Cowboys Roll Arizona to Capture Alamo Bowl Crown

The Cowboys built an early lead and cruised late to their 11th win of the season.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:07 pm

By: News On 6

Cowboys Roll Arizona to Capture Alamo Bowl Crown

Originally Published: Dec 29, 2010 10:22 PM CDT

Gerald Goodridge
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- The Oklahoma State defense propelled the Cowboys to a 36-10 victory in the Alamo Bowl, marking the first 11-win season in school history, despite being outgained by the Arizona Wildcats.

The Cowboys forced four turnovers, three interceptions and a fumble recovery to keep the Wildcats’ offense from building any momentum and scoring points off of the Arizona miscues.

Oklahoma State scored 17 points off Wildcat turnovers, a 62-yard pick-six by Markelle Martin, a six-yard Jeremy Smith touchdown run after a fumbled punt and a 50-yard field goal after a third-quarter interception.

Despite the Cowboys’ defense answering the bell, the offense did its job as well.

In the first quarter, already leading 7-0, Brandon Weeden connected with Justin Blackmon for a 71-yard touchdown to give Oklahoma State a 14-0 lead.

Arizona was quiet for to start the game, but on the Wildcats’ ensuing drive, Nick Foles found his stride.

The junior quarterback completed six of his seven pass attempts – including five consecutive – capped off by a five-yard touchdown strike to Juron Criner to cut the deficit to seven points.

A 40-yard, Bailey field goal and the Martin interception return for a score gave OSU a 24-7 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.

After Arizona scored its only second-half points, a 42-yard field goal by Alex Zendejas, Weeden and Blackmon hooked up once again on a three-yard touchdown to take a 30-10 lead.

Bailey tacked on two more field goals, 50 and 44 yards, to give the Cowboys the 36-10 advantage.

In the win, Blackmon amassed 132 yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions to set two FBS records and four school records – including having 100 or more yards and one touchdown in all 12 games he played this season.

Weeden continued to produce for OSU as well, going 24-of-40 for 240 yards and the two touchdowns to Blackmon. The Arizona defense was committed to stopping the run game, held senior Kendall Hunter to just 32 yards in his final game at Oklahoma State.

The win over Arizona also snapped Oklahoma State’s two-game bowl losing streak and marked its first Alamo Bowl win.