The Oklahoma Sooners finished their 2010 campaign with an emphatic victory against the Connecticut Huskies in the Fiesta Bowl, winning 48-20 on Saturday evening in Glendale. Oklahoma QB Landry Jones turned in a dominating performance, completing 34 of 49 passes for a Fiesta Bowl-record 429 yards and three touchdowns.
All night long, Connecticut hung around in this contest despite the disparity in talent. The Huskies fought with veracity and enthusiasm and were determined to make a game of the Fiesta Bowl. UConn returned both an interception and a kickoff for touchdowns, putting up points despite their inability to get anything going on offense.
Connecticut RB Jordan Todman was an integral part of the Huskies offense, rushing 32 times and picking up 121 yards on the ground. UConn QB Zach Fraser completed only 19 of his 39 passing attempts, good for 223 yards and two interceptions.
UConn failed to convert any of their three fourth down attempts, an insurmountable obstacle for the Big East champions.
This game was very clean, with only four penalties called the entire contest. Fans who turned out for this game were treated to a lot of exciting plays and a total of 859 offensive yards between the two schools.
Oklahoma and Bob Stoops finally get a BCS bowl win under their belts after losing their last five BCS games. Sooners WR Ryan Broyles exploded for 170 receiving yards on 13 receptions, but refused to comment on his possible draft status after the game.
"Winning one for our program and Coach [Bob] Stoops and all these guys, it's just a great feeling right now," Jones said after the game. When asked about whether he watched tape of the previous BCS losses incurred by Oklahoma, Jones added "it made me mad... it just motivated us."
The 2011 Fiesta Bowl was an exciting game despite the final score, and UConn should be commended for sticking tough to Oklahoma. Coach Randy Edsall prepared his team for this game and Connecticut is headed in the right direction as a program. Oklahoma was just way too much for them tonight.