By Kelly Reed
Game Info
Texas A&M Aggies vs #20 Oklahoma State Cowboys
Wednesday – December 27 – 8:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN/ESPN+
NRG Stadium – Houston, TX
Records Before the Game
Texas A&M Aggies (7-5 SEC)
#20 Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-4 Big 12)
Surprise! Surprise!
Before the season even started, if this match up was given without mentioning specifically which bowl it would be for, most football fans would have been excited for it. The match up between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Oklahoma State Cowboys is still taking place but the surprise for the Aggies is that they have moved on from former head coach Jimbo Fisher and the Cowboys somehow, someway made it to the Big 12 title game given the turnover they had on their roster. Another surprise is that the Aggies are making their first bowl appearance since the 2020 season. This will be a battle between former Big 12 conference foes and it’ll be a good one!
Texas A&M Aggies
This game is in Houston at NRG Stadium which is basically in the Aggies backyard. Expect a huge turnout for A&M to create what essentially will be home field advantage for the program. The season has been a wild ride for Texas A&M. By the end of the second week, the team’s dream of an undefeated season ended in Miami against the Hurricanes. They bounced back to a respectable record before losing to Alabama and Tennessee. More chaos ensued after the Aggies defeated Mississippi State 51-10 and less than 24 hours later, head coach Jimbo Fisher was fired. Interim coach Elijah Robinson will lead the team and is having to deal with departures and injuries on the roster. A&M will probably use third-string QB Jaylen Henderson as the signal caller. The sophomore out of California has seen significant playing time against Mississippi State, Abilene Christian and LSU at the end of the regular season. He is better sitting in the pocket throwing downfield than trying to beat defenses with his legs. RB Amari Daniels has been the most productive back but isn’t the most consistent. He’ll need to get at least 10 carries in the first half to help set the tone for the Aggies since they’ll be without the services of WR Ainais Smith. Smith was the top receiver until he declared that he was opting out of the bowl game and declaring for the upcoming NFL Draft. Additionally it is now known that Smith broke his finger in the game against LSU. That now means that the other receivers on the team will need to be productive when targeted. The A&M defense will be busy trying to keep up with the Cowboys offense. Their best opportunities will be to force Oklahoma State into being a pass first team and letting their pass rush get after QB Alan Bowman.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Cowboys were 2-2 after four games and an afterthought in the Big 12 title race until they upset the Oklahoma Sooners in their last conference Bedlam game between the two schools. They survived the gauntlet of their remaining regular season games with only a loss to UCF to make it to the Big 12 Championship game. They were dominated in that game and were no match for the Longhorns. Head coach Mike Gundy is having to deal with his own roster issues ranging from injuries to transfer portal departures. One of those departures impacting the program significantly is RB Ollie Gordon. Gordon was a threat to find his way for a big gain or the end zone on any given play that defenses would focus on stopping. Without him on the field that leaves all eyes on senior QB Alan Bowman. It will be interesting to see how Gundy has prepared the offense for the run and pass blitz packages that the Aggies will send. It will be an all out assault for Texas A&M. The Cowboys defense certainly isn’t a strength of the team ranking near the bottom nationally. They will return the favor of mixing up coverages and sending the occasional blitzer to keep the Aggies uncomfortable on offense. That being said, Gundy is a great motivator and could have a few tricks up his sleeve for this one.
Prediction
The Aggies basically have a home game with an interim coach leading the team and a third-string quarterback to lead the charge on the field without their most productive receiver. The Cowboys have a porous defense and an offense that is missing their best weapon at running back with an innovative head coach who will get the most out of his team. Who to take? I’m going with Oklahoma State by 2 points. I think the score will be higher than expected, so I’d take the over (54.5). PS – Do not bet your Christmas bonus on this game there are too many variables.
Final Score
Oklahoma State – 30
Texas A&M – 28
