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OU football doubles season-high in turnovers & more stats from Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona

justin martinez, the oklahoman
·3 min read

SAN ANTONIO — The wheels fell off the Sooner Schooner down the stretch in the Alamodome.

OU suffered a 38-24 Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona on Thursday. The Wildcats defeated the Sooners (10-3, 7-2 Big 12) by scoring 25 unanswered points to finish the game.

Here's a look at the loss through the numbers:

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Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold (10) is hit by Arizona defensive lineman Russell Davis II (99) during the first half of the Alamo Bowl NCAA college football game in San Antonio, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) ORG XMIT: TXEG205
Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold (10) is hit by Arizona defensive lineman Russell Davis II (99) during the first half of the Alamo Bowl NCAA college football game in San Antonio, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) ORG XMIT: TXEG205

Jackson Arnold, Sooners struggle in the first quarter

1: Freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold's first drive as a starter ended with an interception by Arizona's Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine with 10:41 left in the opening quarter. It marked Arnold's first career interception.

10: Arizona's Noah Fifita connected with Jacob Cowing for a 35-yard touchdown pass that gave his team a 10-0 lead with 10:33 left in the first quarter. It marked the largest deficit OU faced in the first quarter of any game this season.

58: Redshirt senior punter Luke Elzinga delivered a 58-yard punt with 8:46 left in the first quarter. It tied for OU's longest punt of the season.

2: Arnold threw his second interception of the first quarter with 2:29 left on the clock. Arizona's Gunner Maldonado made the pick.

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Dec 28, 2023; San Antonio, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Nic Anderson (4) catches the ball against Arizona Wildcats cornerback Ephesians Prysock (7) in the fist half of the Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: IMAGN-715788 ORIG FILE ID: 20231228_rgu_al2_174.JPG
Dec 28, 2023; San Antonio, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Nic Anderson (4) catches the ball against Arizona Wildcats cornerback Ephesians Prysock (7) in the fist half of the Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: IMAGN-715788 ORIG FILE ID: 20231228_rgu_al2_174.JPG

OU wakes up in the second quarter

7: Redshirt freshman running back Gavin Sawchuk ran for an 18-yard touchdown that trimmed the deficit to 13-7 with 9:42 left until halftime. It marked the longest time needed for OU to score its first points of a game all season.

14: OU scored 14 unanswered points to enter halftime with a 14-13 lead. Arnold put the Sooners on top by finding redshirt freshman wide receiver Nic Anderson for a 10-yard touchdown with 3:18 left until halftime.

10: Anderson recorded his 10th touchdown reception of the season. It marked the most touchdown receptions by a freshman in program history, surpassing Marvin Mims in 2020.

3: OU's defense closed out the first half with three straight stops. Arizona only recorded 44 yards of offense during that stretch.

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Dec 28, 2023; San Antonio, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. (2) brings down Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) in the first half at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: IMAGN-715788 ORIG FILE ID: 20231228_tdc_da8_0379.JPG
Dec 28, 2023; San Antonio, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. (2) brings down Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) in the first half at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: IMAGN-715788 ORIG FILE ID: 20231228_tdc_da8_0379.JPG

OU's defense stifles Arizona in the third quarter

63: Arnold connected with sophomore wide receiver Brenen Thompson for a 63-yard touchdown with 14:29 left in the third quarter. It tied for the longest passing play by OU this season.

6: OU's defense recorded its sixth straight stop with 2:49 left in the third quarter. Arizona's longest stretch of scoreless drives during its six-game winning streak to end the regular season was four.

87: Maldonado returned a fumble by junior wide receiver Jalil Farooq for an 87-yard touchdown that trimmed OU's lead to 24-21 with two seconds left in the third quarter.

29: Arizona was held to just 29 yards of offense in the third quarter.

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Arizona completes comeback for Alamo Bowl win

3: Arizona's Martell Irby intercepted a pass by Arnold with 14:51 left in the game. It marked the third interception thrown by Arnold, tying for the most by an OU quarterback in a game since Dillon Gabriel threw three picks against Baylor on Nov. 5, 2022.

5: OU's defense recorded five sacks on Thursday. That tied for a season high total it set in a win over Texas on Oct. 7.

6: OU committed six turnovers (three interceptions and three fumbles). It doubled the team's previous season high of three turnovers, which it set in a loss to Oklahoma State on Nov. 4.

25: Arizona's DJ Williams ran for a 19-yard touchdown that gave his team a 38-24 lead with 2:56 left in the game. It capped off a run of 25 unanswered points by the Wildcats to end the contest.

—Justin Martinez, Staff writer

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football vs. Arizona: Stats from Sooners' loss to Wildcats