Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma – 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
In a sparkling, 77th AT&T Cotton Bowl that will pit a
couple of familiar foes in, what are now, very different places, the
Sooners and Aggies undoubtedly will provide a wonderful spectacle at
Jerry World this January.
Texas A&M, led by its shining freshman quarterback, produced a 10-2 mark in its first season in the SEC.
Oklahoma narrowly missed out on its eighth Big 12 title, but with quarterback Landry Jones playing in his final game as a Sooner, the Crimson and Cream will have plenty to show in Arlington.
It smells of a Big 12 showdown, but this SEC-Big 12 clash already is gathering some steam.
In their first season in the SEC, head coach Kevin Sumlin has the #9
ranked Aggies in the Cotton Bowl, ending the season with a 10-1 record
in their final 11 games. What the Aggies contain is the best player in
college football, with quarterback Johnny Manziel. The freshman has
3,419 yards, a 68.3% completion percentage, 24 touchdowns, 8
interceptions, and on the ground, has 1,181 yards and 19 touchdowns. He
won the Heisman this season, becoming the first freshman to ever do so. Manziel’s two primary receivers are freshman Mike Evans and senior
Ryan Swope. Evans caught 75 passes for 1,022 yards and five touchdowns,
while the steady senior Swope caught 64 passes for 809 yards and seven
touchdowns.The biggest strength on offense that gets overlooked is the offensive
line. Led by tackles Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews, these guys are
road graders and have made Manziel much more potent, especially run
blocking. The Aggies have only yielded 23 total sacks on the season.
As the #11 ranked team in the nation, led by head coach Bob Stoops, the
Sooners were co-champions of the Big XII. Oklahoma put up more than
6,000 yards of total offense this season, and a large part in that was
quarterback Landry Jones, who has a 65.4% completion percentage, 29
touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season, along with 3,979 yards to
go with it. The Sooners were largely thought to compete for a national championship
this season, as they were penciled in on several preseason ballots. But
the national title shot went out the window with losses to Kansas State
and Notre Dame – both home games. The Sooners finished fourth in scoring defense in the Big 12 and fourth
in total defense, but the defense hasn’t exactly forced many turnovers
this season. To beat Texas A&M, the Sooners will have to play
contain with their front four defensive linemen, something LSU and
Florida proved they could do. But can the Sooners?
Texas A&M, led by its shining freshman quarterback, produced a 10-2 mark in its first season in the SEC.
Oklahoma narrowly missed out on its eighth Big 12 title, but with quarterback Landry Jones playing in his final game as a Sooner, the Crimson and Cream will have plenty to show in Arlington.
It smells of a Big 12 showdown, but this SEC-Big 12 clash already is gathering some steam.
In their first season in the SEC, head coach Kevin Sumlin has the #9
ranked Aggies in the Cotton Bowl, ending the season with a 10-1 record
in their final 11 games. What the Aggies contain is the best player in
college football, with quarterback Johnny Manziel. The freshman has
3,419 yards, a 68.3% completion percentage, 24 touchdowns, 8
interceptions, and on the ground, has 1,181 yards and 19 touchdowns. He
won the Heisman this season, becoming the first freshman to ever do so. Manziel’s two primary receivers are freshman Mike Evans and senior
Ryan Swope. Evans caught 75 passes for 1,022 yards and five touchdowns,
while the steady senior Swope caught 64 passes for 809 yards and seven
touchdowns.The biggest strength on offense that gets overlooked is the offensive
line. Led by tackles Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews, these guys are
road graders and have made Manziel much more potent, especially run
blocking. The Aggies have only yielded 23 total sacks on the season.
As the #11 ranked team in the nation, led by head coach Bob Stoops, the
Sooners were co-champions of the Big XII. Oklahoma put up more than
6,000 yards of total offense this season, and a large part in that was
quarterback Landry Jones, who has a 65.4% completion percentage, 29
touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season, along with 3,979 yards to
go with it. The Sooners were largely thought to compete for a national championship
this season, as they were penciled in on several preseason ballots. But
the national title shot went out the window with losses to Kansas State
and Notre Dame – both home games. The Sooners finished fourth in scoring defense in the Big 12 and fourth
in total defense, but the defense hasn’t exactly forced many turnovers
this season. To beat Texas A&M, the Sooners will have to play
contain with their front four defensive linemen, something LSU and
Florida proved they could do. But can the Sooners?These are two classic-style Big 12 teams, and it could turn into a shootout and a track meet, as the team that has the ball last could have the best chance to win. Johnny Manziel is playing some of the best football right now in the NCAA, and because of that momentum that he's riding, I'll take Texas A&M to win this one.
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