The 2023 Texas Bowl features the 7-5 Texas A&M Aggies against the 9-4 Oklahoma State Cowboys. Here is the 2023 Texas Bowl Preview.
Texas A&M won seven games to qualify for their first bowl game since 2021. They defeated one bowl-eligible team this season: Auburn. All five of their losses were to teams who made bowl games.
The Aggies score 33.7 points per game, ranking 29th in the country. They pass for 262.3 yards (ranked 41st) and rush for 141.4 yards per game (ranked 89th).
Conner Weigman and Max Johnson have started at quarterback for the Aggies this season, but Weigman is injured and Johnson is transferring. Jaylon Henderson will likely start the bowl game after passing for 704 yards this season. Six players have 200 receiving yards on the season for the Aggies. Ainias Smith and Evan Stewart have been standouts with 794 and 514 yards respectively. Smith will not play in the bowl game with a broken finger.
Three running backs have contributed to the ground attack for the Aggies. Amari Daniels leads the team with 514 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Le’Veon Moss had a good season with 484 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Freshman Reuben Owens had 359 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, the Aggies allow 21.3 points per game. They concede 106.7 rushing yards (ranked 17th) and 188.3 passing yards per game (ranked 21st). Edgerrin Cooper leads the team with 86 total tackles, but he entered the 2024 NFL Draft and won’t play. That is a huge loss, as he also has a team-high eight sacks. Josh DeBerry has been good in the secondary with seven passes defended and two interceptions.
Oklahoma State won eight games to make their 18th-straight bowl game. They have wins over four bowl-eligible teams: Kansas State, Kansas, West Virginia and Oklahoma. All four of their losses came to teams who made bowl games.
The Cowboys score 29.5 points per game, ranking 55th in the FBS. They pass for 364.2 yards (ranked 38th) and rush for 156.9 passing yards per game (ranked 66th).
Former Texas Tech and Michigan quarterback Alan Bowman has suited up for the Cowboys this season. He has 3,058 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 59.7 percent completion. Five players have at least 300 receiving yards on the season. Brennan Pressley leads the team with 839 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Right behind him, Rashod Owens has 53 catches for 731 yards and three touchdowns.
At running back, the Cowboys have the leading rusher in the country in Ollie Gordon. He has 1,614 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground this season. Some of the running back depth has left the program, but Gordon is the workhorse running back.
On defense, the Cowboys allow 29 points per game, ranking 90th. They give up 174 rushing yards (ranked 103rd) and 267.5 passing yards per game (ranked 122nd). Linebacker Nickolas Martin has led the team with 133 total tackles. He and Collin Oliver are tied for the team lead with six sacks. Cameron Epps has had four passes defended and three interceptions to impress in the secondary.
Both teams may struggle to throw the ball in this game. Texas A&M has the better defense, even with players declaring for the draft and in the transfer portal. The recruiting classes that the Aggies have signed over the years will do enough to win and cover.
Texas A&M Aggies 34 Oklahoma State Cowboys 28
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