AT&T Big Play Luncheon is right on target

Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones (standing at the head table in red) prepares to throw a football to a door prize winner (white shirt) in the crowd.

    The big-time feel of the 2013 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic extended to the annual AT&T Big Play Luncheon at the Hilton Anatole Hotel on Thursday. The ballroom was as packed as ever for the final chance to see the teams before they take the field at Cowboys Stadium on Friday night.
    Brad Sham, the longtime voice of the Dallas Cowboys, served as master of ceremonies, which included presiding over the traditional awarding of the door prizes. Two lucky members of the crowd won smart phones provided by AT&T, except at the Big Play luncheon you have to earn the prizes by making a big play yourself.
   Starting quarterbacks Landry Jones of Oklahoma and Johnny Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner, of Texas A&M were called to the head table to throw footballs to the door prizes winners. To win the prizes, the winners had to catch the ball. Drop it and, well, as Sham said, you're at the mercy of the crowd.
   Jones went first and slightly overthrew his target. Then Manziel took a ball in hand and, before anyone could get ready, fired a bullet at his door prize winner. It fell incomplete, but it left the crowd buzzing for a minute or two.
   Texas A&M defensive back Steven Terrell and Oklahoma offensive lineman Gabe Ikard were honored with the Dan S. Petty Scholar-Athlete Award. Ikard had the crowd in stitches when he thanked Texas A&M defensive lineman Spencer Nealy for buying him a drink at another bowl function.
    "That was awesome, man," Ikard said as the crowd broke into laughter.
    Later, as Jones and Manziel approached the lectern, Ikard, who was seated at the head table, pulled out a camera phone and appeared to be angling for a photo. "Oh, you want a photo of Johnny Manziel, Gabe?" Sham said, as the crowd again erupted.
    Fox Sports analyst Charles Davis also got some big laughs during his speech, while OU lineman Austin Woods was recognized for having been a two-time winner of the Cotton Bowl childrens' art contest while growing up in Dallas.

Oklahoma's Austin Woods is the first winner of the annual Cotton Bowl kids' art contest to end up playing in the bowl.

 

   The luncheon ended with highlight videos of each team and speeches from head coaches Kevin Sumlin of Texas A&M and Bob Stoops of Oklahoma.
    After the luncheon, both teams held walk-through practices at Cowboys Stadium, their final preparation before the big game kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday.

The coaches are ready for The Classic

    The head coaches for Fridays' AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic met with the media one last time Wednesday morning. Even after several days of preparation and acclimation, the teams' excitement for the 2013 matchup has not lessened one bit.
     "For our fans, the location, the venue, everything that is going on, in our time slot Friday night for viewership nationally, it is going to be a great atmosphere at Cowboys Stadium," Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin said. "We are excited to be here and are looking forward to Friday."
    It's been noted in the past that Cowboys Stadium is much louder for the AT&T Cotton Bowl than it is for Dallas Cowboys games - at least consistently throughout the game. Both coaches expect plenty of noise come Friday, on the field and in the stands.
    "We understand the challenge ahead of us in facing Texas A&M," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "Kevin [Sumlin, a former Stoops assistant] has done a great job there and I want to congratulate him on a great year this year. I know our fans are excited about this game, considering it sold out on the first day, and our players are as well. We are looking forward to Friday and can't wait for the challenge."
    The teams will get together on Thursday, but under friendly circumstances, with the annual AT&T Big Play Luncheon.

Oklahoma Wednesday practice report: Preparing for the Aggies and their band

   ARLINGTON, TEXAS – The Big 12 Co-Champion Oklahoma Sooners continued to finalize their game plans for No. 9 Texas A&M with an hour and a half workout at Cowboys Stadium Wednesday afternoon.    The Sooners (10-2, 8-1 Big 12) practiced in shoulder pads and shorts as a part of their typical “Thursday” game week workout. The Sooners worked on special teams and individual drills as the Aggie War Hymn continued to play on repeat in the background.
   Friday night’s challenge has Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops looking for an advantageous matchup against their Texas A&M (10-2, 6-2) opponents. With so much time off between their last regular season game, OU has had an opportunity to reassess their approach.
   “Anytime you are playing, you can add a wrinkle or two,” Stoops said. “That is what we did with some of our quarterbacks that may be able to run the ball a bit more.”
   Earlier in the day Coach Stoops and A&M Head Coach Kevin Sumlin met with the media to discuss their Friday night showdown against Texas A&M. The Sooners aren’t worried about the added intangible distractions of facing Heisman Trophy winner QB Johnny Manziel.
   “Our players have played in some tight situations the last several weeks and have responded well,” Stoops said. “They have competed all the way to the end of those games.”
   The Sooner defense led the Big 12 in both passing yards allowed (218.0) and pass defense efficiency (108.0). Manziel was the first player in NCAA FBS history to pass for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game, three times in his career.
   Wednesday afternoon, OU players and coaches visited Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. Tomorrow the Sooners will attend the traditional Big Play Luncheon at the Anatole Hotel with their opponents from Texas A&M. The Sooners will then have a short walkthrough as their final practice before Friday night.

Texas A&M Monday pracitce report: Back to familiar surroundings at Cowboys Stadium

DALLAS – The No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies took part in their first practice on the playing surface for the 77th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic with an hour practice at Cowboys Stadium.
“We were able to move the ball on both sides and really do our scripts we usually do on Thursdays,” said head coach Kevin Sumlin. “We tried to turn the music up as loud as it could be so we could work with some crowd noise. We worked a lot on the kicking game today because that’s what’s different. Anytime you’re indoors, particularly with as big of a screen up there, we had to work with our guys fielding kicks. We got a lot done today."
The workout in shorts and helmets gave A&M a chance to reacquaint itself with the stadium where it has played at least one game in each of the past four seasons. The Aggies are still seeking their first victory in the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
“We’ve played in here before and so has Oklahoma,” said Sumlin. “This is a place we felt we had to get in a little bit and practice in before we play. You can’t help but be excited to come into a building like this and know that there won’t be an open seat in the house Friday night.”
On paper, A&M comes into the game with the recipe to get that elusive win, led by redshirt freshman QB Johnny Manziel and junior LT Luke Joeckel on offense and junior DL Damontre Moore on defense. Sumlin said individual successes and accolades of his younger players are direct by-products of the intangibles his seniors have brought to the team throughout the season.
“Our seniors have done a tremendous job,” said Sumlin. “The underclassmen are getting the credit but it’s the seniors who are leading us. As a coach you can lead a lot when guys are in front of you. Real leadership on your team comes from guys when they are not around you, whether that’s in the locker room, outside the building, going to class or out at night. When you have guys, like our seniors, who can lead like that, it makes your job a lot easier. I think you can tell from this team that we’re getting great senior leadership out of this group.”
The Aggies will enjoy a quiet night of rest at their headquarters hotel before having their final tune-up for the No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners (10-2, 8-1 Big 12 conference) with an afternoon walk-through at Cowboys Stadium on Thursday.

Media crush is on at the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic

Somewhere inside this swarm of reporters is Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner.

    This year's AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic has attracted more media attention than ever with the matchup between Oklahoma and Texas A&M as well as the presence of the Heisman Trophy winner.
More than 620 media credentials were requested this year.  
    "Some people like to say they have more than 1,000 requests, and that's counting TV network people," Cotton Bowl VP of Communications Charlie Fiss said. "You can't accommodate that many and actually service everybody. We had to say no to some people, although we'd love for everybody to come. But not even Cowboys Stadium is that big."
    More than 350 media requests were granted, a record for The Classic since the move to Cowboys Stadium. Previous Classics at the old Cotton Bowl stadium had an auxiliary seating area outside the pressbox for media and could handle larger numbers.
    The 2013 Classic is an especially attractive media draw with Texas A&M and Oklahoma, former Big 12 rivals, having large local fan bases and both being ranked in the top 11 of the final BCS rankings.
    But it puts the media frenzy over the top with the addition of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, aka Johnny Football, and the star power of a Heisman Trophy winner. Manziel will be the eighth Heisman winner to play in the Classic. Everyone wants a piece of the Heisman winner, but so far the media gatherings have been cordial, if a bit overwhelming at times.
    "We haven't had one in 14 years, since Ricky Williams (Texas)," said Fiss, who has been present for five of the Heisman winners' visits to the Cotton Bowl. "That's the exciting thing, because we haven't had one in a while. You don't get a chance to have a guy like that all that often."
    The bronze Heisman Trophy creates almost as much of a stir as Manziel himself when it's carried into a room. Fans and media alike have taken to posing for pictures with the iconic statue.
    "The trophy's a rock star," Fiss said. "We'll have the trophy around Cotton Bowl events this week. It should be quite the hit."

Texas A&M Tuesday practice report: Getting physical indoors again

DALLAS – The No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies were back in the indoor facility at Highland Park High School for another physical workout to get ready for the No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners and the 77th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.
A&M put on the pads once again for an up-tempo practice that featured work in all three phases, position-by-position fundamentals and game simulation. Head coach Kevin Sumlin said he was pleased with his team’s attention to detail at this point with the game three days away.
“We’ve moved on to getting ready for game time,” said Sumlin. “I can’t say enough about Coach (Randy) Allen and Highland Park letting us use this facility. It’s been great for us with the weather. Moving over to Cowboys Stadium tomorrow, we’ll have a different kind of juice just being in that stadium. It’s going to help us a little bit and keep us focused.”
The Aggies (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) are definitely going to need the right mixture to be successful against an Oklahoma squad that ranked as the nation’s fifth-best passing offense and 44th-best defense through the end of the regular season. Sumlin said he has no worries about the team despite going through a season of distractions that could have created friction and kept the team from being as successful as it has been in his first season in College Station.
“These guys have handled it well,” said Sumlin. “That says a lot of about our coaching staff, but also it says a lot about our seniors and their leadership. These guys have been through the routine and I can’t say enough about how appreciative we are of our seniors. A lot of these young guys are getting the credit, but we wouldn’t have won half the games without these seniors.”
A&M headed to their headquarters hotel following practice to soak in some down time on New Year’s Day before partaking in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic tradition of the Beef Bowl at Lawry’s The Prime Rib in Dallas.
After a good night’s rest, A&M will be up early Wednesday morning for its first practice at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Prior to practice, Sumlin will join Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops for a formal press conference with the media at Omni Mandalay Hotel in Irving.
The 77th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic will be held on Friday, Jan. 4 on FOX. Telecast starts at 6:30 p.m. with kickoff scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Gus Johnson will handle play-by-play duties with Charles Davis as the color analyst.

Oklahoma Tuesday practice report: Preparing for the noise

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – Big 12 Co-Champion Oklahoma kicked off 2013 with a light practice at Cowboys Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. The Sooners continued their usual game week schedule without friction, holding a “Wednesday” workout in shorts and shoulder pads towards Friday night’s showdown against Texas A&M.
The team went through drills and situational work as music and crowd noise filled the stadium to simulate what is expected to be an intense atmosphere.
“We did Wednesday type work, did some work against each other again.” Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops said. “I feel good about it, feel like the kids practiced well and nobody’s hurt.”
The No. 11 Sooners will have their hands full with a Texas A&M squad led the SEC in total offense (552 yards/game), and scoring offense (44 points/game). The two squads faced off every year since 1996, with the Sooners holding a 19- 1 overall advantage.
“We know the great players they have and who they are,” DB Aaron Colvin said. “Being able to play them the past few years, it will be good to see them again this week.”
Coach Stoops, Defensive Coordinator Mike Stoops, QB Landry Jones and DB Tony Jefferson met with members of the FOX broadcast crew to talk about the matchup with the No. 9 Aggies (10-2, 6-2 SEC) on Friday night.
A few former Oklahoma greats were on the sidelines at practice today including Demarco Murray of the Dallas Cowboys, Travis Lewis of the Detroit Lions, and former Cleveland Brown Travis Wilson. Former Sooner and Cowboys star Tony Casillas was again on hand to provide post practice analysis for Sooner Sports TV.
Players and coaches will have a private team party for dinner, then players will have the night off. Wednesday morning Coach Stoops will meet with the media along with Texas A&M Head Coach Kevin Sumlin at the Omni Mandalay hotel in Dallas.
The 77th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic will be held on Friday, Jan. 4 on FOX. Telecast starts at 6:30 p.m., with kickoff scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Gus Johnson will handle play-by-play duties with Charles Davis as the color analyst.