No. 25 Oklahoma State (8-4) and Texas A&M (7-5) will square off in the 2019 Texas Bowl. Find the game time, television info, preview and prediction below.
Kickoff is 6:45 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 27 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. ESPN will televise the game. It will stream on WatchESPN.
Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M: Texas Bowl preview, prediction
This year's Texas Bowl will be the 28th all-time meeting between Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. The Aggies lead the head-to-head series 17-10. But the Cowboys have won the last four. These programs haven't played each other since 2011, which was Texas A&M's final season in the Big 12 before joining the SEC the following year.
Oklahoma State finished the regular season at No. 25 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Three of the Cowboys' four losses came against ranked teams, one of which was to then-No. 7 Oklahoma 34-16 back on Nov. 30. However, they've boasted a winning record for the entire season, with two victories over ranked opponents.
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Texas A&M was ranked in the top 25 for the first six weeks of the season, but dropped out for good after a 47-28 loss to then-No. 1 Alabama on Oct. 12. The Aggies had a brutal 2019 schedule, as they faced five teams ranked within the top 10. Two of those games (both losses) were against the No. 1 team: Clemson on Sept. 7, and the aforementioned Crimson Tide. Still, they managed to go 4-4 in conference play.
Oklahoma State's offense features the nation's leading rusher in sophomore back Chuba Hubbard. He ran for 1,936 yards on 309 carries (6.8 yards per carry) in the regular season. Hubbard's 21 rushing touchdowns were tied for the third-most in FBS. Only SMU's Xavier Jones and Western Michigan's LeVante Bellamy had more (both were tied for first with 23).
The Aggies should be up for the challenge, having only allowed 12 rushing touchdowns all year. Expect Hubbard to shoulder much of the Cowboys' offensive burden. Oklahoma State has been without starting quarterback Spencer Sanders since Nov. 16, when he suffered a season-ending injury against Kansas. His backup, Dru Brown, is 1-1 since taking over as the starter on Nov. 23.
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Texas A&M has the advantage at quarterback with Kellen Mond. And while the junior's 2019 stats (2,802 yards, 19 touchdowns) are down from last year (3,107 yards, 24 touchdowns), his completion percentage of 61.3 is four points higher than it was in 2018.
However, Mond was sacked 30 times in the regular season. This constant pressure has contributed to the junior throwing nine interceptions for the second-consecutive year. Oklahoma State's defense is only averaging 2.3 sacks per game. But if the Cowboys can force Mond out of the pocket, perhaps they could bait him into making some ill-advised throws.
Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M: Texas Bowl prediction
The Aggies have played one of the more difficult schedules in the country. In addition to battling Auburn, Alabama and LSU in the rough-and-tumble SEC West, their non-conference billing was headlined by Clemson. Sure, they went 0-4 in those games. In fact, all five of their losses came against schools ranked in the top eight.
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But Texas A&M easily took care of business against non-ranked teams. And while Cowboys currently sit at No. 25, they're without their starting quarterback.
The prediction: Texas A&M 34, Oklahoma State 21
| oklahoma state | texas a&M | |
|---|---|---|
| 8-4 (5-4 Big 12) | Record (Conference) | 7-5 (4-4 SEC) |
| 33.6 | Points per game | 30.0 |
| 27.0 | Points allowed | 22.7 |
| 463.9 | Yards per game | 398.8 |
| 227.7 | Passing YPG | 247.1 |
| 236.3 | Rushing YPG | 151.7 |
| 418.1 | Yards allowed per game | 340.8 |
| 267.7 | Passing yards allowed | 211.7 |
| 151.0 | Rushing yards allowed | 129.1 |
| Spencer Sanders 2,065 yards (16 TD, 11 INT) |
Passing | Kellon Mond 2,802 yards (19 TD, 9 INT) |
| Chuba Hubbard 1,936 yards (6.3 per att.), 21 TD |
Rushing | Isaiah Spiller 869 yards (5.6 per att.), 9 TD |
| Tylan Wallace 903 yards, 8 TD |
Receiving | Jhamon Ausbon 862 yards, 4 TD |
| Kolby Harvell-Peel 71 tackles, 5 INT, 2 FF, 2 FR |
Defensive leader | Justin Madubuike 45 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FF |
