On Location: 2010 AT&T Cotton Bowl

By BO MARCHIONTE

The University of Mississippi Rebels accomplished something only four other teams have managed to do in 74 years of Cotton Bowl play and that’s win back-to-back bowl games by defeating Oklahoma State 21-7. Coach Houston Nutt commented on it immediately in the post game press conference saying, “It’s hard to win back-to-back bowls. It’s very difficult.”

A game that was plagued with turnovers (twelve total) and saw both teams doing their fair share of trying to give the game away, it was Ole Miss who prevailed in front of the second largest Cotton Bowl crowd and the first ever at the new Cowboys Stadium with 77,928 in attendance. The feeling might have been the same if Coach Nutt was on the losing end when Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy said, “It’s hard to overcome giving one away. I think it’s tough to swallow. But, you know, we talked as a group in there. I’m not taking anything away from Ole Miss. Every time they made a mistake, we didn’t capitalize on it and take advantage of it”.

Even though both of these high-powered offenses ranked in the top 40 in scoring offense prior to today’s kickoff, the game will be remembered for the turnovers. Coach Nutt said, “It was ugly. I hate that (smiling). I hate the people in the country had to see that because we’re better than that. That infuriates you”.

With a game marred by dysfunctional quarterback play on both sides of the ball, it was Ole Miss senior running back Dexter McCluster (pictured) and now two-time Cotton Bowl MVP, who highlighted the day with 37 carries for 184 yards, along with five catches for 45 yards and two touchdowns. When asked if the heavy workload was a problem McCluster said, “I don’t have a problem with getting the ball that many times. Coach Nutt has the faith in me to take care of the ball. He knows I can make plays happen. I always dreamed about coming in and being a SEC running back”.

McCluster can definitely call himself a SEC running back, becoming the first player in conference history to rush for over 1,000 yards and catch over 500 receiving yards. Coach Nutt added, “To be the only player in the SEC to have over a thousand yards rushing and over 500 yards receiving, nobody, nobody else. Bo Jackson, I’m talking about great players in this league. He’s the only one. But this is why this is so special because this guy had done something. His heart is bigger than this stadium, I promise you”.

On te afternoon, OSU running back Keith Toston (pictured) had more touchdown passes than both teams signal callers combined, Cowboys quarterback Zac Robinson and Rebels quarterback Jevan Snead. It was that kind of day. It was as if each team was allowing the other to take the momentum. When asked if this was the most frustrating win he’s ever been involved with, Snead said, “I think it was. Obviously it was frustrating. I’m disappointed with the way that I played”. After a devastating hit, which led to his second interception, Snead came out for freshman quarterback Nathan Stanley, who grew up some 90 miles from Stillwater, Oklahoma in Tahlequah. Stanley replaced Snead with 11:32 in the second quarter.

Coach Nutt commented on Stanley coming in saying, “I was just trying to find something. Jevan wasn’t having his best game. He was turning it over. Sometimes you got to make a tough move. Nathan has got a good arm, made some good plays for us. As it got tighter, I just needed the most experience I had. I had to go back with Jevan”.

As bad as the offenses played, the defenses need to be given their due for forcing those turnovers. The defensive MVP of the 2010 Cotton Bowl was Oklahoma State senior linebacker Andre Sexton, who had ten tackles and two interceptions. Sexton expressed that, “It’s a great award. But it doesn’t really mean that much; we don’t come away with a win”.

Only three offensive touchdowns by two team’s that average 30 points per game during the season. It was a game of big hits and defensive stands with two on the goal line one by each team. It’s games that sometimes go as far away from the norm that make them special and this 2010 AT&T Cotton Bowl was just that.

Photos Courtesy of Dennis Hubbard

CFI Radio: Player Spotlights: Bowl Special

January 1, 2009 * 10:00 A.M.

CFI Co-Founder DANIEL MOGOLLON talks football and life with three of the top senior college football players in the America.

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Mississippi's MICHAEL OHER is an All-American Tackle who's off-field story is so compelling, he is the focus of "The Blind Side", a New York Times best seller written by Michael Lewis. Oher is playing the in the Cotton Bowl on January 2.

Georgia's MOHAMED MASSAQUOI is looking to break 1,0000 yards when his Dawgs take the field against the Michigan St. Spartans to break in the New Year. The son of Liberian immigrants talks about maturing as a leader during his time in Athens.

ECU's PATRICK PINKNEY has overcome two shoulder surgeries to earn the starting quarterback for the Pirates, leading East Carolina to a Conference USA Championship.

Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

CFI Radio - Bowl Week

BOWL WEEK SCHEDULE - ALL TIMES EASTERN

December 30 - 2:00 PM - Dec. 30th Preview (30 Minutes)

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Listen as CFI Co-Founder DANIEL MOGOLLON breaks down today's games - HUMANITARIAN BOWL (Maryland vs. Nevada), HOLIDAY BOWL (Oklahoma State vs. No. 17 Oregon) and the TEXAS BOWL (Western Michigan vs. Rice). Special Guest: WMU Quarterback TIM HILLER. 30 Minutes.

December 30 - 3:00 PM - Dec. 31st Preview (60 Minutes)

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CFI-Co- Founder DANIEL MOGOLLON previews the December 31st bowl games: ARMED FORCES BOWL (Houston vs. Air Force), SUN BOWL (Oregon State vs. No. 20 Pittsburgh), MUSIC CITY BOWL (Oregon State vs. No. 20 Pittsburgh), INSIGHT BOWL (Kansas vs. Minnesota) and CHICK-FIL-A BOWL (LSU vs. No. 14 Georgia Tech). Special Guest: LSU RB CHARLES SCOTT, as well as CFI INSIDERS CHRISTOPHER MOGOLLON (Big EAST) AND JOHN SEARS (Big Ten).

December 31 - 10:30 AM - Jan. 1st Preview (90 Minutes)

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CFI-Co- Founder DANIEL MOGOLLON previews the New Year's Day bowl games: OUTBACK BOWL (South Carolina vs. Iowa), CAPITAL ONE BOWL (No. 15 Georgia vs. No. 18 Michigan), GATOR BOWL (Nebraska vs. Clemson), THE ROSE BOWL (No. 8 Penn State vs. No. 5 USC) and ORANGE BOWL (No. 12 Cincinnati vs. No. 19 Virginia Tech): SPECIAL GUEST: WR MOHAMED MASSAQUOI, as well as CFI INSIDERS CHRISTOPHER MOGOLLON (Big EAST), JOHN SEARS (Big Ten), ANDREW GARDA (Pac-10) and JOSH BUCHANAN (South Carolina/Clemson).

January 2 - 12:00 PM - Jan. 1st Review/Jan. 2nd Preview (120 Minutes)

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THE TAILGATE SHOW with SPECIAL GUEST CO-HOST RICHARD CIRMINIELLO joining DANIEL MOGOLLON to discuss the events of January 1st and preview January 2nd Bowls - COTTON BOWL (No. 25 Mississippi vs. No. 7 Texas Tech), AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL ( Kentucky vs. East Carolina) and SUGAR BOWL (No. 6 Utah vs. No. 4 Alabama). SPECIAL GUESTS: OT MICHAEL OHER of Mississippi and QB PATRICK PINKNEY of ECU.

Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

Non-BCS Football Fan's Four-Pack

The college football nation has collectively beaten the Playoff/BCS debate to death. Now it is bowl season, so sit back, relax and enjoy:

NON-BCS BOWLS TO WATCH: A FAN’S FOUR PACK

1. Poinsettia Bowl – Boise St. vs. TCU (December 23): Not quite the BCS Buster Championship we were hoping for (Boise taking on Utah) in a BCS Bowl, but we’ll take it. Led by Kellen Moore and Ian Johnson, the Broncos leave the friendly confines of the blue turf to take on one of the nation’s top defenses. Jerry Hughes and Jason Phillips are two of the best defenders you may not have seen much of.

2. Cotton Bowl – Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech (January 2): The Big 12 vs. SEC undercard and the final Cotton Bowl in the actual Cotton Bowl. This game will help answer the question of the 2008 season – what’s better, the Big 12 offense or the SEC defense? Michael Oher and Michael Crabtree are a pair of potential top 10 picks.

3. Holiday Bowl – Oklahoma St. vs. Oregon (December 30): Both teams know how to move the ball and put up points. Zac Robinson triggers the Pokes’ attack with Dez Bryant, Brandon Pettigrew and Kendall Hunter at his disposal. The Ducks hit opponents with the two-headed backfield of Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount, while Jeremiah Masoli has made as much progress as any quarterback in the nation this season.

4. Chik-fil-A Bowl – LSU vs. Georgia Tech (December 31): The Yellow Jackets had an impressive first season under their new headman Paul Johnson, running the triple-option as if they have been doing it for years. The Bayou Bengals have an extremely talented defense, which has not played to its potenital and must remain discplined if they are to finish the ’08 season on a winning note.

Photo Credit: Texas Tech Athletics

COTTON BOWL LEGEND JIM “HOSS” BROCK PASSES AWAY

DALLAS – Jim “Hoss” Brock, the longtime Executive Director of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association (CBAA), passed away early Thursday morning, August 14, at a Dallas area health care facility. He was 74.

Brock had been hospitalized since February 14 after sustaining the first in a series of strokes. He passed away in his sleep at 3:00 a.m., at the Prestonwood Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Plano, north of Dallas.

A native of Fort Worth and a graduate of Texas Christian University, Brock served as the Executive Director of the CBAA for 14 years, from 1979-1992. He then assumed the role as Chairman of Team Selection for one year in 1993 before his retirement. Hoss was elected to the AT&T Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2005.

“We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Jim Brock,” said Rick Baker, the President of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. “There was no such thing as a stranger to Jim. He knew everyone in the world of sports, and everyone knew and respected him.

“Brock’s greatest passion was college football, and most of all he loved the Cotton Bowl,” said Baker. “His name was synonymous with the bowl industry. Texas hospitality was his chief commodity and nobody did a better job of selling it than Jim ‘Hoss’ Brock.”

Brock wore many hats during his tenure with the Cotton Bowl Classic and he was regarded as the bowl industry’s premier public relations man. Hoss was literally on a first-name basis with the rest of the world. He was the master at working his way through press boxes all around the country with his celebrated Cotton Bowl charm. His primary goals were to always promote the game of college football, the city of Dallas, and New Year’s Day.

In addition to his work with the Cotton Bowl Classic, Brock served as the Sports Information Director at his alma mater, TCU, and at SMU, before moving to the CBAA. He also served on numerous influential committees at the highest level of college football. Among them were the Davey O’Brien Foundation in Fort Worth and The Doak Walker Award in Dallas.

Brock worked in a volunteer capacity with the United States Olympic Committee as a media relations coordinator. He was a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America, and the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, the civic organization that annually produces the EDS Byron Nelson Championship.

Funeral arrangements are pending.