Missouri to the Cotton Bowl, first NY6 game since 2014
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Missouri is headed to its first New Year's Six bowl game in the 10 seasons since the four-team playoff began and will play No. 7 Ohio State, which has never missed one. They meet in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29, kicking off at 7pm on ESPN.
The ninth-ranked Tigers (10-2, SEC) have 10 wins for the first time since 2014, when they won the Citrus Bowl in the first season of the College Football Playoff, a year after winning in their last Cotton Bowl appearance. They were 6-7 in each of the past two seasons, both ending with bowl losses.
“In my wildest dreams, I don’t know that I ever thought about being able to coach in the Cotton Bowl vs. Ohio State,” fourth-year Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “So it’s something that I’m going to be very, very present in, and really enjoy the moment.”
Drinkwitz said the Tigers seniors have been through a lot, and that a 10-win season with a NY6 game is a reminder that all the hard work, dedication and hard practices were worth it.
The only loss for the Buckeyes (11-1, Big Ten) was 30-24 in their regular-season finale against Michigan, which won the Big Ten title and was the No. 1 team in the final CFP rankings released Sunday.
Ohio State played in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day 2014, just over a year before ending the 2014 season with a win over Oregon in the first CFP championship game. That game was played at AT&T Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and the Cotton Bowl.
Ohio State has a 10-1-1 series record against Missouri, but is 2-12 against Southeastern Conference teams in bowl games. That includes last year’s 42-41 loss to Georgia in the CFP semifinal Peach Bowl.
The Buckeyes and Tigers haven’t played since 1998, when Ohio State won 35-14 at home. This will be their first postseason meeting.
“They play a tough schedule in the SEC. So they’ve got to bring it every week and have some really good wins this year against Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “We know they’re a very good team, any time you’re playing that type of schedule and winning like they are. ... But that’s what you expect when you get into a bowl game like this.”
CATCHING THE BALL
Ohio State standout junior Marvin Harrison Jr. and Missouri sophomore Luther Burden are two of the nation's leading receivers.
The 6-foot-4 Harrison has 67 catches for 1,211 yards and is tied second nationally with his 14 touchdowns. He is averaging 100.9 yards per game receiving, which ranks ninth.
Burden is 10th at 99.8 yards per game, only three total yards from a triple-digit average. He has 83 catches for 1,197 yards and eight touchdowns.
WALK-ON TO TOP RUSHER
Former walk-on Cody Schrader, a super senior who began his career at Division II Truman State, is now the nation's leading rusher for Missouri.
Schrader averages 124.9 yards per game, nearly 30 yards more than any other SEC player, while running for 1,499 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has TDs in nine consecutive games, and his fifth consecutive 100-yard game was a season-high 217 in the regular-season finale at Arkansas.
He joins Oklahoma State's Ollie Gordon II and North Carolina's Omarion Hampton as finalists for the Doak Walker Award that goes to the top running back. Gordon led the nation in rushing before being limited to 34 yards on 13 carries against Texas in the Big 12 championship game Saturday, dropping his season average to 124.2.
RISING TIGERS
Missouri has won its last three games since a 30-21 loss at then-No. 1 Georgia, the only team to finish ahead of the Tigers in the SEC East. They are 3-2 vs. Top 25 teams, the other loss being to then-No. 23 LSU.
The last time Missouri had been in the Top 10 was when being fifth in the final AP poll of the 2013 season, when the Tigers finished 12-2 after a 41-31 win over Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl.
COTTON HISTORY
Ohio State beat Southern Cal 24-7 in the Cotton Bowl at the end of the 2017 season. The Buckeyes' only other Cotton Bowl was New Year's Day 1987, a 28-12 win over Texas A&M (then in the Southwest Conference) in the game's former home and namesake stadium. ... The Tigers are going to their fourth Cotton Bowl. They also beat Arkansas on New Year's Day 2008, and lost to Texas in the 1946 game.
Kansas and UNLV meet for first time since '03 in Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Kansas will face UNLV in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, the first meeting between the schools since the Jayhawks won 46-24 in 2003. The Jayhawks clinched bowl eligibility with a 38-33 upset of then-No. 6 Oklahoma and have won at least eight games for the 11th time in school history. UNLV is coming off a 44-20 loss to Boise State in the Mountain West championship and will make its fifth postseason appearance. The Rebels seek their first bowl win since beating Arkansas 31-14 in the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl.
Kansas (8-4, 5-4 Big 12) vs. UNLV (9-4, 6-3 Mountain West), Dec. 26,8pm airing on ESPn
LOCATION: Phoenix
TOP PLAYERS
Kansas: QB Jason Bean took over for injured Jalon Daniels and has led four wins, passing for 1,681 yards and 12 touchdowns. RB Devon Neal has rushed for 1,209 yards and 15 TDs, ranking fifth in the Big 12, while safety Kenny Logan Jr. recorded a team-high 86 tackles.
UNLV: Kicker Jose Pizano set school records with six field goals in a game and 127 points along with 19 consecutive made attempts over one stretch. Freshman QB Jayden Maiava has passed for 2,794 yards and 14 TDs with eight interceptions, ranking fourth in the Mountain West.
NOTABLE
Kansas clinched bowl eligibility with a 38-33 upset of then-No.6 Oklahoma and is appearing in consecutive postseasons for the first time since 2007-08. The Jayhawks ranked seventh in Big 12 offense at 434 yards per contest.
UNLV led the Mountain West conference in scoring at 34.3 points per game. The Rebels are coming off a 44-20 loss to Boise State in the conference championship.
LAST TIME
Kansas won 46-24 in 2003 to even the series at a game each.
BOWL HISTORY
Kansas is 6-7 all-time in bowls. UNLV is 3-1.
Kansas State meets up with North Carolina State in Pop-Tarts Bowl
North Carolina State faces Kansas State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Dec. 28. North Carolina State finished third in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Wolfpack enter the game on a five-game win streak, including a victory over Clemson. North Carolina State has been invited to a bowl game in 11 of coach Dave Doeren's 13 years at the school. Kansas State tied for fourth in the Big 12. The Wildcats will play a bowl game in Florida for the first time. Kansas State's four losses are by a combined 21 points,
Story Body
Kansas State (8-4, Big 12) vs. No. 19 North Carolina State (9-3, ACC), Dec. 28, 4:45 p.m. airing on ESPN
LOCATION: Orlando, Florida
TOP PLAYERS
Kansas State: QB Will Howard, 2,643 yards passing, 24 touchdowns; 9 touchdowns rushing.
North Carolina State: QB Brennan Armstrong, 1,621 yards passing, 11 touchdowns; 544 yards, 6 touchdowns rushing.
NOTABLE
Kansas State: The Wildcats have another outstanding running back in DJ Giddens. He has rushed for 1,075 yards and nine touchdowns.
North Carolina State: WR Kevin Concepcion has 64 catches for 767 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.
BOWL HISTORY
Kansas State: First appearance in Pop-Tarts Bowl, 25th bowl appearance overall.
North Carolina State: Sixth appearance in bowl at Camping World Stadium; 35th bowl appearance overall.