The 2013
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...
Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...
was a post-season American
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...
held on January 4, 2013 at
Cowboys Stadium in
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...
in the United States. The 77th edition of the Cotton Bowl Classic began at 7:00 p.m.
CST and aired on
Fox Sports. It featured the
Texas A&M Aggies from the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
(SEC) against the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
co-champion
Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...
and was the final game of the
2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The regular season began on August 30, 2012 and ended on Dec ...
for both teams. Both the Aggies and the Sooners accepted their invitations after finishing the regular season 10–2.
[ From 1996 until 2011, the Aggies and Sooners played together in the Big 12 Conference before the Aggies left for the SEC.]
The pre-game buildup was primarily focused on the two high-powered offenses, both of whom were led by strong passing attacks led by quarterbacks
Johnny Manziel
Johnathan Paul Manziel ( ; born December 6, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the FCF Zappers of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) and was also a mem ...
and
Landry Jones respectively. Both teams also had several quality wide receivers, but both were average to below average defensively. Experts were split in their prognostications, but most predicted a high-scoring game.
Texas A&M defeated Oklahoma 41–13 to win the Cotton Bowl Classic and to finish the season with an 11–2 record. Manziel rushed for 229 yards during the game, a bowl record, rushing for two touchdowns and throwing for two more. Though the halftime score was 14–13 Texas A&M, the Aggies went on to score 27 unanswered second half points to win the game.
Teams
Oklahoma
With an 8–1 conference record, the Sooners once again won a share of the Big 12 Championship; however, their loss to the
Kansas State Wildcats
The Kansas State Wildcats (variously "Kansas State", "K-State", or "KSU") are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Kansas State University. The official color of the teams is Royal Purple; white and silver are generally used as c ...
prevented them from reaching the
2013 Fiesta Bowl
The 2013 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game played on Thursday, January 3, 2013, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The Kansas State Wildcats, champions of the Big 12 Conference, played the Oregon ...
spot. In addition, the non-AQ
Northern Illinois Huskies
The Northern Illinois Huskies are the athletic teams that represent Northern Illinois University (NIU). The Huskies are a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The athleti ...
completed the qualifications to go to the
2013 Orange Bowl
The 2013 Discover Orange Bowl was a college football bowl game played on Tuesday, January 1, 2013, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The game was organized by the Orange Bowl committee. The Orange Bowl featured ACC champions Florida ...
, leaving the Sooners out of the
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a selection system that created four or five bowl game match-ups involving eight or ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of American college football, including ...
(BCS).
This was the Sooners' second Cotton Bowl;
they had won the
2002 game, defeating the
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas student body voted to change the name of the school mascot (ori ...
by a score of 10–3. The Sooners were the first team since Florida in 1993 to play against the teams with the top 3 Heisman vote-getters for that season (having played against 3rd-place finisher
Collin Klein
Collin Klein (born September 19, 1989) is an American college football coach and former quarterback who played for the Kansas State Wildcats. He appeared as a wide receiver for Kansas State during the 2009 season, and made his first career start ...
from Kansas State, runner-up
Manti Te'o from Notre Dame, and Heisman winner Manziel from Texas A&M); they lost to all three.
Texas A&M
The Aggies' first season as members of the SEC was led by freshman quarterback and
2012 Heisman Trophy winner Manziel, the Aggies posted a 6–2 conference record (10–2 overall), good for a second-place tie in the SEC West Division (tied with the
LSU Tigers). In perhaps their biggest game of the season, the Aggies defeated defending national champions and
2013 BCS National Championship Game
The 2013 Discover BCS National Championship Game was a postseason college football bowl game that took place on Monday, January 7, 2013, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It featured the No. 1 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and No ...
participants the
Alabama Crimson Tide
The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...
in Tuscaloosa, 29–24.
This was the Aggies' thirteenth Cotton Bowl appearance; with the win they hold a 5–8 record in the game. With the appearance the Aggies became the first program to participate in the Cotton Bowl as members of three different conferences with automatic Cotton Bowl tie-ins (the Southwest Conference, the Big 12, and the SEC).
Pre-game buildup
Coming into the game, much of the buildup surrounded the matchup of two top-flight quarterbacks,
senior
Landry Jones for Oklahoma and
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
winner freshman
Johnny Manziel
Johnathan Paul Manziel ( ; born December 6, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the FCF Zappers of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) and was also a mem ...
for Texas A&M, both of whom ranked in the top-15 nationally in passing yards.
In the all-time series between the two schools, Oklahoma had won 19 games to Texas A&M's 11.
This was the teams' first meeting since Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC.
Aggies coach
Kevin Sumlin had been an assistant under
Bob Stoops
Robert Anthony Stoops (born September 9, 1960) is an American football coach. He was the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1999 through the 2016 season, and on an interim basis during the 2021 Alamo Bowl. He led the Oklahoma ...
; coming into the game Stoops was 13–4 against his former assistants.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma compiled a 10 win, 2 loss record during the regular season and was left out of the BCS for the second consecutive year.
Offense
Oklahoma's offense was led by their senior quarterback Jones who was primarily responsible for the Sooners' 224 passing first downs, which was best in the country, and their 52.2 third down conversion success rate, which was fourth-best in the country.
Jones, a senior who was ranked by ESPN as the number five quarterback prospect for the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
, completed 66% of his 555 passes totaling 4267 yards, which was second-best in the country,
and 30 touchdowns. Jones threw primarily to a trio of upperclassmen
wide receivers each of whom ended the season with more than 800 receiving yards, junior
Kenny Stills
Kenneth Lee Stills Jr. (born April 22, 1992) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Oklahoma and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Early years
St ...
, junior
Jalen Saunders
Jalen Saunders (born September 30, 1992) is a gridiron football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was most recently a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fou ...
, who transferred in the offseason from
Fresno State,
and senior Justin Brown, who transferred to the Sooners in the offseason amid sanctions from the NCAA in wake of the
Penn State child sex abuse scandal.
Oklahoma's rushing attack, which was second-worst in the Big 12 in terms of total yards, was led by juniors Damien Williams and Brennan Clay, who amassed 946 yards and 11 touchdowns and 555 yards and 6 touchdowns respectively.
Defense
Oklahoma's defense improved after head coach Bob Stoops' brother, former Sooners co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach
Mike Stoops, returned to Oklahoma as the defensive coordinator after having served the previous seven and a half seasons as head coach of the
Arizona Wildcats
The Arizona Wildcats are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Divis ...
where he totaled 41 wins and 50 losses and was fired mid way through the
2011 season. Oklahoma's defense was led in tackles by safety
Tony Jefferson
Tony Lemar Jefferson Jr. (born January 27, 1992) is an American football strong safety for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma and signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undraft ...
, who recorded 113 becoming just the sixth Sooner defensive back ever to amass more than 100.
In addition to Jefferson, Oklahoma was represented by defensive back Aaron Colvin on the All-Big 12 first team and defensive lineman David King and defensive back Demontre Hurst on the second team.
Texas A&M
It was announced on December 12, 2012 that Texas A&M's offensive coordinator
Kliff Kingsbury had left the university for the head coaching position at his alma mater,
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
. Consequently, coach
Kevin Sumlin announced that running backs coach and recruiting coordinator
Clarence McKinney
Clarence McKinney (born December 26, 1970) is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at Texas Southern University.
Early years
McKinney played football at Montana State Bobcats football, Montana State for three years before tr ...
would call plays during the bowl.
Offense
The Aggies' offense averaged 44.8 points per game, third in the
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
A&M's offense was led in both passing and rushing by Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Manziel threw primarily to two receivers, fellow redshirt freshman Mike Evans, who totaled 82 receptions for 1105 yards and 5 touchdowns,
and senior
Ryan Swope
Ryan Swope (born September 20, 1990) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2013 NFL Draft.
College career
As a sophomore at Texas A&M in 2010, Swope and Jeff Fuller both broke Rod Bernstine ...
, who totaled 72 receptions for 913 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Together, the duo combined for 45 percent of the Aggies' targets, catching 139 of 199 passes for 1,845 yards and 12 touchdowns. Aside from Manziel, junior
Ben Malena
Ben Malena (born May 29, 1992) is a Canadian football running back for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college footba ...
amassed 808 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns, while senior Christine Michael scored 8 rushing touchdowns to go along with 417 rushing yards. The Aggies also had two projected first-round draft picks on their offensive line, junior tackles
Luke Joeckel
Luke Tobias Joeckel (; born November 6, 1991) is a former American football offensive lineman. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars second overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas A&M, starting all 37 games at lef ...
and
Jake Matthews.
Defense
The Aggies' defense was led by first-year defensive coordinator
Mark Snyder
Mark Snyder (born December 30, 1964) is an American football coach and former safety who is the linebackers coach for the Orlando Guardians of the XFL and previously the linebackers coach for the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football Lea ...
, who had been a head coach at
Marshall and defensive coordinator for
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
. Their leading tackler was junior defensive lineman
Damontre Moore
Damontre Lamounte Moore (born September 11, 1992) is an American gridiron football defensive end for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. H ...
, who achieved first-team All-SEC accolades during the regular season and declared early to enter the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
, where he is considered one of the top prospects, and was the second overall pick in
Todd McShay
Todd Marshall McShay (born March 22, 1977) is an American football television analyst and commentator.
Early life
McShay attended North Shore Christian School in Lynn, Massachusetts and then Swampscott High School in Swampscott, Massachusetts, ...
's initial mock draft.
Game summary
First quarter
Texas A&M got the ball to start the game and marched down the field on an 8-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in the first of Manziel's two rushing touchdowns, the first of which went for 23 yards. Oklahoma took over at their own 25 yard line after a
touchback
In American football, a touchback is a ruling which is made and signaled by an official when the ball becomes dead on or behind a team's own goal line (i.e., in their end zone) and the opposing team gave the ball the momentum, or impetus, to trav ...
on the kickoff. Jones was 6/8 for 43 yards passing on the drive. The Sooners got as far as second and goal at the one yard line prior to two failed plays and a false start penalty that set up a 23-yard field goal to make the score 7–3 Texas A&M. The drive totaled 16 plays and 69 yards in 5:43. On the ensuing drive, Texas A&M was forced to punt after achieving only one first down.
Second quarter
Oklahoma's next drive ran 18 plays and 87 yards taking up 7:26. Once again, the Sooners stalled in the red zone and were again forced to settle for a field goal, this time a 24-yarder by Michael Hunnicutt. The next two drives by Texas A&M and Oklahoma both ended in interceptions thrown by Manziel and Jones respectively. Texas A&M took over at the Oklahoma 48 yard line following Jones' interception. A trick play to start the drive resulted in senior wide receiver Kenric McNeal throwing a 20-yard pass to Mike Evans. On the next play, running back Ben Malena running the ball 23 yards to the five yard line. Manziel ran for a 5-yard touchdown on the next play to make the score 14–6. Oklahoma's next drive lasted 13 plays and 83 yards that culminated in a 6-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Justin Brown.
Third quarter
Oklahoma's first second-half drive resulted in a quick
three-and-out
A down is a period in which a play transpires in gridiron football. The down is a distinguishing characteristic of the game compared to other codes of football, but is synonymous with a "tackle" in rugby league. The team in possession of the ...
. After a 58-yard punt by Tress Way which was downed at the Texas A&M 9-yard line. Despite the poor field position, the Aggies put together a 7-play, 91-yard drive highlighted by a 35-yard pass from Manziel to
Uzoma Nwachukwu
Uzoma "E.Z." Nwachukwu (born December 15, 1990) is an American former American football, football wide receiver, sports marketing agent, and television personality. He played college football for Texas A&M Aggies football, Texas A&M. He was a m ...
and finished with a 7-yard touchdown run by Malena. Oklahoma had another three-and-out on their next drive. Texas A&M subsequently established a 7-play, 89-yard drive that featured three consecutive completed passes from Manziel to Malcome Kennedy and concluded with a 30-yard rushing touchdown by Trey Williams. Oklahoma's next drive was their third consecutive three-and-out. Texas A&M then scored their third consecutive touchdown, this time on a 33-yard pass from Manziel to Ryan Swope making the score 34–13. Oklahoma then ran a 7-play, 31-yard drive before punting to end the quarter.
Fourth quarter
Texas A&M had their first three-and-out of the game to begin the fourth quarter. Oklahoma achieved one first down on their subsequent drive before turning the ball over on downs. Texas A&M scored for the final time of the game on their ensuing drive via a 34-yard touchdown pass from Manziel to Nwachukwu to make the score 41–13. Oklahoma and Texas A&M then exchanged punts before the final drive of the game by Oklahoma which lasted four plays prior to time running out.
Scoring summary
Statistics
Team statistics
Individual statistics
=Passing
=
=Rushing
=
Manziel's 229-yard performance set an FBS record for most rushing yards in a bowl game.
=Receiving
=
References
{{Oklahoma Sooners bowl game navbox
Cotton Bowl Classic
Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...
Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...
Oklahoma Sooners football bowl games
Texas A&M Aggies football bowl games
Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...