Oklahoma State will extend a school record with a seventh consecutive bowl appearance when the Cowboys make a Jan. 1 trip to the Heart of Dallas Bowl to face Purdue.
Bowling is the new norm for OSU. The Cowboys will play in a bowl for the 23rd time, and 10 of the bowl appearances will have come in the last 11 seasons.
OSU players and coaches are expected to talk about their next bowl trip during a media availability session Friday.
Meanwhile, the Tulsa World compiled a ranking of the Cowboys' 22 previous bowls, from best-to-worst.
Keep in mind that this isn't a ranking of OSU's best bowl performances. That's a different animal. This is a ranking of OSU bowl appearances judged by factors like significance, suspense and a combination of star power and stat power.
2011 SEASON
1. Fiesta Bowl No. 3 OSU 41, No. 4 Stanford 38 OT
SIGNIFICANCE: It’s the only OSU bowl
in which both teams
(they combined for
23 wins) entered the
game with a top-five
national ranking. The
Cowboys capped a
Big 12 championship
season by making
their first BCS bowl
appearance. Winning
it allowed them to
make a case that they
belonged in the BCS
title game.
SUSPENSE: The game was
decided on
Quinn Sharp’s
22-yard field
goal in overtime.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER: Stanford quarterback Andrew
Luck placed second in the Heisman
race. Five players in the
bowl were taken in the first two
rounds of the 2012 NFL draft.
Luck was picked first, followed
by Justin Blackmon (fifth),
Brandon Weeden (22nd), David
DeCastro (24th), Coby Fleener
(34th) and Jonathan Martin
(42nd). Both teams ranked
among the top eight nationally in
scoring offense and total offense.
1945 SEASON
2. Sugar Bowl No. 6 OSU 33, St. Mary’s 13
SIGNIFICANCE: Winning the bowl
game (it was one of
only eight that season)
allowed the 9-0 Cowboys
to complete their
only unbeaten season.
SUSPENSE: OSU led by
seven points
after three
quarters, but Jim
Reynolds ran for
one touchdown
and passed for
another to clinch
victory.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER: Bob Fenimore of OSU and
Squirmin’ Herman Wedemeyer
finished third and fourth, respectively,
in Heisman Trophy balloting.
Fenimore led the nation
in rushing and Wedemeyer led
the nation in scoring. Both teams
ranked in the top four nationally
in total offense.
1984 SEASON
3. Gator Bowl No. 9 OSU 21, No. 7 South Carolina 14
SIGNIFICANCE: This is one of two
bowls in OSU history
in which both teams
entered the game
with top 10 national
rankings. Winning it
allowed the Cowboys
to finish with a final AP
ranking of No. 7. The
Cowboys and Gamecocks
combined for 20
victories.
SUSPENSE: Rusty Hilger
threw a gamewinning
25-yard
touchdown pass
to tight end
Barry Hanna
with just over a
minute remaining.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER: Three All-Americans were on
the field. South Carolina guard
Del Wilkes helped the Gamecocks
rank ninth nationally in
total offense. Leslie O’Neal and
Rod Brown helped the Cowboys
rank eighth in total defense. Pro
Football Hall of Fame-bound
Thurman Thomas ran for 155
yards and threw a halfback pass
for a score.
1944 SEASON
4. Cotton Bowl OSU 34, TCU 0
SIGNIFICANCE: There were only five bowl games that year and OSU was
selected for one of them, making a bowl debut on Jan. 1,
1945. The Cowboys were ranked No. 15 at the end of the
regular season, but inexplicably dropped out of pre-bowl
polls. They beat a seven-win TCU squad to finish 8-1.
SUSPENSE: OSU rolled to a 14-0 first-quarter
lead and finished the game with
reserves on the field.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER: Bob Fenimore was the nation’s total offense leader. Neill Armstrong ranked
second nationally in receptions. Both were taken among the first eight picks
in the 1947 NFL draft. TCU guard Clyde Flowers was an All-American.
1988 SEASON
5. Holiday Bowl No. 12 OSU 62, No. 15 Wyoming 14
SIGNIFICANCE:
It’s one of four bowls in OSU history in which both participants
entered with top-15 national rankings. The Cowboys
(and Cowboys) combined for 21 wins. The game is fondly
remembered as the punctuation mark of Barry Sanders’
Heisman Trophy season and of an era when OSU won 10
games three times in a five-season span.
SUSPENSE:
Drama ended after a 7-7 first
quarter. OSU outscored Wyoming
55-7 the rest of the way.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
Sanders, who set an NCAA single-season rushing record, ran 29 times for
222 yards in his final collegiate game against a Wyoming team that ranked
ninth nationally against the run. Mike Gundy hit 20-of-24 passes for 315
yards. Hart Lee Dykes caught 10 passes for 163 yards. Dykes and Sanders
were All-Americans..
2003 SEASON
6. Cotton Bowl No. 18 Mississippi 31, No. 21 OSU 28
SIGNIFICANCE:
Never mind a Jan. 2 game date, it was still considered
OSU's first New Year's Day bowl since 1949. The 19
combined wins by the Cowboys and Rebels are the fourthmost
by participants in any OSU bowl game.
SUSPENSE:
Ole Miss led 31-14 with 12:32
remaining. OSU drove 72 and
78 yards for touchdowns to get
within three points with 4:38 left.
The Rebels ran out the clock.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
Unitas Award winner Eli Manning threw for 259 yards and two TDs. He
was the first pick in the 2004 NFL draft and is a two-time Super Bowl MVP.
OSU All-America receiver Rashaun Woods set Cotton Bowl records with
11 catches for 223 yards and quarterback Josh Fields, who went on to a pro
baseball career, set a Cotton Bowl record with 307 passing yards.
1976 SEASON
7. Tangerine Bowl No. 14 OSU 49, BYU 21
SIGNIFICANCE:
OSU captured a piece of a Big Eight championship for the
first time and, for an encore, routed BYU to finish with a
No. 14 ranking in the final AP poll. Both teams finished the
season with nine wins.
SUSPENSE:
OSU led only 28-21 after surrendering
a 102-yard kickoff return
in the third quarter. The Cowboys
retaliated by scoring 21 unanswered
points.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
OSU running back Terry Miller and BYU quarterback Gifford Nielsen finished
fourth and sixth, respectively, in Heisman Trophy balloting. Both were All-
Americans, as were OSU offensive lineman Derrel Gofourth and defensive
lineman Phillip Dokes. Miller ran for 173 yards and three touchdowns.
2008 SEASON
8. Holiday Bowl No. 15 Oregon 42, No. 13 OSU 31
SIGNIFICANCE:
Though OSU fans didn't like the outcome, it was still one
of only four bowl games in program history in which both
teams were ranked in the top 15 of the AP poll. The Cowboys
and Ducks combined for 19 victories.
SUSPENSE:
OSU led 31-28 with 12:13
remaining. Jeremiah Masoli
threw a touchdown pass to cap
a go-ahead drive and LeGarrette
Blount added a 29-yard TD run
with 3:01 left.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
All-America receiver Dez Bryant sustained a knee injury in the second quarter,
but still set Holiday Bowl records with 13 catches and 167 receiving yards.
Zac Robinson, who ranked fifth nationally in passing efficiency, threw for 329
yards despite playing most of the second half with a separated shoulder. Both
teams ranked in the top seven nationally in total offense, but the Ducks flexed
more muscle and put two players over the 100-yard rushing mark.
1974 SEASON
9. Fiesta Bowl OSU 16, No. 17 BYU 6
SIGNIFICANCE:
OSU ended a 15-year postseason drought and beat a
ranked team in a bowl game for the first time. The Fiesta
Bowl, played on Dec. 28, hadn't attained the status it
enjoys today.
SUSPENSE:
BYU got two field goals for a
6-0 first-quarter lead, but Phillip
Dokes decked BYU quarterback
Gary Sheide in the first quarter
and the Cougars never scored
again in their bowl debut.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
Sheide, drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1975, was the first in a long line
of decorated BYU quarterbacks during the LaVell Edwards era. He ranked
second nationally in passing yards and was eighth in Heisman balloting. OSU
ranked 10th nationally in total defense.
1985 SEASON
10. Gator Bowl No. 18 Florida State 34, No. 19 OSU 23
SIGNIFICANCE:
It's one of five OSU bowl games in which both participants
entered postseason with a top-20 ranking.
SUSPENSE:
OSU rallied from a 27-3 deficit
to get within 27-17 in the third
quarter. The Cowboys failed to
mount a scoring drive after Milton
Cockrell blocked a punt.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
Sophomore running back Thurman Thomas finished 10th in Heisman voting
and joined defenders Leslie O'Neal and Mark Moore on All-America lists.
O'Neal was runner-up for the Lombardi Award and was taken in the first
round of the 1986 NFL draft. OSU ranked sixth nationally in pass defense, but
was scorched for 338 passing yards by freshman quarterback Chip Ferguson.
2010 SEASON
11. Alamo Bowl No. 14 OSU 36, Arizona 10
SIGNIFICANCE:
OSU reached the 11-win plateau for the first time and set
the stage for a Big 12 championship campaign the following
season. The bowl victory allowed the Cowboys to
finish with a No. 13 national ranking.
SUSPENSE:
OSU cruised to a 17-7 firstquarter
lead and held Arizona
(which ranked ninth nationally in
passing) to a field goal the rest of
the way.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
Justin Blackmon, who won the first of two Biletnikoff Awards and finished
fifth in Heisman Trophy voting, caught nine passes for 117 yards and two
touchdowns. He and Kendall Hunter were All-Americans. Led by quarterback
Brandon Weeden, OSU ranked third nationally in total offense and scoring.
1987 SEASON
12. Sun Bowl No. 11 OSU 35, West Virginia 33
SIGNIFICANCE:
A "White Christmas" victory achieved on snow-covered
turf in El Paso allowed the Cowboys to finish the season
with a final AP ranking of No. 11.
SUSPENSE:
The outcome wasn't secured until
Shawn Mackey made a goal-line
tackle on a two-point conversion
with 1:13 remaining.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
Thurman Thomas, seventh in Heisman Trophy voting, ran for 157 yards in his
farewell game. His backup, Barry Sanders, was the nation's leading kickoff returner.
Major Harris helped West Virginia rank sixth nationally in passing. The Mountaineers
were only 6-6, but they played for a national title the following year.
2009 SEASON
13. Cotton Bowl Mississippi 21, No. 21 OSU 7
SIGNIFICANCE:
OSU made only its third Cotton Bowl trip and fifth appearance
in a January bowl, but was undone by seven
turnovers. The Cowboys and Rebels combined for 18 wins.
SUSPENSE:
The score was tied 7-7 entering
the fourth quarter, but the
Cowboys struggled to generate
offense against the nation's 15th best
scoring defense.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
Ole Miss running back Dexter McCluster rushed for 186 yards against an
OSU defense that ranked 11th against the run. He was a second-round pick in
the 2010 NFL draft. OSU's Russell Okung and Dez Bryant (who did not play
in the bowl because he had been ruled ineligible early in the season) were
first-round picks.
1983 SEASON
14. Bluebonnet Bowl OSU 24, No. 20 Baylor 14
SIGNIFICANCE:
OSU beat a ranked team in a bowl for the second time and
it came in Jimmy Johnson's last game at the helm. Fringe
benefit? A Houston-area recruit named Thurman Thomas
was enamored with OSU running back Ernest Anderson
and visited the Cowboys' bowl practices. You know the
rest of the story.
SUSPENSE:
OSU scored all 24 of its points
in the first half and the Cowboys
were never in jeopardy.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
OSU quarterback Rusty Hilger, who would later spend eight seasons in the
NFL, was named the Bluebonnet Bowl MVP despite playing only the first half.
He hit 12-of-17 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns before sustaining a
concussion. Anderson ran 27 times for 143 yards. Baylor quarterback Cody
Carlson was a third-round draft pick and played seven years in the NFL. Bears
receiver Gerald McNeil was an All-American.
1958 SEASON
15. Bluegrass Bowl No. 19 OSU 15, Florida State 6
SIGNIFICANCE:
OSU capped an eight-win season by playing in the first
(and last) Bluegrass Bowl in Louisville, Ky. The game was
played on a baseball diamond and players wore tennis
shoes. The victory allowed the Cowboys to finish with a
national ranking.
SUSPENSE:
OSU pitched a shutout until giving
up a touchdown pass late in
the fourth quarter.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
End Jim Wood was OSU's third All-American and was a third-round NFL draft
pick in 1959. Does this qualify as star power? Howard Cosell was the color
analyst during ABC's broadcast of a game attended by only 7,000 people.
1997 SEASON
16. Alamo Bowl No. 17 Purdue 33, No. 24 OSU 20
SIGNIFICANCE:
OSU was back in the bowl business for the first time since
crippling NCAA sanctions were levied following the 1988
season. This is one of seven OSU bowls in which both
teams entered with national rankings.
SUSPENSE:
OSU trailed 16-13 with nine
minutes left in the third quarter.
Purdue scored the next 17 points.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
OSU tight end Alonzo Mayes and Purdue receiver Brian Alford (seventh
nationally in catches) were All-Americans. Cowboy cornerback R.W. Mc-
Quarters was the nation's second leading punt returner and would later win a
Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants.
2002 SEASON
17. Houston Bowl OSU 33, Southern Miss 23
SIGNIFICANCE:
OSU won a bowl for the first time since 1988. Southern
Mississippi was only a 7-6 squad, but the Cowboys
avenged losses to Southern Miss the previous two regular
seasons.
SUSPENSE:
Southern Miss led 23-20 after
three quarters. Luke Phillips
kicked two fourth-quarter field
goals and Tatum Bell scored on a
22-yard run.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
All-American receiver Rashaun Woods, who ranked third nationally in
receiving yards, scalded Southern Miss' fourth-ranked pass defense for nine
catches and 164 yards. Bell was the nation's ninth-leading rusher. Woods was
a first-round pick and Bell was a second-round pick in the 2004 draft.
2006 SEASON
18. Independence Bowl OSU 34, Alabama 31
SIGNIFICANCE:
Beating a name-brand opponent like Alabama, even
though Bama was in the midst of a 6-7 season, gave Mike
Gundy something to sell at the end of his second season.
If the Cowboys had lost, they would have finished 6-7.
SUSPENSE:
Dantrell Savage caught a screen
pass from Bobby Reid on thirdand-
9 and scampered 26 yards to
help put Jason Ricks in position
for a game-winning 27-yard field
goal with 8.9 seconds left..
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
OSU's Adarius Bowman and Alabama's D.J. Hall ranked among the nation's
top 12 players in receiving yards per game. The Cowboys, who ranked seventh
nationally in rushing, got 112 ground yards from Savage.
1981 SEASON
19. Independence Bowl Texas A&M 33, OSU 16
SIGNIFICANCE:
The Cowboys went bowling for the first time under Jimmy
Johnson.
SUSPENSE:
OSU led 10-3 in the second
quarter. A&M scored the next 23
points.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
The Cowboys ranked 10th nationally in total defense. Aggie quarterback Gary
Kubiak hit two long passes to break open the game. Kubiak spent eight years
backing up John Elway in Denver and now coaches the Houston Texans.
2007 SEASON
20. Insight Bowl OSU 49, Indiana 33
SIGNIFICANCE:
Not much was at stake. The Cowboys and Hoosiers combined
for 14 wins and 12 defeats.
SUSPENSE:
Indiana led 3-0. OSU scored the
next 28 points.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
Zac Robinson capped his first season as a starter by passing for 302 yards
and running for 70 in the bowl game. Freshman Dez Bryant produced 117
receiving yards and two touchdowns.
1948 SEASON
21. Delta Bowl William & Mary 20, OSU 0
SIGNIFICANCE:
Yes, it was a New Year's Day bowl. But the game — attended
by only 15,069 fans in Memphis — was the second
and last Delta Bowl. The teams combined for only 13 wins,
tied for fewest ever by participants in an OSU bowl.
SUSPENSE:
After a scoreless first half in
which William & Mary didn't
advance past its 36-yard-line, the
Indians outscored the Cowboys
20-0 afterward.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
William & Mary ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense. Lou Creekmur,
who returned an interception 70 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown,
played 10 years in the NFL and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
2004 SEASON
22. Alamo Bowl No. 24 Ohio State 33, OSU 7
SIGNIFICANCE:
Even though this isn't a ranking of OSU bowl performances,
it's hard to ignore the dud factor in this instance. The
Cowboys, playing against a team that had suspended its
starting quarterback, were lifeless amid rumors that coach
Les Miles could be bound for LSU.
SUSPENSE:
Ohio State bolted to a 33-0
lead. The Miles drama was more
interesting.
STAR POWER/STAT POWER:
Ohio State kicker Mike Nugent and linebacker A.J. Hawk made All-America
teams and OSU lineman Sam Mayes was named to an All-America squad.
OSU's Vernand Morency was the nation's seventh-leading rusher. Ohio
State's Ted Ginn, Jr., led the nation in punt returns and was the ninth overall
pick in the 2007 NFL draft.
Heart of Dallas Bowl
OSU (7-5) vs. Purdue (6-6)
11 a.m. Jan. 1
TV: ESPNU-253
Radio: KFAQ am1170
