Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Set For Independence Bowl Showdown With Alabama
December 14, 2006 | Cowboy Football
Bowl Bound
The Oklahoma State Cowboys, 6-6 on the season, return to the postseason in 2006 with a trip to Shreveport, La. and a berth in the PetroSun Independence Bowl. The game will be played December 28 at 3:30 p.m. (CST) and will be televised by ESPN.
The Opposition
The Cowboys will face the Alabama Crimson Tide in Shreveport. Alabama is 6-6 and, like the Cowboys, has had its share of close games. Three of Alabama's losses have come by a total of 11 points. In the bowl game, Alabama will be led by interim head coach Joe Kines, who replaces Mike Shula. Former Tulsa head coach Dave Rader is the Tide's offensive coordinator. Rader's son is a recent Oklahoma State graduate.
Other Opposition
The Cowboys' oh-so-close season has included losses to quality opposition. Four games were decided on the final play, and the six teams that have defeated Oklahoma State are a combined 53-21 and are all headed to bowl games.
Bowl Noteworthy
The PetroSun Independence Bowl will mark the 17th bowl game in Oklahoma State's football history. The Cowboys are 10-6 all-time in bowl games but will be looking to break a two-game postseason losing streak. OSU is making its fourth bowl appearance in the last five years. That stretch is the most successful for Oklahoma State since the Cowboys appeared in five bowl games over a six-year stretch in the 1980s.
Back To Louisiana
The Cowboys will be playing in the Independence Bowl for the second time and will be making their third bowl appearance in Louisiana. The Oklahoma A&M Aggies were 33-13 winners over St. Mary's on Jan. 1, 1946, in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. In 1981, in Shreveport, Jimmy Johnson lost the first bowl game of his career when the Cowboys dropped a 33-16 decision to Texas A&M.
Cowboys Vs. Crimson Tide
Oklahoma State and Alabama have never met on the football field. The Cowboys last faced a Southeastern Conference foe on Jan. 2, 2004, when No. 21 Oklahoma State fell to No. 18 Ole Miss, 31-28, in the SBC Cotton Bowl.
Cowboys And The SEC
Oklahoma State has not crossed paths with Southeastern Conference opponents much in recent history. Against current SEC membership, the Cowboys are 18-35-1 all-time, but 42 of those games came against Arkansas before the Razorbacks joined the league. In fact, OSU has played just five games against SEC foes since 1981 and only one of those games came in Stillwater — the 1998 victory over Mississippi State. The SEC drought, however, will end with two straight games against the league. OSU opens the 2007 season at Georgia and the Bulldogs return to Stillwater in 2009.
