Oklahoma State 31 Texas A&M 23: Texas Bowl Postgame Notes

20/22/21 Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M 

December 27, 2023 | Houston, Texas (NRG Stadium) | Attendance: 55,212 

Final Score: No. 20 Oklahoma State 31, Texas A&M 23 

Updated Records: Oklahoma State 10-4 overall (7-2 Big 12); Texas A&M 7-6 overall (4-4 SEC) 

Postgame Notes  

• Oklahoma State defeated Texas A&M, 31-23, in the TaxAct Texas Bowl to secure its seventh bowl win in its last nine seasons and the eighth 10-win season in the last 14 years. 
• Rashod Owens was named the TaxAct Texas Bowl MVP, becoming the first wide receiver to win the award in the bowl’s 17-game history. 
• Brennan Presley tied the Oklahoma State program record with 16 receptions, matching a record set by Alex Loyd on Oct. 22, 1949. 
• Nick Martin (140), Kendal Daniels (105) and Trey Rucker (100) became the first trio of defenders to each record 100-plus tackles in a single season since 1985 (James Ham, Leslie O’Neal and Mark Moore).  

Oklahoma State broke the following TaxAct Texas Bowl records: 

            • team passing yards with 436 

            • receiving yards with 164 by Rashod Owens 

            • receptions with 16 by Brennan Presley 

• The Cowboys’ offensive performance was among the best this season against a Texas A&M’s defense that was the Southeastern Conference’s best and ranked seventh nationally. Here are some of the notables: 

            • The 570 total yards were the most allowed this season by the Aggies. 

            • The 436 team passing yards were the most allowed this season by the Aggies. 

• The 34 completions by Alan Bowman were the most by an individual against the Aggies this season. 
• The 16 receptions by Brennan Presley were the most by an individual this season against the Aggies. 
• The Cowboys’ offensive performance was among their best in a bowl game in program history. Their offensive production ranked as follows among Oklahoma State bowl game records: 

            • 1st - passing yards (402, Alan Bowman) 

            • 1st - receptions (16, Brennan Presley) 

            • T-1st - passes completed (34, Alan Bowman) 

            • 3rd - total yards (570) 

            • T-3rd - first downs (29) 

            • T-3rd - receptions (10, Rashod Owens) 

            • 4th - passes attempted (49, Alan Bowman) 

            • T-4th - touchdown receptions (2, Rashod Owens) 

            • T-5th - rushing attempts (27, Ollie Gordon II) 

            • T-5th - receiving yards (164, Rashod Owens) 

            • 8th - receiving yards (152, Brennan Presley) 

• Ollie Gordon II became the fifth player in Oklahoma State history to reach more than 2,000 all-purpose yards in a season, finishing with 2,062. The only other Cowboys to reach the mark are Barry Sanders (3,526 in 1988), Chuba Hubbard (2,334 in 2019), Thurman Thomas (2,130 Thurman in 1987) and Terry Miller (2,009 in 1976). 
• Ollie Gordon II finished the year ranked among OSU’s all-time leaders in several single-season categories, including rushing yards (sixth with 1,732), all-purpose yards (fourth with 2,062), rushing touchdowns (T-4th with 21) and touchdowns scored (T-4th with 22). 
• Gordon entered the bowl season ranked No. 1 in the FBS in rushing yards, yards from scrimmage, carries of 30-plus yards, 100-yard rushing games and more. He added to those totals tonight, finishing with 27 carries for 218 yards and a rushing touchdown. 
• Alan Bowman finished the year ranked among OSU’s all-time leaders in several single-season categories, including passing yards (7th with 3,460), passing completions (4th with 304) and total offense yards (10th with 3,484). 
• Brennan Presley finished the year with 101 catches to tie Josh Stewart for the fourth-most in a season in school history. 
• In the OSU career record books, Presley now ranks fourth in catches with 225 and seventh in receiving yards with 2,548 
• Nick Martin finished the year with 140 tackles, the most by any Cowboy since 1979. He sits in the sixth spot in OSU’s single-season leaderboard. 
• Alex Hale concluded 2023 with 27 made field goals, tying Dan Bailey for second on OSU’s leaderboard for a single season. He now sits eighth all-time in career field goals with 43. 
• Ollie Gordon recorded 100 rushing yards for the ninth time in 14 games this season, with all nine coming in the final 11 games of the season. 
• Rashod Owens’ impressive performance in the Texas Bowl set a new career high in receiving yards (164) and tying his career high in receptions (10). He also matched his career high with two touchdowns, giving him four touchdowns in his last two games. 
• Rashod Owens (164) and Brennan Presley (152) are the second pair of Oklahoma State receivers to log 100 receiving yards in a game this season (Presley and Ollie Gordon against Kansas). They’re also the first pair to do it in a bowl game since the 2022 Fiesta Bowl (Presley and Tay Martin). 
• Alan Bowman set a season-high in passing yards, finishing with 402 yards to go with two passing touchdowns in the win. 
• Oklahoma State’s 24-6 lead at the half was its largest halftime lead of the season. 
• The Cowboys scored on four of their five possessions in the first half. 
• Brennan Presley finished the first half with 11 receptions for 123 yards, both the most in a half in his career and the second time in the past four games he has surpassed 100 receiving yards in a half (at Houston). 
• Alan Bowman found Rashod Owens for a 13-yard touchdown near the end of the first quarter, the first touchdown of the game for the Cowboys. 
• Brennan Presley completed a pass to Rashod Owens for a 34-yard gain in the second quarter. It was Presley’s third completion on his fourth attempt in his career, and the 34-yard completion was the longest of his career. 
• Gunnar Gundy scored from 10 yards out in the second quarter, marking the first rushing touchdown of his career while taking his first snap since September. 
• Ollie Gordon found the end zone from one yard out at the end of the first half, giving him 21 rushing touchdowns this season and a rushing touchdown in 10 of 14 games this season. 
• Oklahoma State answered a Texas A&M scoring drive with one of their own in the third quarter as Alan Bowman found Rashod Owens in the end zone for a second time. 
• Xavier Benson forced a fumble that was recovered by Nick Martin at the OSU one-yard line early in the fourth quarter. It was Benson’s second forced fumble of the season and Martin’s first career fumble recovery. 
• Cornerback D.J. McKinney made his first start of the season for the Cowboys. 
• Oklahoma State’s game captains against the Aggies were Nickolas Martin, Joe Michalski, Brennan Presley, Collin Oliver and Parker Robertson. 

The Oklahoma State Win...  

• Marks Mike Gundy's 12th bowl win as a head coach, tying for the sixth-most in college football history.  
• Gives it at least 10 wins for the eighth time in the last 14 years. 
• Gives 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. 
• Marks 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.  
• Makes it 1-1 in the Texas Bowl.  
• Makes it 8-6 all-time in bowl games played in the state of Texas.  
• Gives it wins in eight of its past 10 games.  
• Improves Mike Gundy's record in non-conference games to 64-16.  
• Makes it 25-5 in its past 30 non-conference games and 47-11 in its past 57 non-conference games.  
• Improves Mike Gundy's record in December games to 10-9.  
• Improves Mike Gundy's record in neutral site games to 15-9.  
• Gives it wins in five of its past six games vs. Texas A&M.  
• Improves its record against Texas A&M to 11-18 and its record vs. TAMU in neutral site games to 2-4.  
• Improves Mike Gundy's record against Texas A&M to 5-4.  
• Makes it 31-12 in its past 43 games overall, dating back to the 2020 season.  
• Makes it 157-74 in its history when playing as an AP-ranked team.  
• Makes it 144-44 in its history when playing as a higher AP-ranked team than its opponent.  
• Makes it 94-24 in its past 118 games vs. opponents outside of the AP Top 25, dating to 2010.  
• Gives it wins in 12 of its past 16 and in 25 of its past 32 games following a loss. 

Notable Streaks and Trends  

• Ollie Gordon II has rushed for more than 100 yards in nine of the past 11 games.  
• OSU has forced 21 turnovers and surrendered 16 turnovers in the past eight games.  
• OSU is 10-0 this season when winning or tying the turnover battle.  
• OSU's offensive line has not allowed a sack in six of its past 10 games.  
• OSU has held its opponent scoreless on its game-opening drive in 40 of its past 58 games.  
• OSU has held its opponent to less than a 50% third down conversion rate in 47 of its past 52 games. 
• OSU is 39-16 in its past 54 games decided by fewer than 10 points.  
• OSU is 49-8 in its past 56 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.  
• Over the past 50 games, OSU has held opponents to 240-for-769 (31.2%) 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.