The Alamo Bowl was always going to be an interesting game to analyze. The Sooners were without 15 players who either entered the transfer portal or opted out — most notably Dillon Gabriel, Andrew Raym and Tyler Guyton — which thrusted several players into bigger roles, particularly on offense.

As expected, the Pro Football Focus data provided plenty of things to discuss from the Sooners' 38-24 loss to No. 14-ranked Arizona.

Here's a look at PFFs snap-count data and performance grades for each position group from Thursday's game, along with some takeaways:

(Note: The offense played 87 snaps, while the defense played 68. Each player is ranked on a scale from 0-100, with 90-99 considered elite, 80-89 good, 70-79 above average, 60-69 average, 50-59 below average, 30-49 poor).

RUNNING BACK

1. Gavin Sawchuk — 51 snaps (67.5 grade)

2. Tawee Walker — 33 snaps (69.8)

WIDE RECEIVER

1. Drake Stoops — 78 (67.6)

2. Nic Anderson — 63 (71.9)

3. Jalil Farooq — 57 (56.8)

4. Jayden Gibson — 45 (52.3)

5. Gavin Freeman — 9 (62.2)

6. Brenen Thompson — 4 (98.5)

T7. Jaquaize Pettaway — 3 (57.6)

T7. JJ Hester — 3 (56.7)

8. LV Bunkley-Shelton — 1 (59.4)

OFFENSIVE LINE

T1. Troy Everett — 87 (62.8)

T1. Caleb Shaffer — 87 (50.8)

T1. Walter Rouse — 87 (69.0)

T1. McKade Mettauer — 87 (56.0)

2. Jacob Sexton — 86 (52.7)

3. Jake Taylor — 1 (60.0)

TIGHT END

1. Austin Stogner — 82 (46.8)

2. Josh Fanuiel — 4 (60.2)

DEFENSIVE LINE

1. Ethan Downs — 38 (65.8)

2. Rondell Bothroyd — 33 (66.7)

3. Isaiah Coe — 25 (68.9)

T4. Jacob Lacey — 19 (58.1)

T4. Trace Ford — 19 (57.6)

T5. Da'Jon Terry — 15 (68.6)

T5. R Mason Thomas — 15 (44.5)

6. Jonah Laulu — 13 (51.1)

7. Marcus Stripling — 11 (65.5)

8. Jordan Kelley — 9 (58.7)

9. Adepoju Adebawore — 7 (64.9)

LINEBACKER

1. Danny Stutsman — 68 (73.2)

2. Jaren Kanak — 37 (67.6)

3. Kip Lewis — 31 (54.7)

CORNERBACK

1. Woodi Washington — 64 (63.0)

2. Kani Walker — 38 (71.6)

3. Kendel Dolby — 31 (58.6)

4. Gentry Williams — 30 (64.7)

T5. Jasiah Wagoner — 2 (62.5)

T5. Jacobe Johnson — 2 (60.5)

SAFETY

1. Billy Bowman — 68 (66.0)

2. Peyton Bowen — 60 (51.8)

3. Reggie Pearson — 54 (65.1)

4. Dasan McCollough* — 37 (53.6)

5. Robert Spears-Jennings — 22 (54.2)

1. Tough ending to the season for Farooq

Folks are probably much-less likely to remember Farooq's four catches for 57 yards against the Wildcats. They're much more likely to remember his two crucial fumbles, with one of them being returned for an 87-yard touchdown. To make matters worse, both fumbles came inside the red zone.

However, that's not the most interesting aspect of Farooq's game. His 57 snaps tied his fewest in a game since non-conference play. But most notably, he also played just 65% of the team's snaps, by far his lowest share of playing time in a game since Week 3. Farooq regularly played 85-90% of snaps in games this season.

Of course, it wasn't Farooq's best game, and the turnovers likely played a role in his diminished playing time. But it is interesting that it also came in his first game with Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley as the team's offensive coordinators.

Also interesting — Gibson's 45 snaps were a career high. He averaged just under 16 snaps per game this season and hadn't played more than 24 snaps in a game.

2. Jaren Kanak bounces back

The sophomore linebacker had slumped down the stretch. In the final four games of the regular season, Kanak averaged just 21 snaps per game and recorded a performance grade over 53.6 just once.

However, he appeared to be a rejuvenated player against Arizona. Though Kip Lewis again got the start alongside Danny Stutsman, Kanak played more snaps and finished with the sixth-highest performance grade (67.6) on the defense, which also tied his second-highest mark of the season.

It was an encouraging display for Kanak, which could give him something to build on in the offseason.

Also, Kobie McKinzie didn't log a snap against the Wildcats.

3. Gavin Sawchuk picks up where he left off

Sawchuk overtook the starting running back job against UCF and never relinquished it. Against Arizona, he logged his fifth-straight game with over 100 yards while averaging at least 5.9 yards per carry.

It wasn't a surprise to see Sawchuk see the bulk of the running back snaps. Thursday marked the sixth time in seven games that he played 42 snaps or more. However, it was interesting to see Tawee Walker see the back-up snaps, especially considering he announced he'll be transferring to Wisconsin. No carries for Jovantae Barnes, who didn't log a snap, or Kalib Hicks.

We'll see how everything shakes out in the offseason, but considering how Sawchuk ended the season, there's no reason to project anyone but him as the starting running back heading into 2024.

— Peyton Bowen made his first collegiate start and also played a season-high 60 snaps. It wasn't his best performance of the season, but it's clear the bowl game was the healthiest he's been in quite some time.

— It was quite the season for Kendel Dolby. He recorded six tackles and a team-high two sacks in 31 snaps against Arizona. It was hard to project his role heading into the season but he carved out a nice role, playing at least 30 snaps in 10 of 13 games.

— R Mason Thomas and Adepoju Adebawore combined for just 22 snaps against Arizona, a smaller number than expected. Next spring will be a big opportunity for both of them to earn elevate roles, especially with Rondell Bothroyd's departure.

— It's difficult to know what to make of the offensive line. Jacob Sexton, who will almost certainly start next season, played all but one snap and surrendered a sack and two quarterback hurries. Jake Taylor played only one snap. Troy Everett played every snap with mixed results, though he injured his knee in the second half. McKade Mettauer and Walter Rouse are leaving. The offensive line will be the biggest question heading into next season.