Cy-Woods grad Washington anchoring Arizona defensive front in Alamo Bowl

Cypress Woods High School graduate Justin Washington will help lead the Arizona Wildcats defense against the high-powered offense of No. 16 Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl on Wednesday.

Washington, a freshman defensive tackle, has 45 tackles on the season, 10.5 for a loss, and has recorded six sacks. He is a key part of the Arizona pass rush that's recorded 33 sacks.

Washington and Arizona (7-5, having lost four straight contests) will have their hands full with the Cowboys offense. Oklahoma State leads the NCAA in total offense (537.6 yards per game) and ranks third in scoring offense (44.9 points per game). The Cowboys also happen to be a 10-2 team that fell just a touchdown shy of reaching the Big 12 Conference championship game.

Arizona is coming off an equally frustrating defeat. The Wildcats last played Dec. 2, dropping a 30-29 overtime decision to rival Arizona State. Ranked No. 9 after a 4-0 start, Arizona dropped out of the Top 10 after a 29-27 loss to Oregon State. Coach Mike Stoops got his team back on track, and the Wildcats were 7-1 heading into November. But, it hasn't won since a 29-21 victory over UCLA on Oct. 30.

The Wildcats will be making its 16th all-time bowl appearance and its third in the last three seasons. A 33-0 pummeling by Nebraska in last year's Holiday Bowl dropped its bowl mark to 6-8-1.

Oklahoma State is in bowl action for the 21st time and for the fifth consecutive season. The Cowboys lost its last two, including a 21-7 decision to Mississippi in the Cotton Bowl last season. Its all-time bowl record is 12-8.

The Alamo Bowl will mark the first Arizona-Oklahoma State football matchup since 1942. The Wildcats won that year, 20-6, to even the series at 3-3. The seventh game is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN.

At Cy-Woods, Washington was a 2008 unanimous First Team All-District 15-5A defense selection. He was also named PrepStar All-Midlands. Cy-Woods opened in 2006, and Washington played its junior varsity schedule out of the Houston limelight for two years. He was selected for the inaugural 2008 Space City Classic all-star football game showcasing Houston talent in March 2008.

Born July 29, 1991, he is the son of Stacy Washington and is a pre-business major.
 

See Justin Washington's Athlete Tracker page