For a team that many said didn't deserve to be in the Fiesta Bowl, Connecticut put up one heck of a fight. But in the end, No. 7 Oklahoma was just too much for UConn head coach Randy Edsall and his Huskies.
Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones completed 33-of-48 passes and threw for 426 yards and three touchdowns as the Sooners ended their five-game BCS bowl losing streak with a 48-20 win over Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.
The Sooners improved to 26-17-1 in bowl games and finished the season 11-2 while the Huskies stumbled to the finish line at 8-5. The appearance in the Fiesta Bowl was the first BCS bowl game in school history for Connecticut.
DeMarco Murray totaled 95 rushing yards and a touchdown on 25 carries for Oklahoma. Ryan Broyles collected 170 receiving yards and a touchdown on 13 catches, Cameron Kenney had 154 receiving yards and a touchdown and Kenny Stills had 73 receiving yards on eight catches for the Sooners.
Jordan Todman had an outstanding day for the Huskies, racking up 121 yards on 32 carries. Kashif Moore racked up 62 yards on four receptions and Anthony Sherman had 60 receiving yards on three receptions for Connecticut.
Jones tossed an eight yard touchdown pass to James Hanna to put Oklahoma on the board first and give the Sooners a 7-0 lead with 10:09 left in the first quarter.
Oklahoma scored its second touchdown of the game on a three-yard rush from Murray with 24 seconds remaining in the opening quarter to give the Sooners a 14-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
UConn jumped on the scoreboard when Dwayne Gratz intercepted Jones and returned it 46 yards for the score with 12:58 left to play in the second quarter, cutting the Sooners' lead to 14-7.
Jimmy Stevens split the uprights on a 41-yard field goal from the left hash mark to give Oklahoma a 17-7 lead with 9:57 left to play in the second quarter. The field goal capped off an eight-play, 57-yard drive that lasted two minutes and 28 seconds.
With 2:05 remaining before halftime, Stevens made another field goal, this time from 21 yards out, to give the Sooners a 20-7 advantage. The Huskies added a field goal of their own on Dave Teggart's 37-yard field goal with 26 seconds left in the half to trim the Sooners' lead to 20-10.
Jones connected with Kenney for a 59-yard touchdown with 10:55 remaining in the third quarter to rebuild Oklahoma's lead to 27-10. The long touchdown pass was the third longest in Oklahoma bowl history and capped off a four-play, 80-yard drive that lasted one minute for the Sooners.
Jamell Flemming intercepted UConn quarterback Zach Frazer (19-for-39, 220 passing yards, 2 INT) and returned the ball 55 yards for a touchdown as No. 7 Oklahoma continues to dominate UConn, leading 34-10 with 9:44 remaining in the third quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Robbie Frey returned the kick 95 yards for a touchdown as UConn trimmed Oklahoma's lead to 34-17 with 9:30 remaining in the third quarter.
Connecticut continued to chip away at the lead, as kicker Dave Teggart connected on a 38-yard field goal that cut Oklahoma's lead to 34-20 with 5:04 remaining in the third quarter. The field goal capped off an eight-play, 50-yard drive for UConn that lasted two minutes and 17 seconds.
However, the Sooners put the nail in the coffin on Jones' five-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Broyles that built the lead to 41-20 with 7:49 to go in the fourth quarter.
Oklahoma added another score for good measure with 2:40 left in the game when Tony Jefferson returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown.
The Sooners amassed 524 total yards (433 passing, 91 rushing) while Connecticut was held to 335 total yards (222 passing, 113 rushing).