Here's a look at Alamo Bowl starting lineups and key matchups — and a prediction from Star reporter Justin Spears.
No. 14 Arizona (9-3) vs. No. 12 Oklahoma (10-2)
What: Valero Alamo Bowl
When: 7:15 p.m. Thursday
Where: Alamodome; San Antonio
TV: ESPN
Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM
Arizona Wildcats
Record: 9-3 (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.
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 | Gunner Maldonado | 6-0 | 195 | Jr.
UA 2023 SCHEDULE
September
2 | N. ARIZONA | W, 38-3
9 | at Mississippi State | L, 31-24 (OT)
16 | UTEP | W, 31-10
23 | at Stanford | W, 21-20
30 | No. 7 WASHINGTON | L, 31-24
October
7 | at No. 9 USC | L, 43-41 (3OT)
14 | at No. 19 Washington State | W, 44-6
28 | No. 11 OREGON STATE | W, 27-24
November
4 | No. 19 UCLA | W, 27-10
11 | at Colorado | W, 34-31
18 | No. 22 UTAH | W, 42-18
25 | at ASU | W, 59-23
December
28 | vs. No. 12 Oklahoma*
Home games in Bold; *=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 quarterback Jackson Arnold (10) throws against BYU during the second half of their matchup in Provo, Utah, on Nov. 18. Arnold will make his first college start heading into the 12th-ranked Sooners' Alamo Bowl matchup with No. 14 Arizona on Thursday.
Oklahoma Sooners
Record: 10-2 (7-2 Big 12)
WHEN OKLAHOMA IS ON OFFENSE (PROJECTED):
[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 | ARKANSAS STATE | W, 73-0
9 | SMU | W, 28-11
16 | at Tulsa| W, 66-17
23 | at Cincinnati | W, 20-6
30 | IOWA STATE | W, 50-20
October
7 | vs. No. 3 Texas^ | W, 34-30
21 | UCF | W, 31-29
28 | at Kansas | L, 38-33
November
4 | at No. 22 Oklahoma State | L, 27-24
11 | WEST VIRGINIA | W, 59-20
18 | at BYU | W, 31-24
24 | TCU | W, 69-45
December
28 | vs. No. 14 Arizona*
Home games in Bold; ^=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
Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) slips the tackle of UCLA defensive back Alex Johnson (36) after a catch in the first quarter of their game at Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., November 4, 2023.
Head to Head
4 Tetairoa McMillan vs. 2 Billy Bowman Jr.
McMillan, Arizona'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 Arizona receiver all-time to have 2,000 or more receiving yards in a UA career.
Bowman has started every game this season at safety and ranks second nationally with six interceptions, which matches Arizona'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.
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 Arizona star linebacker Jacob Manu to creatively maneuver on blitzes and apply pressure on OU quarterback Jackson Arnold, who is making his collegiate start.
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.
The matchup
When Arizona has the ball …
Oklahoma defensive coordinator Ted Roof complimented the Wildcats for their "tremendous balance" and said "there's no weaknesses" in Arizona's offense that ranks 17th nationally in total yards (453.4) per game. The key for Arizona 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 ball …
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 Arizona 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.
Prediction: No. 14 Arizona 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 the transfer portal and coaches leaving for other jobs, and it's not Arizona. 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 Arizona to win its first bowl game in eight years. And the Wildcats will.
VIDEO: Speaking at a press conference in San Antonio on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023, Arizona football defensive back Martell Irby shares what the Alamo Bowl means to him considering his last two years in and out of football, and how he’s “trying to embrace every single moment.” (Video courtesy Valero Alamo Bowl)
VIDEO: Speaking at a press conference in San Antonio on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023, Arizona football wide receiver Jacob Cowing reflects on his time as a Wildcat the past two seasons. (Video courtesy Valero Alamo Bowl)
VIDEO: Speaking at a press conference in San Antonio on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023, Arizona football running back Michael Wiley shares how many people he’s trying to get tickets for to come to see the Wildcats face Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl. “I think right now I got 23 people coming to the game.” (Video courtesy Valero Alamo Bowl)
VIDEO: Speaking at a press conference in San Antonio on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023, Arizona football wide receiver Jacob Cowing shares what it means to him to reach the Alamo Bowl, this time with Arizona, after having previously made it to a bowl game when he played at UTEP. (Video courtesy Valero Alamo Bowl)
VIDEO: Speaking at a press conference in San Antonio on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023, Arizona football wide receiver Jacob Cowing responds to a question about whether playing in the Alamo Bowl, after starting his college career at UTEP, is a full-circle moment. (Video courtesy Valero Alamo Bowl)
