Arizona Wildcats Alamo Bowl Champions Shirt. Pac-12 bowl review: Highs (UW, Arizona), lows (Cal, OSU), and everything in between. After winning its first College Football Playoff game in nine years, the Pac-12 ended the bowl season as the nation’s best conference. Washington’s dramatic 37-31 Sugar Bowl win over Texas on Monday was the highlight. Oregon defeated Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl while Arizona defeated Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl. The Hotline is weary of dissecting postseason results because many athletes sit out to prepare for the NFL Draft or transfer. Every Power Five league faces attrition, so we can draw broad conclusions. From this, it’s evident the Pac-12 was as excellent as any league, probably the greatest. Best game: Sugar Bowl. Washington defeated Texas 37-31 in the Pac-12 postseason’s most significant game and advanced to the national championship game versus Michigan despite a weird conclusion. With less than a minute left, UW had a six-point advantage and possession in UT territory—sure victory, right? Not these high-wire Huskies. An injury to tailback Dillon Johnson stopped the clock, giving the Longhorns a half-minute. The defense held on the final plays after they got a first down at UW’s 12. Worst game: Sun Bowl. Oregon State faced Notre Dame in El Paso with an interim head coach, a third-string quarterback starting, and an opt-out-filled depth chart. OSU lost 40-8 after trailing by 33 points before scoring their only touchdown in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame 468, OSU 197 yards. The Beavers went on a three-game losing streak after being 8-2 and 11th in November. Top performer: Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. The Heisman Trophy runner-up threw for 430 yards and two scores against the Longhorns, completing 76.3%. He once hit 12 in a row. Penix’s CFP success went beyond numbers. As he has all season, he made every important throw when it counted. Strongest finish: Arizona. The Wildcats trailed Oklahoma by 11 points in the Alamo Bowl until safety Gunner Maldonaldo grabbed an OU fumble and ran 87 yards for a touchdown, energizing them and deflating Oklahoma. Arizona scored 17 more points in the fourth quarter. A 24-13 deficit turned a 38-24 win, giving the school its first 10-win season since 2014. Weakest finish: Cal. Bears scored on their opening Independence Bowl play and led Texas Tech 14-7 after one quarter. The offense fell into hibernation: Cal scored no more points and gained 234 yards in the remaining three quarters of a 34-14 loss. Top quarter: Oregon. Like many of their regular season triumphs, the Ducks thrashed Liberty 45-6 in the Fiesta Bowl with a dominant stretch of play before halftime. Bo Nix’s four touchdown throws capped drives of 82, 75, 95, and 68 yards on Monday morning, outscoring the Flames 28-0 in the second quarter. Oregon won a few miles from where it defeated Arizona State 49-13 six weeks earlier with a scoring blitz. Utah is worst. Given the Las Vegas Bowl roster, the Hotline didn’t expect much from Utah, but we thought they’d do better than the 14-7 loss to Northwestern. The Utes fared worse in Allegiant Stadium than in the Sun Bowl’s first half. Their seven possessions in the first 30 minutes resulted in punts, interceptions, and punts.

Who will replace Jordan Morgan at left tackle? – Arizona Wildcats Alamo Bowl Champions Shirt:

After the Wildcats’ historic 2023 season, the Star will ask and answer five Arizona football program questions over the next five days. Firstly: Who will replace Jordan Morgan at left tackle, a possible first-round pick? Arizona’s offseason has pros and cons. The good news: Most offensive and defensive starters are returning, so the transfer portal has few starting spots. The bad news? Left tackle may be an offense’s second-most crucial position after quarterback. Arizona’s 36-point win over Arizona State to capture the Territorial Cup was multi-year starter Jordan Morgan’s last game as a Wildcat. He skipped the Alamo Bowl win over Oklahoma. The 6-5, 325-pound Marana native might be drafted first in April’s NFL Draft in Detroit. ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Morgan as the 24th-best prospect entering the draft after a season-ending knee injury at UCLA in 2022. Morgan might break multiple Wildcats droughts at the NFL Draft. He may be the first UA player drafted in the first round since Antoine Cason in 2007, the first offensive lineman since Eben Britton in 2009, and the first since John Fina in 1992. I predicted Morgan’s ascent if he’s healthy before the season. He looks amazing. After injuring his right ACL last November, he rehabbed in the offseason and returned for Week 1, Kiper reported. Morgan’s consistency is superb. His pass protection footwork is great, and I love his mobility and bend.”Morgan stays active with his hands and advances on combination blocks. He manages twists and is good at inside and outside moves.” Morgan’s pass-blocking grades on Pro Football Focus improved from 55.6 (2021) to 82 (’22) to 87.7 (’23) under offensive line coach Brennan Carroll. Morgan received the sixth-best pass-blocking grade nationwide with at least 700 snaps in his final season at Arizona, according to PFF. Morgan, an All-Pac-12 First Team and Associated Press All-Pac-12 honoree, surrendered only two sacks in 477 pass-protection snaps this season. Morgan allowed 10 sacks in 1,500 pass-blocking snaps at Arizona over five years, averaging one every 150. Morgan received the highest PFF run-blocking grade (73.4) for an Arizona offensive tackle. He can handle a defensive end without chip aid from backs or tight ends. Earlier in the season, Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch noted, “He can block not only the defensive line, but linebackers and defensive backs in space.” That’s crucial for offensive linemen. He’s nasty and plays 75-80 plays and becomes rough, but he’s also poised. Combination was bad. Arizona experienced post-Morgan life at the Alamo Bowl. The Wildcats used right guard Raymond Pulido, a 6-6, 335-pound freshman and highly-touted recruit in Arizona’s 2023 class, at left tackle and sophomore star Jonah Savaiinaea, who converted to right tackle after playing 12 games at guard, and redshirt sophomore Joseph Borjon at right tackle with Morgan out. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita was pressed 17 times and sacked four times, but Savaiinaea had an 89.1 pass-blocking grade. Fisch said Oklahoma “brought some challenging looks, challenging fronts that made it difficult” for the offensive line. “But in the end we were shuffling around and we were trying to get our best five out there,” added Fisch. “Losing first-round pick Jordan Morgan for the last game at left tackle may provide early issues. But I think the boys settled down and we got things done.” Arizona Wildcats Alamo Bowl Champions Shirt.