Alamo Bowl: Arizona Wildcats Will Present a Tough Challenge for Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State is full of talented playmakers and arguably one of the best teams in the country. They have a quick-strike offense and arguably the best wide receiver in the nation. These are daunting facts to face, but the Arizona Wildcats should prove to be a very tough opponent in the Alamo Bowl.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys are listed as 5.5 points favorites by online sportsbook BetPhoenix against Arizona.
There is no denying the great offense that the Cowboys put on the field. ESPN posted a stat that shows just how deadly they are: The Cowboys have 47 touchdown drives this season over 60 yards and 16 of those have been in under a minute and a half. Cowboy’s gun-slinger Brandon Weeden is deadly accurate and has one of the best weapons in college football in wide out Justin Blackmon, who is destined for greatness in the NFL. Even with this offense, the Wildcats can play with the Cowboys.
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Here is how Arizona can make this one of the more interesting bowl games of the season.
Quarterback Nick Foles will have to play a great game. The Texas native is a difference maker on this team. He is accurate and is very successful early in the game or off a play-action set up. If he is successful, the Wildcat offense can control the ball and keep the Cowboys offense on the sideline.
The defense has to show up and pressure the quarterback. The Cowboys have an offense that is very similar to Oregon, and Arizona played toe-to-toe with the Ducks before fading in the second half. The Cats have notched 33 sacks on the season and applying pressure to Weeden is a must if they intend on winning this game. If they can keep up the intensity throughout the game, the Wildcats will have a shot at the upset.
While an upset may be asking too much of the Wildcats, they do have the personnel to keep this close. If Arizona coach Mike Stoops has his kids ready to play, this game could get very interesting.
Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews and predictions. Feel free to contact Matt at mregaw@gmail.com.
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