Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Among Nation’s Elite in Bowl Games
December 25, 2016 | Cowboy Football
The Oklahoma State football team suits up this Thursday against 10th-ranked Colorado in the 2016 Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The game will serve as the latest chapter in what has been an impressive bowl history for the Cowboy football program.
"Bowling" has become a staple for the Cowboys and their fans under head coach Mike Gundy, who has now guided Oklahoma State to 11 bowl games in his 12 seasons at the helm of the Cowboy football program. The team's streak of 11 consecutive bowl games is the longest in program history.
The Cowboys have won four of their last six bowl games and are 6-4 in the postseason under Gundy. The complete rundown of Gundy-era bowl results:
2006 Independence Bowl vs. Alabama – W, 34-31
2007 Insight Bowl vs. Indiana – W, 49-33
2008 Holiday Bowl vs. Oregon – L, 31-42
2010 Cotton Bowl vs. Mississippi – L, 7-21
2010 Alamo Bowl vs. Arizona – W, 36-10
2012 Fiesta Bowl vs. Stanford – W, 41-38 (OT)
2012 Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. Purdue – W, 58-14
2014 Cotton Bowl vs. Missouri – L, 31-41
2015 Cactus Bowl vs. Washington – W, 30-22
2016 Sugar Bowl vs. Ole Miss – L, 20-48
This season's bowl game marks the 27th in school history for the Cowboys, who are looking for the program's 17th bowl victory this week. Oklahoma State is 16-10 overall in bowl games, good for a .615 winning percentage which ranks fifth among all schools with a minimum of 20 bowl appearances.
The Pokes are no strangers to San Antonio, having played in the Alamo Bowl three previous times, the most recent being a 2010 trip in which OSU faced Pac-12 foe Arizona.
Oklahoma State would go on to defeat the Wildcats in a 36-10 game that was never close, as the potent Cowboy offense led by quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon, the eventual Alamo Bowl Offensive MVP, pushed the Pokes out to a 23-7 lead early in the second quarter. Arizona would never threaten, thanks to solid efforts from Markelle Martin, Orie Lemon and the OSU defense that held the Wildcat offense well below its season averages.
The win proved to be more than a bowl championship. It clinched the first 11-win season in program history; a giant leap forward for a team that hadn't reached double-digit wins since 1988. The victory would also set the stage for a breakthrough season in 2011 that remains one of the greatest campaigns in Oklahoma State football history.
That 2011 season brought the Cowboys to Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl, which pitted third-ranked OSU against the fourth-ranked Stanford Cardinal in a high-profile matchup that lived up to the hype. The Pokes, who never led in the game until a game-winning 22-yard field goal by Quinn Sharp in overtime, were led by quarterback Brandon Weeden's 30-for-43, 399-yard outing as well as offensive MVP Justin Blackmon's 186 receiving yards.
The Fiesta Bowl was one of four "New Year's Six" bowls that the Cowboys have participated in since 2010, along with the 2010 Cotton Bowl, the 2014 Cotton Bowl, and most recently, the 2016 Sugar Bowl.
Defeating Saint Mary's 33-13, Oklahoma State's 1946 Sugar Bowl win was arguably the most significant bowl victory in school history. That win has only gained in importance to the program in recent months as the Aggies were retroactively awarded a national championship for their undefeated 1945-46 campaign earlier this season. OSU legend Bob Fenimore rushed for 125 yards in the game to lead the Aggies.
Another memorable Oklahoma State bowl performance came in the 1988 Holiday Bowl, where the Cowboys handled Wyoming, 62-14. In that contest, quarterback Mike Gundy completed 20-of-24 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns, while the nation's newest Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders carried 29 times for 222 yards and five touchdowns to cap off what was perhaps the best season in college football history.
Sanders' Holiday Bowl showing is still the gold standard for an individual rushing performance in OSU's bowl history, but it is one on a list of several fantastic Cowboy bowl performances. A look at some of our favorite highlights:
Mike Gundy and the 2016 Cowboys will look to make more bowl memories in the Alamo Bowl later this week. The game is set for Thursday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN.
"Bowling" has become a staple for the Cowboys and their fans under head coach Mike Gundy, who has now guided Oklahoma State to 11 bowl games in his 12 seasons at the helm of the Cowboy football program. The team's streak of 11 consecutive bowl games is the longest in program history.
The Cowboys have won four of their last six bowl games and are 6-4 in the postseason under Gundy. The complete rundown of Gundy-era bowl results:
2006 Independence Bowl vs. Alabama – W, 34-31
2007 Insight Bowl vs. Indiana – W, 49-33
2008 Holiday Bowl vs. Oregon – L, 31-42
2010 Cotton Bowl vs. Mississippi – L, 7-21
2010 Alamo Bowl vs. Arizona – W, 36-10
2012 Fiesta Bowl vs. Stanford – W, 41-38 (OT)
2012 Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. Purdue – W, 58-14
2014 Cotton Bowl vs. Missouri – L, 31-41
2015 Cactus Bowl vs. Washington – W, 30-22
2016 Sugar Bowl vs. Ole Miss – L, 20-48
This season's bowl game marks the 27th in school history for the Cowboys, who are looking for the program's 17th bowl victory this week. Oklahoma State is 16-10 overall in bowl games, good for a .615 winning percentage which ranks fifth among all schools with a minimum of 20 bowl appearances.
The Pokes are no strangers to San Antonio, having played in the Alamo Bowl three previous times, the most recent being a 2010 trip in which OSU faced Pac-12 foe Arizona.
Oklahoma State would go on to defeat the Wildcats in a 36-10 game that was never close, as the potent Cowboy offense led by quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon, the eventual Alamo Bowl Offensive MVP, pushed the Pokes out to a 23-7 lead early in the second quarter. Arizona would never threaten, thanks to solid efforts from Markelle Martin, Orie Lemon and the OSU defense that held the Wildcat offense well below its season averages.
The win proved to be more than a bowl championship. It clinched the first 11-win season in program history; a giant leap forward for a team that hadn't reached double-digit wins since 1988. The victory would also set the stage for a breakthrough season in 2011 that remains one of the greatest campaigns in Oklahoma State football history.
That 2011 season brought the Cowboys to Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl, which pitted third-ranked OSU against the fourth-ranked Stanford Cardinal in a high-profile matchup that lived up to the hype. The Pokes, who never led in the game until a game-winning 22-yard field goal by Quinn Sharp in overtime, were led by quarterback Brandon Weeden's 30-for-43, 399-yard outing as well as offensive MVP Justin Blackmon's 186 receiving yards.
The Fiesta Bowl was one of four "New Year's Six" bowls that the Cowboys have participated in since 2010, along with the 2010 Cotton Bowl, the 2014 Cotton Bowl, and most recently, the 2016 Sugar Bowl.
Defeating Saint Mary's 33-13, Oklahoma State's 1946 Sugar Bowl win was arguably the most significant bowl victory in school history. That win has only gained in importance to the program in recent months as the Aggies were retroactively awarded a national championship for their undefeated 1945-46 campaign earlier this season. OSU legend Bob Fenimore rushed for 125 yards in the game to lead the Aggies.
Another memorable Oklahoma State bowl performance came in the 1988 Holiday Bowl, where the Cowboys handled Wyoming, 62-14. In that contest, quarterback Mike Gundy completed 20-of-24 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns, while the nation's newest Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders carried 29 times for 222 yards and five touchdowns to cap off what was perhaps the best season in college football history.
Sanders' Holiday Bowl showing is still the gold standard for an individual rushing performance in OSU's bowl history, but it is one on a list of several fantastic Cowboy bowl performances. A look at some of our favorite highlights:
- Bob Fenimore rushed for 178 yards in the 1945 Cotton Bowl.
- Thurman Thomas turned in 150-yard rushing efforts in both the 1984 Gator Bowl (155 yards) and in the 1987 Sun Bowl (157 yards).
- Rashaun Woods caught 11 passes for 223 yards against Ole Miss in the 2004 Cotton Bowl.
- Dez Bryant caught 13 passes in barely more than three quarters of action in the 2008 Holiday Bowl before an injury knocked him out of the game early in the fourth quarter.
- Zac Robinson holds the bowl career record for passing yards in a career with 749. Robinson had two 300-plus yard outings in bowl games over the course of his time as a Cowboy: a 329-yard game in the 2008 Holiday Bowl and 302 yards in the 2007 Insight Bowl.
Mike Gundy and the 2016 Cowboys will look to make more bowl memories in the Alamo Bowl later this week. The game is set for Thursday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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