Thank you to the University of Arizona, University of Oklahoma, their fans, our annual ticket buyers, our title sponsor Valero, and everyone who had a hand in making this year so impactful for the participants and San Antonio.
Because of the widespread support, the 2023 Valero Alamo Bowl was the #1 most charitable, #1 most attended, and #4 most viewed of the 35 non-New Year’s Six bowl games!
Contributions in the Classroom
In 2023, Valero Alamo Bowl scholarship programs awarded $1.2 million split between 165 San Antonio high school and college students. This amount is the largest total in Valero Alamo Bowl history and ranked #1 in local scholarship giving among all bowl games.
In partnership with the College Football Playoff Foundation, the Valero Alamo Bowl also gifted grants to 60 teachers in the San Antonio area split between the PNC Bank’s Extra Yard for Teachers for Program, Valero’s Touchdown for Teachers, and Accenture Federal Services support of SAISD teacher awards.
Packing the Dome and the Living Room
A crowd of 55,853 attended the Valero Alamo Bowl, which was the highest total of any non-New Year’s Six bowls while also surpassing the attendance at one of the New Year’s Six games. The top-15 matchup between Arizona and Oklahoma also drew 4 million viewers on ESPN ranking it the fourth best among all non-New Year’s Six bowls, an impressive feat as the only bowl played opposite an NFL game.
Bear Down, Wildcats
No. 14 Arizona clawed back from an 11-point deficit to take down No. 12 Oklahoma 38-24 in the 31st Valero Alamo Bowl. Noah Fifita came out on top in a battle between freshman quarterbacks. Fifita passed for 354 yards while the Wildcats’ defense collected six turnovers as Arizona won its first bowl game since 2017. Head Coach Jedd Fisch won his first bowl game in his third season leading the Wildcats, and Arizona finished the season on a seven-game win streak.
Arizona’s elite receivers dazzled in the Alamodome. Offensive MVP Jacob Cowing caught seven passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns. His teammate Tetairoa McMillan hauled in 10 receptions for 160 yards. The combo became the first pair of receivers in Valero Alamo Bowl history to each have at least 150 receiving yards.
Safety Gunner Maldonado also stole the show, literally. He took away one interception and then ran a fumble back 87 yards for a touchdown. His heroics earned him the Defensive MVP honor.
Unable to Repeat
No. 12 Oklahoma returned to Valero Alamo Bowl for the second time in three years. The Sooners, led by interim head coach Bob Stoops and future Heisman winner Caleb Williams, took down No. 14 Oregon 47-32 on Dec. 29, 2021. This time Head Coach Brent Venables gave former Gatorade Player of the Year Jackson Arnold his first collegiate start. Arnold finished the night with 361 yards and two touchdowns but threw three interceptions and fumbled twice. Gavin Sawchuk added 134 yards on the ground to go along with a touchdown, but it was not enough as the Sooners fell short.