SB Nation Dallas - Cotton Bowl 2013: Texas A&M vs. OUhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48887/dallas-fave.png2013-01-04T22:59:06-06:00http://dallas.sbnation.com/rss/stream/34893352013-01-04T22:59:06-06:002013-01-04T22:59:06-06:00Texas A&M destroys Oklahoma in Cotton Bowl, 41-13
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<p>Texas A&M had no issues against former Big 12 foe Oklahoma, and the Aggies were led by quarterback Johnny Manziel in their blow out win.</p> <p>There was no post-Heisman letdown for Texas A&M Aggies quarterback <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/134696/johnny-manziel" class="sbn-auto-link">Johnny Manziel</a> Friday night in the Cotton Bowl. Manziel led Texas A&M past former Big 12 nemesis Oklahoma in a blowout 41-13 win, and he had an amazing game where he had 516 total yards as well as four touchdowns. The entire Texas A&M team had 633 total yards.</p>
<p>Throwing the ball, Manziel completed 22 of 34 passes for 287 yards, two touchdowns and a pick; then running the ball he had 229 yards and two more touchdowns,</p>
<p>Manziel had multiple runs where he would scramble past most Oklahoma defenders to keep plays alive, and when he took off to run he was able to slice and dice past the defense.</p>
<p>While a lot of credit goes to Manziel, the Texas A&M defense earns credit for this win as wel. In the first half this game was close as it was just 14-13 at the half, in favor of the Aggies. The Texas A&M defense made multiple stops inside their own 10-yard line, and held Oklahoma to a pair of chip shot field goals. Had the Aggies defense allowed touchdowns this game could have had a different result.</p>
<p>The game did not turn into a blowout until second half when the Aggies offense and defense ratcheted up their game even more. The offense scored the games final 28 points, while the defense was able to keep Oklahoma off of the scoreboard.</p>
<p>Part of the reason that Texas A&M exploded in the second half is that Oklahoma had no answer in slowing down Manziel at all.</p>
<p>With this huge performance Friday night, the legend of Johnny Heisman continues to grow.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/texas-am/2013/1/4/3838246/cotton-bowl-2013-texas-a-m-oklahoma-final-scoreJeremy Mauss2013-01-03T07:00:10-06:002013-01-03T07:00:10-06:002013 Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma odds
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<figcaption>Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>The Oklahoma Sooners and Texas A&M Aggies will play in what should be a closely-contested Cotton Bowl on Jan. 4.</p> <p>In a game that is almost as highly anticipated as the national championship game itself, No. 9 Texas A&M will take on No. 11 Oklahoma on Jan. 4 in what is expected to be a tightly-contested Cotton Bowl.</p>
<p>The Aggies enjoyed tremendous success in the program's first season in the SEC, going 10-2 on the year with wins over No. 15 Mississippi State, No. 23 Louisiana Tech and most importantly No. 1 Alabama. Led by Heisman-winning freshman quarterback <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/134696/johnny-manziel" class="sbn-auto-link">Johnny Manziel</a>, the Aggies built the third-ranked scoring offense in the in the NCAA.</p>
<p>Texas A&M wins the matchup with Oklahoma on paper, but they will be facing a stiff Sooners passing attack led by seasoned quarterback <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/37262/landry-jones" class="sbn-auto-link">Landry Jones</a>. The senior quarterback finished the year with 3,989 yards passing with 29 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.</p>
<p>OddsShark.com has the Aggies as 3.5-point favorites in what is expected to be a high scoring and close game, as the line is currently set at 72 overall.</p>
<p>Kickoff is 7 p.m. CT with television coverage on FOX.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/texas-am/2013/1/3/3823134/cotton-bowl-2013-oklahoma-texas-am-spread-oddsBrandon Worley2012-12-06T07:10:07-06:002012-12-06T07:10:07-06:00Familiar foes in the Cotton Bowl
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<figcaption>Scott Halleran</figcaption>
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<p>That didn't take long. One year after leaving the Big 12, the Aggies are playing the Sooners again. This time it's in Dallas and will be one of the best matchups of the bowl season. </p> <p>There's no question the Cotton Bowl committee got their dream selection.</p>
<p>This has been a season of firsts for Texas A&M. And in that spirit, there seemed to be a little bit of a let down from the fans when the pairings were announced and a familiar foe, the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/oklahoma-sooners" class="sbn-auto-link">Oklahoma Sooners</a>, was chosen. The possibility of playing a marquee team in a new bowl such as the Capital One Bowl seemed to be the preferred choice over a game they've played numerous times.</p>
<p>I disagree. What better what better way to end this special season? With a win, the Aggies would put a stamp on their transition from the Big 12 by beating their former conference's co-champion and a national power. A team that went 11-5 over you as a conference opponent no less?</p>
<p>While it can be argued that nothing could have been bigger than a Longhorn/Aggie bowl game, there is a good chance the actual game would have been quite the disappointment. Especially for those wearing burnt orange. This matchup however, between two of the top eleven teams, places a team snubbed by the BCS, against a team that knocked off #1 Alabama on the road. With these two prolific offenses, the Cotton Bowl is arguably the second most anticipated bowl game of the season.</p>
<p>In a game that features plenty of subplots such as Kevin Sumlin facing his old mentor Bob Stoops, and the Aggies getting a chance a redemption from a team that has dominated them over the last decade, the game itself is sure to be an exciting. Offensively, these teams are built perfectly to attack the other's weaknesses on defense and points should not be hard to come by.</p>
<p>The Sooners, led by senior quarterback <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/37262/landry-jones" class="sbn-auto-link">Landry Jones</a>, come into the game with a 10-2 record. Their only loses on the season came at home to the current #1 and #5 teams in the country. Their offense is of typical Big 12 fashion and slings the ball all over the yard. Jones has thrown for 3,989 yards with 29 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The Sooners are blessed with one of the deepest wide receiver corps in the country. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/115314/kenny-stills" class="sbn-auto-link">Kenny Stills</a> and Justin Brown each have over 800 receiving yards on the season and Sterling Sheppard has 41 catches for 578 yards.</p>
<p>Their most dangerous weapon out wide is Fresno State transfer <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/116708/jalen-saunders" class="sbn-auto-link">Jalen Saunders</a>, who missed the first four games of the season waiting to be cleared by the NCAA. In only eight games, he ranks third on the team in receptions (53) and receiving yards (766).</p>
<p>However, Saunders status for the Cotton Bowl is uncertain at this time. Earlier this week, he and a teammate were arrested for possession of marijuana. If he is indeed suspended for the game, it will be a huge positive for <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/10574/mark-snyder" class="sbn-auto-link">Mark Snyder</a> and the Aggie's 95th ranked pass defense in yards per game.</p>
<p>Oklahoma's rushing attack averages 165 yards a game behind <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/134387/damien-williams" class="sbn-auto-link">Damien Williams</a> and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/115324/brennan-clay" class="sbn-auto-link">Brennan Clay</a>. Backup quarterback and short yardage expert <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/115318/blake-bell" class="sbn-auto-link">Blake Bell</a> has added 11 touchdowns with he legs. The Aggie defensive has had success against stopping the run all year against some of the prominent rushing teams in the SEC. Led by senior linebackers <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77443/sean-porter" class="sbn-auto-link">Sean Porter</a>, Jonathan Stewart, and first-team all-conference defensive end <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/115467/demontre-moore" class="sbn-auto-link">Demontre Moore</a>, the Ags are going to have to be able to stop the run with only six guys in the box and a nickel back dropping into coverage.</p>
<p>Texas A&M is also 10-2 with both losses coming against top-10 teams. Their explosive offense will bring a lot more balance into this contest, behind Heisman Trophy front-runner and SEC offensive player of the year <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/134696/johnny-manziel" class="sbn-auto-link">Johnny Manziel</a>. Johnny Football's 1,342 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on the season led a rushing attack that averaged 235 yards a game. This should be a big cause for concern with an Oklahoma run defense that ranks 86th in the country by giving up 192 yards per game.</p>
<p>Manziel is also dangerous through the air, completing 68.2% of his throws for 3,419 yards and 29 scores. Receiving leaders Mike Evans and senior <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77450/ryan-swope" class="sbn-auto-link">Ryan Swope</a> will go up against an experienced and talented Sooner secondary that ranks 21st in passing yards given up per game. Just like the Aggies, the Sooners are going to have to stop the run and get their playmakers involved by making the Aggies throw the ball.</p>
<p>In what is sure to be one of the most watched/exciting bowl games, the Aggies have the chance to exorcise one more demon from their days in the Big 12 Conference. A victory over the Sooners would be another piece in the foundation of what Kevin Sumlin is building in Aggieland.</p>
<p>Familiar foes will meet on January 4th, but this time, there's more on the line.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/2012/12/6/3733836/cotton-bowl-2013-previewHunter Jarvis2012-12-04T15:55:05-06:002012-12-04T15:55:05-06:00Aggies favored in what should be a shootout
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<figcaption>Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>The odds-makers are expecting the game in Jerry World to be an old-school Big 12 shootout. </p> <p>If the odds makers are right, points shouldn't be at a premium in this year's Cotton Bowl, which features high-powered spread offenses from Texas A&M and Oklahoma.</p>
<p>The Aggies, behind freshman sensation and Heisman front-runner Johnny "Football" Manziel, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/odds">have opened as 4.5-point favorites</a> over their longtime rivals from Norman.</p>
<p>Even more telling, the game has an over/under of 71.5, so fans should expect a lot of fireworks at Jerry World.</p>
<p>It will be the last game for Sooners senior quarterback Landry Jones, a four-year starter who will likely be an early pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.</p>
<p>However, despite all the statistics he produced, Oklahoma was never in contention for a national title in his time there, a measuring stick for Sooners QB's in the Bob Stoops era.</p>
<p>Both teams are led by their offenses, as the Aggies are ranked third in the country in points scored, while the Sooners aren't too far behind them at No. 12.</p>
<p>And while they no longer annually meet on the gridiron, the two schools still compete heavily in recruiting, as many of the Oklahoma and Texas A&M players know each other from their days as high school players in Texas.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/2012/12/4/3728508/cotton-bowl-2013-odds-texas-am-favoriteJonathan Tjarks2012-12-03T14:59:23-06:002012-12-03T14:59:23-06:00Cotton Bowl already filled with storylines
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<p>A game between two familiar foes, the 2012 Cotton Bowl pitting the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas A&M Aggies has plenty of storylines.</p> <p>The Texas A&M Aggies and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/oklahoma-sooners">Oklahoma Sooners</a> meet Jan. 4, 2013, in the Cotton Bowl designated for an SEC team and a Big 12 team, but these two squads have more than a solid foundation of history after the Aggies left the Big 12 following the 2011 season.</p>
<p>In what could be the most interesting of the non-BCS bowl games, the Sooners (10-2) face quarterback <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/134696/johnny-manziel">Johnny Manziel</a> and Texas A&M, which surprised in its first year of SEC play with a 10-2 record under new coach Kevin Sumlin. Texas A&M's only slipups this season include losses to Florida, which is currently ranked third, and now-No. 8 LSU, while their win against No. 2 Alabama nearly did the Crimson Tide in as far as national championship aspirations were concerned.</p>
<p>From Aggies blog <a href="http://www.goodbullhunting.com/2012/12/2/3719510/texas-a-m-vs-oklahoma-in-the-cotton-bowl" target="_blank">Good Bull Hunting:</a></p>
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<p>OU has always been an interesting game. The two programs share an aggressive disdain for the University of Texas. In those emotions, there is shared solace. But rest assured, there is still plenty of hate to make this one of the very best bowl games of the year.</p>
<p>Reggie McNeal as a freshman. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/76586/jason-white">Jason White</a>. Adrian Peterson. Mike Sherman at Kyle. And yes, 77-0. We're already hearing about some of the darkest moments in Texas A&M football history.</p>
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<p>That references the 2003 beatdown the Sooners put on the Aggies. And while Texas A&M has turned it around this year thanks to Johnny Football, Oklahoma and Bob Stoops have a thorn to pick out of their side. The Sooners dropped out of BCS bowl consideration with the somewhat surprising news of Northern Illinois sneaking into the Sugar Bowl.</p>
<p>Now they face yet another tough task, one that rivals the Aggies' difficult SEC schedule, writes Sooners blog <a href="http://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/2012/12/2/3719962/ou-football-2012-oklahoma-sooners-left-out-of-bcs-will-face-texas-a-m-in-the" target="_blank">Crimson and Cream Machine:</a></p>
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<p>[...] the Sooners will be making the short trip to south to Jerry World where they will face former conference foe, Texas A&M. Just one of a flurry of potential story lines for the game, Oklahoma could be facing a Heisman Trophy winner and at a minimum will be one of few, if any, teams in the history of college football to play three Heisman favorites in the same season.</p>
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<p>The other two candidates can take some credit for the only two losses on Oklahoma's season. The Sooners fell 24-19 to the Kansas State Wildcats and Heisman candidate <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/36403/collin-klein">Collin Klein</a>, then lost 30-13 to linebacker <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/84654/manti-te-o">Manti Te'o</a> and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/notre-dame-fighting-irish">Notre Dame Fighting Irish</a>.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/2012/12/3/3723554/cotton-bowl-2013-texas-am-ouKevin Zimmerman