Game Notes: Cowboys Take on Aggies in TaxAct Texas Bowl

Complete Notes

The Basics
Playing in its 18th consecutive bowl game with its 18th consecutive winning season secured, the No. 20 Oklahoma State football team (9-4 overall; 7-2 Big 12) faces Texas A&M (7-5 overall; 4-4 SEC) in the TaxAct Texas Bowl at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday, December 27, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. It will be OSU's fourth bowl game played in Houston, as the Cowboys have a 2-1 bowl record in the city with appearances in the 1983 Bluebonnet Bowl, the 2002 Houston Bowl and the 2019 Texas Bowl.

On the Air
The game will be televised live on ESPN with Roy Philpott, Roddy Jones and Taylor McGregor on the call. It will also be carried live on the Cowboy Radio Network, with Dave Hunziker handling play-by-play, John Holcomb providing analysis and Robert Allen reporting from the sideline. Fans outside of the Cowboy Radio Network can listen to the OSU broadcast for free through The Varsity Network app. The broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 84. The game will also be broadcast to a national radio audience via ESPN Radio with Marc Kestecher, Kelly Stouffer and Ian Fitzsimmons on the call. That feed will also be available on SiriusXM channel 80.

Get Your Tickets
After selling out every home game in 2023, Oklahoma State now has tickets for its appearance in the TaxAct Texas Bowl available through the OSU ticket office at okstate.com/tickets while supplies last. Ticket options available through the OSU ticket office include lower-level seats near midfield for $125 are club seats for $140. For those who want to be sure they get a chance to see Cowboy football next season, there is also a waitlist for 2024 Cowboy football season tickets that fans can join now through the OSU ticket office.

In the Rankings
The Oklahoma State football team is ranked No. 20 in the final College Football Playoff Rankings heading into Bowl Season. The Cowboys are also No. 22 in the AP Top 25 and No. 21 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. Including the 2023 season, Oklahoma State has been ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll in 14 of the past 16 seasons and has reached the top 10 in 11 of those 16 years. OSU has been part of the CFP rankings in eight of the past nine seasons, including 2023. The Cowboys have also been included in 43 of the 60 all-time CFP Rankings, which is tied for the eighth-most appearances in the country. Texas A&M is not ranked.

The Series
The 2023 Texas Bowl marks the 29th meeting between former Big 12 foes Oklahoma State and Texas A&M in a series that dates to 1913. The game also marks the first year the teams have played since their last matchup in the 2019 Texas Bowl. Texas A&M holds an 18-10 advantage in the all-time series, but OSU has won four of the past five meetings. This game will mark the sixth neutral site matchup between the programs, who played alternating home and away games every year from 1996 through 2011 as part of their conference schedules. The teams have faced each other twice before in bowl games, including a 1981 Independence Bowl matchup in addition to the 2019 Texas Bowl matchup. Coach Mike Gundy is 4-4 in his career against Texas A&M, while Aggie interim head coach Elijah Robinson is 0-0 against Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma State from a Distance
Fresh off its second Big 12 Championship game appearance in the past three seasons, Oklahoma State enters the TaxAct Texas Bowl with a 9-4 overall record and a second-place finish in the conference standings. It marks 18 straight years with both a bowl appearance and a winning record, which only Oklahoma State and Wisconsin can claim as an active streak. After a 2-2 start to the season, Oklahoma State won seven of its final eight regular season games to earn its spot in the Big 12 Championship, defeating Kansas State, 29-21; No. 23 Kansas, 39-32; West Virginia, 48-34; Cincinnati, 45-13; No. 9 Oklahoma, 27-24; Houston, 43-30, and BYU, 40-34 along the way. The remarkable turnaround earned coach Mike Gundy honors as the Big 12 Coach of the Year to mark his third time to receive the award. The Cowboy defense has produced 19 total turnovers in the past nine games while the offense has turned it over 14 times during that stretch. This season, the Cowboys are 9-0 when they win or tie the turnover battle and 0-4 when they lose it. Sophomore running back Ollie Gordon II grabbed most of the individual headlines in the Big 12 this year, winning the Doak Walker Award as the nation's best running back and earning unanimous All-America honors. He also earned more Heisman Trophy votes than any other running back. Gordon leads the FBS in several major categories including rushing yards (1,614), yards from scrimmage (1,940), 100-yard rushing games (8), 150-yard rushing games (5), 250-yard rushing games and carries of at least 30 yards (14), 40 yards (7) and 70 yards (2). He is second in rushing touchdowns (20), total touchdowns (21) and all-purpose yards (1,940). Gordon had 282 rushing yards in the win at West Virginia to rank as the most for any FBS player in a game this season and followed that up with 271 rushing yards against Cincinnati to join Heisman-winner Barry Sanders as the only two players in school history with back-to-back 250-yard rushing games. Prior to that, he had 284 yards from scrimmage against Kansas, making him the only FBS player in the past 10 seasons to produce three consecutive games with more than 250 scrimmage yards. In the regular season finale win over BYU, Gordon tied a school record set by Barry Sanders with five rushing touchdowns in a single game. Quarterback Alan Bowman has also impressed since taking over as the full-time starting quarterback, averaging 285.9 passing yards per game in conference play to rank second in the Big 12. On the defensive side, linebacker Nickolas Martin made a case for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and All-America honors. The Cowboy sophomore leads all Big 12 players and ranks No. 8 in the FBS in total tackles with 133 and is No. 4 in the FBS with 77 solo tackles. His 133 tackles this season are tied for the most for any Cowboy since 1986. He's joined by linebacker Collin Oliver and safeties Trey Rucker and Kendal Daniels as the biggest defensive playmakers this year. Martin, Daniels and Rucker make Oklahoma State the only Power Five team in the country to have three players with more than 90 tackles each this season. Should each of them hit the 100-mark, Oklahoma State would be the only Power Five team over the past two seasons to have three players finish with at least 100 tackles each. It would also be the first time an OSU trio has accomplished the feat since 1985, when James Ham, Leslie O'Neal and Mark Moore each put up more than 100 tackles. Other notable Cowboys this season include center Joe Michalski, who ranks among the best Power Five centers in pass blocking efficiency according to Pro Football Focus, and Lou Groza Award semifinalist Alex Hale, who ranks No. 1 in the FBS in made field goals per game.

Continued Success
The 2023 season is just the latest chapter in a long story of success for the Oklahoma State program.

• Oklahoma State is making its 18th consecutive bowl appearance and has secured its 18th consecutive winning season, both of which are school-record streaks. OSU's bowl streak is the sixth-longest active streak in the FBS, and the is longest active streak for any school with the same head coach.
• Mike Gundy has coached the Cowboys to five New Year's Six bowl games since the 2009 season. The Pokes appeared in the 2010 Cotton Bowl, the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, the 2014 Cotton Bowl, the 2016 Sugar Bowl and the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.
• Since 2010, Oklahoma State has six seasons with at least 10 wins, an outright Big 12 title (2011) and a share of the Big 12 South title (2010). OSU reached the top 10 of the Associated Press poll in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
• Oklahoma State is one of only four teams to post a winning season every year since 2010, joining Alabama, Boise State and Wisconsin. It is one of only two Power Five teams with winning seasons each of the past 18 years, joined by Wisconsin.
• Including the 2023 season, Oklahoma State has been ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll in 14 of the past 16 seasons and reached the top 10 in 11 of those 16 years.
• OSU has finished in the top three of the Big 12 in four of the past five seasons and has finished in the top three 10 times in the 13 seasons since the conference moved away from divisions.

Longest Active Bowl Streaks
For the 18th consecutive season, Oklahoma State is in a bowl game. A look at the nation's longest active bowl streaks:

1. Georgia	27
2. Oklahoma	25
3. Wisconsin	22
4. Alabama	20
5. Clemson	19
6. Oklahoma State	18
7. Ohio State	11

Oklahoma State Among the Best in Bowl Games
Oklahoma State is 21-12 in its 33 all-time bowl appearances. Its 63.6% winning percentage ranks first among the 41 schools with a minimum of 30 bowl appearances entering Bowl Season. The leaders:

Rank	School	Wins	Losses	Ties	Games	Pct.
1.	Oklahoma State	21	12	0	33	0.636
2.	Georgia	37	21	3	61	0.631
3.	Florida State	29	17	2	48	0.625
4.	Alabama	45	27	3	75	0.62
5.	USC	34	21	0	55	0.618
6.	Penn State	31	19	2	52	0.615
	Ole Miss	24	15	0	39	0.615
8.	Oklahoma	31	24	1	56	0.563
9.	Wisconsin	19	15	0	34	0.559
10.	Georgia Tech	25	20	0	45	0.556

Mike Gundy Among the Best in Bowl Games in College Football History
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is 11-6 in his 17 bowl appearances entering the 2023 Bowl Season. His 11 bowl wins are tied for the ninth-most among any coach in college football history and a win in the TaxAct Texas Bowl would move him into a tie for sixth. Here are the all-time leaders:

Rank	Coach	Bowl Wins
1	Joe Paterno	24
2	Bobby Bowden	22
3	Nick Saban	19
4	Bear Bryant	15
5	Mack Brown	14
6	Lou Holtz	12
	Urban Meyer	12
	Tom Osborne	12
9	Mike Gundy	11
	Frank Beamer	11
	Gary Patterson	11
	Steve Spurrier	11
	Dabo Swinney	11
	Kyle Whittingham	11

Oklahoma State's Bowl Results

1945	Cotton Bowl	vs. TCU	W	34-0
1946	Sugar Bowl	vs. St. Mary's	W	33-13
1949	Delta Bowl	vs. William & Mary	L	0-20
1958	Bluegrass Bowl	vs. Florida State	W	15-6
1974	Fiesta Bowl	vs. BYU	W	16-6
1976	Tangerine Bowl	vs. BYU	W	49-21
1981	Independence Bowl	vs. Texas A&M	L	16-33
1983	Bluebonnet Bowl	vs. Baylor	W	24-14
1984	Gator Bowl	vs. South Carolina	W	21-14
1985	Gator Bowl	vs. Florida State	L	23-34
1987	Sun Bowl	vs. West Virginia	W	35-33
1988	Holiday Bowl	vs. Wyoming	W	62-14
1997	Alamo Bowl	vs. Purdue	L	20-33
2002	Houston Bowl	vs. Southern Miss	W	33-23
2004	Cotton Bowl	vs. Ole Miss	L	28-31
2004	Alamo Bowl	vs. Ohio State	L	Jul-33
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. Ole Miss	L	21-Jul
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
2016	Alamo Bowl	vs. Colorado	W	38-8
2017	Camping World Bowl	vs. Virginia Tech	W	30-21
2018	Liberty Bowl	vs. Missouri	W	38-33
2019	Texas Bowl	vs. Texas A&M	L	21-24
2020	Cheez-It Bowl	vs. Miami (FL)	W	37-34
2022	Fiesta Bowl	vs. Notre Dame	W	37-35
2022	Guaranteed Rate Bowl	vs. Wisconsin	L	17-24
2023	TaxAct Texas Bowl	vs. Texas A&M	-	-

An Oklahoma State Win Would ...
• Mark Mike Gundy's 12th bowl win as a head coach, tying for the sixth-most in college football history.
• Give it at least 10 wins for the eighth time in Mike Gundy's tenure as head coach.
• Give it a 22-12 all-time record in bowl games, ranking as the best winning percentage among teams with at least 30 bowl appearances, and at least the second-best among teams with at least 20.
• Mark its sixth bowl win in the past eight seasons, its seventh bowl win in the past 10 seasons and its 10th bowl win in the past 14 seasons.
• Make it 1-1 in the Texas Bowl.
• Make it 8-6 all-time in bowl games played in the state of Texas.
• Give it wins in eight of its past 10 games.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in non-conference games to 64-16.
• Make it 25-5 in its past 30 non-conference games and 47-11 in its past 57 non-conference games.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in December games to 10-9.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in neutral site games to 15-9.
• Give it wins in five of its past six games vs. Texas A&M.
• Improve its record against Texas A&M to 11-18 and it record vs. TAMU in neutral site games to 2-4.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record against Texas A&M to 5-4.
• Make it 31-12 in its past 43 games overall, dating back to the 2020 season.
• Make it 157-74 in its history when playing as an AP-ranked team.
• Make it 144-44 in its history when playing as a higher AP-ranked team than its opponent.
• Make it 94-24 in its past 118 games vs. opponents outside of the AP Top 25, dating to 2010.
• Give it wins in 12 of its past 16 and in 25 of its past 32 games following a loss.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• Ollie Gordon II has rushed for more than 100 yards in eight of the past 10 games.
• Ollie Gordon II has rushed for more than 270 yards in two of the past seven games.
• OSU has forced 19 turnovers and surrendered 14 turnovers in the past seven games.
• OSU is 9-0 this season when winning or tying the turnover battle.
• OSU's offensive line has not allowed a sack in five of its past nine games.
• OSU has held 34 of its past 43 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring average entering the game.
• OSU has won 85 consecutive games when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points, dating back to Sept. 13, 2003 – the longest active stretch of time in the FBS and longest since at least 1980. Including games when opponents have scored 20 points or fewer, the streak begins at the same date and includes 92 games.
• The Cowboy defense has produced a shutout half in two games this season.
• OSU has held its opponent scoreless on its game-opening drive in 39 of its past 57 games.
• OSU has held its opponent to less than a 50% third down conversion rate in 46 of its past 51 games.
• OSU is 38-16 in its past 54 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
• OSU is 48-8 in its past 56 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
• Dating back to 2005, OSU is 48-4 when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 80-8 when winning the turnover battle.
• OSU has won four of its past six overtime games.
• Over the past 49 games, OSU has held opponents to 236-for-758 (31.1%) on third down.
• OSU has held its opponents to just 6-of-25 on fourth down attempts this season - the No. 3 percentage in the nation.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alan Bowman

Kendal Daniels

Ollie Gordon II

Alex Hale

Nick Martin

Joe Michalski

Collin Oliver

Trey Rucker

Oklahoma State University Athletics