(Sporting Alert) – This may not be the BCS championship, but the Cotton bowl game on Friday between Texas A&M and Oklahoma is expected to be one that carries the same kind of exciting.
College Football Bowl TV Schedule – Jan. 4
Event: AT&T Cotton – Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma
Place: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Date: Friday, January 4, 8:00 p.m.
Live TV Coverage: FOX
The No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners started the season as one of the beats favoured to win the BCS title, but setbacks in the middle of the season saw them falling out the running for a slot in the national championship game.
Bob Stoops side did went on to claim a share of eight Big 12 title after beating TCU in the last regular season fixture and the head coach is hoping his players can bring over the same type of performance in the Cotton bowl at Cowboys Stadium on Friday night
“In the last game, against TCU, I’m just proud of our players to have finished out the season the way we did, going on the road at TCU and to come away with another victory,” Stoops said in his press conference.
“To have a part of our eight Big 12 championship is really special. It’s difficult to do, obviously, when you look at the rest of the conference and what everyone has been doing. It’s very tough and challenging.
“Nine teams are in bowl games, it’s tough, but I’m very proud of our players who fought through the way they have to put ourselves in the position to play Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl.
Both The Oklahoma (10-2) and Texas A&M (10-2) finished in the regular season with ten wins and highly ranked and match up between star quarterbacks Landry Jones and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel is set to provide extra excitement.
Jones was disappointed at not making the BCS game, but is also happy playing for a bowl crown.
The Sooner star said: “Did we want to go to a BCS game? Absolutely, who doesn’t want to go to a BCS game? But that’s not the way it turned out for us.
“But if you look at all the other BCS games and, because of automatic qualifiers and those sorts of things, this might be one of the top two or three games in the country.”
Meanwhile, first-year Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin admits that he learned a whole lot during his working time with Oklahoma coach Stoops and was looking forward to facing his friend and mentor in a bowl game.
Sumlin also played down suggestions that a win over Oklahoma would somewhat help the Aggies in its head-to-head recruiting.
“I don’t know that that’s going to be a big deal. I think it’s a big deal for our current program. It’s going to be a heck of a game no matter what,” he said.
“I think both programs have shown – Oklahoma over time has shown that they are a strong program and kids recognize that – I think what we have shown in one year in the SEC is that not only do we belong and that we can compete, but that we can win.
“From that standpoint, I think kids see that more than one single win. I think people make a lot out of one game when it comes to recruiting.”
Meanwhile, Manziel was delighted to beat the odds in making history when winning the Heisman, but the quarter is now ready to move forward.
“First and foremost, there’s the Cotton Bowl,” he noted. “From there, I have to be the guy who starts the motor for a run at the national title next year.”
Stoops acknowledged, in the meantime, that Manziel will be a central part of the Texas A&M offense, but the veteran coach is preparing for the entire team.
“Sometimes the worst thing you can do is cover everybody,” he said. “He’s that way, he cans scramble. He has a great knack, even on the blindside of the field, people getting close and spin a couple of times and get your way out.
“That’s something we really have to work hard at to contain him, keep him in. You don’t want to be tentative and not rush. That’s a fine line that we’ll work on and keep him in and try to get him.”
College Football Bowl TV Schedule – Jan. 4
Event: AT&T Cotton – Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma
Place: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Date: Friday, January 4, 8:00 p.m.
Live TV Coverage: FOX
