No scoring since the second interception of Nick Foles, but the final few minutes of the half certainly were eventful. Zona eventually forces Oklahoma State to punt, then drives 36 yards to set up a 47-yard field goal. Alex Zendejas, fresh off missing two crucial kicks in the rivalry game against Arizona State, also misses the key field goal here.
Alamo Bowl, Oklahoma State Vs. Arizona: Much Action, Little Scoring To Close Out The First Half
Arizona forces yet another punt — and then the fun really begins. The officials throw a controversial flag on a hit against Nick Foles, who is going out of bounds but has just stepped out when the defender — who launched while Foles was still in bounds — hits him. The refs then make sure that both teams hate them by calling back a catch on a replay where the incompletion seems to be established by anything but indisputable evidence.
Arizona then completes what appears to be a deep pass to set them up for what would be a significant touchdown — but it’s called back for offensive pass interference. The Wildcats then call a run for Nic Grigsby for 13 yards, who is tackled with a few seconds left on the clock. Mike Stoops and Co. decide to let the final seconds run off the clock without calling a timeout, and his explanation for not calling it in the halftime interview is not entirely clear.
Despite all that action on the final drive of the half, the score still stands at 23-7. The teams have already combined for 377 yards — most of them Arizona’s, but the three turnovers and missed field goal make up for that. The most unexpected stat is that no one has scored in more than 12-and-a-half minutes as the teams head to the locker room.
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