With teams that like to throw first and run second in Wednesday’s Alamo Bowl, expect a long game at the Alamodome.

If Oklahoma State balances the run with the pass expect a longer day for Arizona. Chances are, given the performance of both teams this season, the Cowboys have a much better chance to establish a running game.

Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter must be contained by Arizona's defense for the Wildcats to have a chance tonight in the Alamo Bowl (US Presswire photo/Brett Davis)

That can spell trouble because Arizona was cruising to a 7-1 record before Stanford, USC and Oregon ran for a combined 811 rushing yards against the Wildcats. The UA’s other nine opponents ran for only 829, an average of 92.1 rushing yards per game.

Oklahoma State, led by senior running back Kendall Hunter, has rushed for 2,195 yards overall with 25 rushing touchdowns. Hunter accounts for 1,516 of those yards on 216 carries and he has scored 16 touchdowns. By contrast, Arizona has rushed for only 1,622 yards with 20 touchdowns.

Keola Antolin leads the Wildcats with 667 yards on 142 carries. Hunter had 700 yards rushing by the fifth game of the season.

The bottom line: Oklahoma State will likely get its rushing yardage. The key will be limiting big plays (for example, third-down conversions or a demoralizing long touchdown run).

Arizona could have been more of a threat to No. 1 Oregon in Eugene had it not been for Josh Huff‘s 85-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Stanford wore down the Cats by converting 9 of 14 third-down plays. The Cardinal’s offensive line shoved aside Arizona’s defensive front as Stepfan Taylor rushed for four touchdowns. The UA allowed only two rushing touchdowns — both against Oregon State in another loss — in its six games before facing Stanford.

USC’s Marc Tyler and his offensive line is arguably the most physically gift and imposing unit the UA faced this year. The Trojans’ line was too much for Arizona to handle. That was exposed especially in the second half. Tyler had 10 of his 31 carries in the fourth quarter when USC went for the knockout punch.

ASU beat Arizona because the Wildcats self-destructed with two blocked extra-point tries by Alex Zendejas, and at least five dropped potential interceptions. ASU’s defense also limited the Cats to five successful third-down conversions in 17 attempts.

The Sun Devils were also afforded 92 offensive plays in the double-overtime game. Any team given 92 tries to advance the ball has a good chance of winning.

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UA coach Mike Stoops (left) will have a lot more to work on than trying to rectify his struggling kicking game, including No. 14 Alex Zendejas, when the Cats play Oklahoma State in the 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio Dec. 29 (US Presswire/Chris Morrison)

What do Arizona quarterback Nick Foles, wide receivers David Douglas and Richard Morrison, and running back Greg Nwoko have in common?

They are part of the Arizona offense, but more meaningful than that Sunday (when it was announced the Wildcats will play Oklahoma State in the 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl at San Antonio on Dec. 29): They know the best route to San Antonio from where they were raised in Texas.

Foles (from Austin, Texas), Douglas (McKinney), Morrison (Royce City), Nwoko (Pflugerville) are five of 15 players from Texas on Arizona’s roster. Defensive tackle Justin Washington (Cypress), cornerback Trevin Wade (Round Rock) and punter Keenyn Crier (Spring) also hail from the Lone Star state.

Arizona coach Mike Stoops and his staff already have four commitments from players in Texas for the Class of 2011 — nearly 25 percent of the group that currently has 17 committed members.

Two of the prospects are from Dallas — safety Kerry Swarn of Lincoln High and linebacker Rob Hankins of Parish Episcopal. The other potential future Wildcats from Texas include Southlake Carroll quarterback Daxx Garman (who could be Foles’ heir apparent) and Woodlands tight end Michael Cooper.

Arizona has played bowl games in Texas before, but those were in El Paso at the Sun Bowl (1969 and 1985) and John Hancock Bowl (1992). El Paso is far removed from the heart of Texas — the triangle of Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, which has a 713-mile radius. Austin is only 81 miles from San Antonio, so it’s a safe bet the entire Foles family will occupy some seats at the Alamodome.

This will be the eastern-most bowl game of Arizona’s program history. Very much to Stoops’ liking it will be where he and his staff battle for top talent against (among others) Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Houston. The exposure over the next three weeks in the San Antonio-Austin area should help Arizona’s image there, especially if the Wildcats pull off an upset over the Cowboys, the No. 14 team in the BCS standings.

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Undoubtedly, somebody on ESPN before Thursday’s kickoff will point out that ASU’s pass defense ranks a meager 98th out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

What does that really mean as the Sun Devils prepare for Arizona’s vaunted No. 9 passing offense? Nick Foles, who passed for 448 yards against Oregon last Friday, should pick his yard total now, right?

How ASU running back Cameron Marshall goes, so go the Sun Devils? There's a good chance of that being the case against Arizona on Thursday (US Presswire photo/Matt Kartozian)

But didn’t USC, which has a worse passing defense of No. 112, beat Arizona in Tucson almost three weeks ago? And look at Auburn, which is No. 1 in the BCS standings, but has a pass defense that is No. 106 — worse than ASU’s, if you believe the numbers. What’s more is didn’t Oregon toast Arizona despite Foles’ career game?

No, what matters most in Arizona’s quest to regain its mojo and stop a three-game losing streak is to return to what it did best the first seven games — control the run. Nothing else matters. Foles could pass for 500 yards, but if ASU running back Cameron Marshall, who had 147 rushing yards last week against UCLA, plays well again, the Sun Devils have a legitimate chance to win.

In the UA’s three-game losing streak, the Wildcats’ run defense has allowed 217 rushing yards to Stanford, 205 against USC and 389 against Oregon. That’s 811 rushing yards in the last three games after the Wildcats allowed 707 to their first eight opponents.

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