| 2013 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 77th Cotton Bowl Classic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 4, 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Cowboys Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Arlington, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Offensive: Johnny Manziel (QB – Texas A&M) Defensive: Dustin Harris (DB – Texas A&M) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Texas A&M by 3[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Tom Zimorski (ACC) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 87,025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$7.25 million | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | FOX Fox Deportes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Gus Johnson (play-by-play) Charles Davis (commentary) Julie Alexandria (sideline reporter) Petros Papadakis (sideline reporter) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 7.5 (11.2 million viewers)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2013 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic was a post-season American college football bowl game held on January 4, 2013, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas in the United States. The 77th edition of the Cotton Bowl Classic began at 7:00 p.m. CST and aired on Fox Sports. It featured the Texas A&M Aggies from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) against the Big 12 Conference co-champion Oklahoma Sooners and was the final game of the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season for both teams. Both the Aggies and the Sooners accepted their invitations after finishing the regular season 10–2.[3]
The pre-game buildup was primarily focused on the two high-powered offenses, both of whom were led by strong passing attacks led by quarterbacks Johnny Manziel and Landry Jones respectively. Both teams also had several quality wide receivers, but both were average to below average defensively. Experts were split in their prognostications, but most predicted a high-scoring game.
Texas A&M defeated Oklahoma 41–13 to win the Cotton Bowl Classic and to finish the season with an 11–2 record. Manziel rushed for 229 yards during the game, a bowl record, rushing for two touchdowns and throwing for two more. Though the halftime score was 14–13 Texas A&M, the Aggies went on to score 27 unanswered second half points to win the game.