the regular season winning three of its last four games, it was bowl loss in what was essentially a home game.

After failing to get to a bowl last year, this was the chance for a reset. Steve Sarkisian was going to get a being win, the program was going to go into 2023 with a ton of momentum, and instead, Washington had the bombs away attack and fun offense Texas was supposed to.

With this loss, the streak of four straight bowl wins is broken – it was the first loss since 2014 – and Sarkisian is now 2-3 in bowls. He was 1-2 as the head man at Washington.

Of course it would’ve been nice if Washington didn’t gack away a loss to Arizona State and could’ve played in the Pac-12 Championship with a College Football Playoff berth on the line, but going 11-2 with an Alamo Bowl win over Texas is a really, really nice first year run under head coach Kalen DeBoer.

It’s the first season with 11 or more wins since Chris Petersen took the Huskies to the College Football Playoff in 2016, and it helped the overall bowl run. It’s the first bowl appearance since winning the 2019 Las Vegas, and now the program is 2-3 in these since 2015.

Even bigger, Washington knows just how good it can be under this head coach in this offense. This might be just the beginning.

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– 2022-2023 Bowl Schedule, Predictions

Texas vs Washington Valero Alamo Bowl Prediction Game Preview

Texas vs Washington game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Valero Alamo Bowl on Thursday, December 29

Texas vs Washington prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Valero Alamo Bowl, Thursday, December 29

Texas vs Washington Valero Alamo Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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Texas vs Washington How To Watch

Date: Thursday, December 29
Game Time: 9:00 pm ET
Venue: Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Texas (8-4), Washington (10-2)
– Sign up and live stream college football on ESPN+

Texas vs Washington Valero Alamo Bowl 5 Things To Know

Valero Alamo Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– You never know when it comes to these bowl games what kind of mayhem you’re going to get, but for all intents and purposes, Texas has to use this to set the tone for a potentially monstrous 2023. There are still plenty of great players in place, but it’s missing superstar RB Bijan Robinson and, potentially, a slew of important players on the defensive front.

The team was good late winning three of its last four, but the O stalled against TCU and couldn’t get by Oklahoma State before the finishing kick. It was able to crank up the ground game in the win over eventual Big 12 Champion Kansas State, but Mr. Robinson had something to do with that.

– Texas lost its main guy in Robinson, but QB Quinn Ewers is rolling. So is Washington QB Michael Penix Jr., who announced he’s coming back next year – this is when the 2023 Heisman campaign starts.

The Huskies closed out with six straight wins after losing back-to-back road games against UCLA and Arizona State. The offense caught fire, the defense held up just enough to to get by, and overall it was a fantastic first season under head coach Kalen DeBoer.

– This is Washington’s first bowl appearance in a few years, beating Boise State in a blowout to close out the Chris Petersen era in the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl. Before that it lost three straight bowls and was an ugly 5-13 since getting past Michigan in the 1992 Rose. On the other side …

– Texas has been a bowl game monster. It’s the first appearance since the Tom Herman era – his teams went 4-0 in bowls highlighted by a Sugar Bowl stunner over Georgia. Helped by the great run under Mack Brown, Texas has won 13 of its last 17 bowls since pulling off the 2001 Holiday over … Washington.

– This makes it three appearances in four years in the Alamo for Texas – it beat a strong Utah team in 2019 and whacked Colorado in 2020. Now it’s up to Washington and the Pac-12 to finally stand up to the Big 12. Overall the Alamo has been a dud over the last three seasons, but it was strong before that with four games decided by five points or fewer.

Washington State beat Iowa State 28-26 in the 2018 version. Other than that, the Big 12 is 6-1 in the last seven vs the Big 12, and 9-3 since the two conferences took over the bowl tie-ins in the 2009 season.

CFN Experts Picks CFP, NY6, Dec 28-Jan 2

Why Texas Will Win The Valero Alamo Bowl

The passing game will still work.

It’s Texas, so there are still running backs to rotate into the rushing mix behind a decent offensive line, but it’s not going to get nearly the same production without Bijan Robinson carrying the mail.

However, QB Quinn Ewers is still special, and so is future NFL starting WR Xavier Worthy – he’s still a year away from being eligible – going against a pass defense that was the least efficient in the Pac-12 and allowed 242 yards per game.

Washington brings the pass rush, but as long as Ewers can get into a groove, the offense can move just fine.

The Husky defense doesn’t take the ball away and doesn’t generate enough big plays, but it can get pounded on, too. The Texas passing attack takes center stage, and Robinson might not be there, but the ground game has to try. UW is 2-2 when allowing 150 rushing yards or more.

The Longhorns have to control the tempo, but …

Top 100 Bowl Players | Ranking Bowl Games So Far

Why Washington Will Win The Valero Alamo Bowl

Here comes the high-flying Washington offense that leads the nation in passing and third down conversions.

Texas lost both times it allowed 330 passing yards or more, and that’s par for the course for Penix Jr. and the Husky attack. It only failed to get to 330 passing yards four times, and it made up for it in three of them by running well.

Texas can be run on – it’s 1-4 when allowing 140 yards or more, and Washington is 4-0 when it gets to that mark – it’s going to get physical when it can.

The offense turned it over multiple times just twice – in the loss to UCLA and the win over Washington State. Washington isn’t going to beat itself, and Texas doesn’t force takeaways. To pull this off, Ewers and the Longhorns will have to keep pressing.

Again, Washington has a pass rush to at least be disruptive, but …

Valero Alamo Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

NEXT: What’s Going To Happen, Texas vs Washington Prediction, Valero Alamo Bowl History

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Despite struggles, ESPN sees Oklahoma as a bowl team in latest projections

Even during their worst stretch of play in years, ESPN has Oklahoma bowling in their latest postseason projections.

Oklahoma’s struggled mightily over the last three weeks. It doesn’t feel like it can get much worse after being shut out in their most anticipated game of the season against their rivals, the Texas Longhorns.

Some key pieces are hurt right now, and with their return, we should see a slightly better product than what we are witnessing right now. Any hope for a Big 12 title went out the window on Saturday afternoon in Dallas. Instead, the Sooners will look to improve, regain some sense of pride, and try to resemble a traditional Oklahoma Sooners football team for the remaining part of the season.

If they can do that, they’ll be playing in a bowl game. And for a team with no championship to play for, that’s the next best thing.

ESPN has taken the liberty every Monday during the college football season to update their bowl projections (ESPN+) as we gather new information and insights about each team.

Even with three consecutive losses, the pundits at ESPN still believes Oklahoma will figure things out and become bowl eligible.

Kyle Bonagura projects Oklahoma to play in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl against the Memphis Tigers of the American Athletic Conference.

Memphis touts an explosive offense led by Seth Henigan, a former high school teammate of current Sooner Billy Bowman.

Mark Schlabach sees Oklahoma taking on Oregon State of the Pac-12. in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. Oregon State is a sneaky tough opponent that plays solid defense and leans on the run game to wear teams down. A date with them would make it back-to-back years the Sooners faced off against a Pac-12 team in a bowl game. Last year, they ended their season with a Valero Alamo Bowl win against Oregon.

Oklahoma has a long way to go before playing in a bowl becomes a reality. Their focus right now should be getting healthy and playing competitive football. They have a tough test ahead of them with the Kansas Jayhawks coming to town.

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PFF tabs Oklahoma WR Jalil Farooq as one their 31 breakout candidates for 2022

Sophomore wide receiver Jalil Farooq was tapped by PFF as a breakout candidate under new offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby.

After a scintillating performance in the [autotag]Valero Alamo Bowl[/autotag], sophomore wide receiver Jalil Farooq seemed destined for greatness. He entered the offseason amid uncertainty as to who would be his new quarterback and who would be calling plays. Even with those doubts and those questions unanswered, his play provided a glimpse of what Farooq could be.

Now and Farooq has Dillon Gabriel throwing him the ball, and Jeff Lebby is the man on the headset calling the plays. Lebby’s lightning-fast offense will provide plenty of opportunities for playmakers as the tempo wears teams down.

Farooq was included in Pro Football Focus’ 31 players they expect to break out in 2022.

Oklahoma lacks proven, high-quality wide receivers outside of Marvin Mims, but that’s not to say other players won’t step up. Former five-star recruit Theo Wease, Arizona State transfer LV Bunkley-Shelton and Farooq are all breakout candidates, although the latter is arguably the most likely of the bunch to do so. The 2021 four-star recruit flashed as a freshman and shined in the spring, showing that he is nimble for his size and has that extra gear that shows up after the catch. He caught just four passes for 69 yards in 2021 — 54 of which came after the catch. Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby will call plenty of screens, and Farooq can handle those underneath targets as well as the vertical shots the offense will be predicated on. — Anthony Treash, Pro Football Focus

Farooq comes into this season with a lot of hype behind him. His primary focus will have to be playing his game and doing what he does best which is his ability after the catch.

He showed it against Oregon, and with Lebby’s penchant for the wide receiver screen game and vertical passing, Farooq looks perfectly set up to showcase himself for in 2022. He’ll get his opportunities with teams trying to figure out how to slow down [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag]. This will open the field up for Farooq, Theo Wease, and others like Drake Stoops to shine.

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College Football News sends Oklahoma to the Alamo Bowl in their post-spring projections

In College Football News post-spring Bowl Projections, the Oklahoma Sooners are headed back to the Alamo Bowl to face the Utah Utes.

While the Oklahoma Sooners might be considered the favorites to win the Big 12 by many publications, there are still those who are uncertain about what will come from Oklahoma after all of the turnover in the coaching staff and on the roster. Turnover happens across the country, but it’s understandable why some may have doubts about Oklahoma’s ability to rebound after a disappointing 2021 season.

They lost 11 players to the NFL and a host of others to the transfer portal. They worked diligently to mitigate the losses by attacking the transfer portal themselves. They filled needs and found several starters through the portal that will have them contending once again for the Big 12 title.

However, over at College Football News, they’re not believers quite yet in what Oklahoma is going to be able to do in Brent Venable’ first season as head coach. They’ve got the Sooners making a return trip to San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl in 2022. And they’ll face a team that many Sooners fans hope will be the thorn in Lincoln Riley’s side this season, the Utah Utes.

With the Sooners in the Alamo Bowl, that means they didn’t win the Big 12, and according to College Football News’ projections, it’s the Oklahoma State Cowboys who take the conference and end up in the All-State Sugar Bowl where they’ll take on the Georgia Bulldogs.

The four teams that make the College Football Playoff according to CFN are the Alabama Crimson Tide who would take on the USC Trojans (a familiar site for Lincoln Riley), and the Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Clemson Tigers. And it’s Alabama and Ohio State, the two schools with the frontrunners for the Heisman meeting in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Oklahoma may not end up in the College Football Playoff but it’s hard to imagine the Sooners missing a New Year’s Six bowl for a second-straight season.

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Action Network’s way-too-early bowl projections provide intriguing matchup for Oklahoma

Action Network’s Brett McMurphy provides a familiar foe for the Oklahoma Sooners in his way-too-early 2022 bowl projections.

The start of the college football season is more than six months away. The 2022 recruiting cycle is mostly done. Football programs are in their winter workout sessions.

We’re a long way from September.

Thankfully, Oklahoma Sooners fans have a lot to look forward to this spring. Softball is off to a strong start in their bid to defend as national champions. Women’s gymnastics is one of the best in the nation. Despite a recent downturn, women’s basketball has had a fantastic 2021-2022 season.

Even with all of the promising athletics at Oklahoma, it’s never too soon to get in on “way-too-early” season. We’ve had Big 12 predictions, quarterback rankings, and now Action Network’s Brett McMurphy provides a guess at what next year’s bowl season could look like, and the Sooners matchup is incredibly spicy.

The Oklahoma Sooners to return to the Alamo Bowl again in 2022. Instead of facing the Oregon Ducks, the Sooners will face former head coach Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans. If McMurphy’s projection holds, the Sooners would get an opportunity to meet their former quarterback, Caleb Williams, as well as Mario Williams and Latrell McCutchin.

In McMurphy’s projections, the Oklahoma Sooners would be a six-point favorite over the USC Trojans.

For this to happen, both teams would have to be one of the best in their conference but not win the conference. Despite the turnover, it would be a disappointment if the Sooners couldn’t return to their Big 12 championship-winning ways.

It’s quite the assumption that the Trojans would be able to turn their 4-8 2021 season into a Pac-12 championship-contending season. On the other hand, Baylor went from 2-8 to Big 12 champion in one year.

Because of everything that’s transpired over the last couple of months, OU and USC will be joined at the hip for much of the foreseeable future. Every year, comparisons will be made. While the Sooners will have a more challenging path to a conference title and college football playoff berth, countless sports talk shows will compare the two teams’ seasons, recruiting classes, and futures.

It’s inevitable.

Of course, it’s the matchup that much of the college football world would want to see. It would be one of the more highly anticipated games of the bowl season that wasn’t a part of the playoff. Facing their former head coach in the Alamo Bowl would be a nice consolation prize.

At least for Sooners fans.

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