The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Texas to face Ohio State in 2009 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
12.07.2008 | Football
Dec. 7, 2008
After recording its nation-leading, eighth-consecutive 10-win season, No. 3/3 Texas (11-1, 7-1 Big 12) will play No. 10/10 Ohio State (10-2, 7-1 Big Ten), which tied for first in the Big Ten, in the 2009 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Monday, Jan. 5 (7:20 p.m./Central/FOX) at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
This will be Texas' 11th consecutive bowl appearance, a UT record, and its third BCS bowl in the last five years after playing in the Rose Bowl following the 2004 and 2005 seasons. The Horns will be making their second appearance in the Fiesta Bowl after falling to Penn State, 38-15, in the 1997 Fiesta Bowl.
This will mark just the third time that Texas and Ohio State will square off with all three match-ups coming in the last four years. Texas opened the series with a 25-22 victory in Columbus en route to the 2005 National Championship. The Buckeyes visited Austin in 2006, evening the series at 1-1 with a 24-7 win, which propelled them to an undefeated regular season and an appearance in the BCS National Championship Game.
Texas and Ohio State have combined to post 1,638 victories in 235 years of football with the Horns ranking second on the NCAA all-time victory list (831) and the Buckeyes ranking fifth (807). UT and OSU have played in a combined total of 86 bowl games, claimed 11 National Championships and registered 60 conference crowns. Over the last five seasons, UT and OSU have a combined record of 106-19 (78.5%).
Texas' 11 straight bowl appearances better the previous mark of nine straight bowl games from 1977-85. The Horns have won six of their last seven bowl games and have a 7-3 record in bowl contests under Mack Brown. In the 11 years prior to Brown's arrival, Texas went to five bowls and was 2-3. Brown is the first UT coach since Darrell Royal, who was 8-7-1 in bowl games, to post a .500 or better record in bowls.
With a 52-34 victory over No. 12 Arizona State in the 2007 Holiday Bowl, Texas has won bowl games in four consecutive years for the first time in school history (2004-07). They are one of only three schools nationally to accomplish that feat. The Horns did win five straight bowl contests previously (1963-64, '66, '68-69), but the streak was interrupted by seasons that did not result in a bowl game. Brown's personal string, including time at North Carolina, goes back even further. He has directed his teams to 17 straight bowl games, which is the second-longest active streak in the nation.
Texas Longhorn football fans can request Tostitos Fiesta Bowl tickets through www.TexasBoxOffice.com. Football season ticket holders and UT students who are Longhorn All Sports Package holders should log in to their online accounts using their Customer Number or email address and password or PIN in order to request their bowl tickets. Only credit cards will be accepted online (MC, Visa, AMEX, Discover).
Fans may call the UT Athletics Ticket Office at 512/471-3333 or 800/982-BEVO if you have any questions. The Athletics Ticket Office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST.
HEAD COACH Mack Brown
Opening statement: We're sure excited from The University of Texas to get to the Fiesta Bowl. Texas played Penn State before we got to The University, but our players, our coaches, our staff have not gotten to come out to the Fiesta Bowl since. I was a player at Florida State that redshirted when I transferred when Florida State and Arizona State played in the first Fiesta Bowl, so this will be a real special one for me.
We've played Ohio State twice since 2005. One was a tight game up in Columbus, and they got after us pretty good down in Austin. The fans got along and it was two of the most storied programs in college football history. I admire and respect and like Jim and Ellen Tressel so much that it will be a fun week for us to get together and have great competition between two great programs at a fantastic bowl.
On if there is relief putting the last two weeks behind them: There really is. Your first goal is to win your conference championship when your season starts, and we were able to accomplish being co-champs in the South (Division). Your second goal is to be in a BCS bowl against a great team and there's absolutely no question our players are excited about playing Ohio State and playing in the Fiesta Bowl. It's a new experience for us. We have some history with Ohio State, and like I said, I have great respect for Jim and what he did at Youngstown, and what he's been able to do at Ohio State. It's an exciting time for us and time for us to put the past week behind us with all the BCS stuff and move forward and look forward to a great game.
On if he thinks the team will have a chip on its shoulder: I really do not. I think the team has such great respect for Ohio State. A lot of these guys were on the teams playing in 2006 and 2005, and a lot of our seniors that were redshirted played in the opening game, so I really don't think the BCS will matter. I don't think the ratings will matter. Texas and Ohio State had not matched up before 2005, and it's really amazing that we'll now be playing our third time since then. When we played in 2005, we went back to Coach Hayes and Archie Griffin, and our guys were so excited about the match-up. It will be the same way on January 5th.
On keeping emotions high not playing in the National Championship Game: Being that it's Ohio State helps, the BCS helps. We were supposed to play Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl in 2003, and Oklahoma got beaten badly by Kansas State and got to go play in the National Championship Game, and it knocked us out of the Fiesta Bowl and a chance to play Ohio State that year, and we were flat and didn't play well against Washington State. But anybody who has a chance to play in the Fiesta Bowl in the BCS against Ohio State is not going to be flat, because what an exciting time for these kids. For our seniors, this will be our second BCS bowl, and they'll be excited about that. Jim has done as good a job as anyone in the country. He's been in the BCS every year and played for the National Championship the last couple of years, so our guys are aware of all of that. They're good sports fans, and they're college football fans, so I don't think they'll be able to wait until this game. This team has been a team that, regardless of the circumstances, they've played hard every week. You go back and look and the BCS hasn't satisfied everybody, and we've been on the positive side of it a few times and we've been on the negative side of it a few times. My older son, Matt, emailed me today and said, "What a great thing. I can't wait to get out there. This is going to be a fun bowl." We really look forward to it.
On the BCS system: Sometimes we, as coaches, get confused about the BCS, and what the BCS is, is a means to pit No. 1 against No. 2. Then it's an avenue for conference champions to be able to play in the BCS and have some at-large teams bids, including non-BCS teams. That is what is. So you can have a four-loss team playing in the BCS, and that frustrates teams like Texas Tech, that didn't even get in the BCS. That's a tough thing when they've had a tremendous year and are 11-1, but that's probably not what the system wants, and we as coaches are very competitive. I have not been involved in a playoff system like Jim has, and I'm sure there are goods and bads to it, but I do like the fact that there are 38 teams that can win their last game and feel like they've had a good year and be very happy. And I do feel like there are years where it's very, very unfortunate for a team that may be a great team and be second or third in the league, when you have three great teams, and they do not have a chance to get to the BCS, because now the BCS has become the popular thing for the best teams at the end. I think of the top eight teams this year, all will be in the BCS except Texas Tech, and being in our league, I really hate it for them.
On if having coached against Jim Tressel has an effect on preparing for this game: It really does, and what it does is give me so much more respect for him. I had always seen him from afar. He's from a coaching family. I know his dad was at Ohio State. I've always admired him. I coached at Appalachian State, so seeing what he accomplished at Youngstown was just absolutely phenomenal. When he got the Ohio State job, everybody wants to see how the guy from I-AA is going to do in I-A. He went there and has done just absolutely fabulous job. To be able to play in three National Championship games like he's done is just absolutely phenomenal. They're so well coached. It's funny, they ran the ball and had a really good mix the first year we played them in Columbus, then came back the second year and caught us with Troy Smith with no backs, just about the whole game, until Chris Wells decided to come in and run right at us. So he beat us running and throwing the first year and beat us throwing it and spreading out and did such a great job against us the second year. The third thing I see Jim doing, is I think he coaches the kicking game just about as well as anybody in the country. So this is two old guys who have been around a long time and believe in fundamentals and believe in the kicking game, and I think it's one of the reasons this is going to be such a great match-up, is the respect we have for each other.
PLAYER QUOTES
QB Colt McCoy
We're definitely looking forward to playing one of the best teams in the country in Ohio State out at the Fiesta Bowl. We've had a little time off and had a chance to get some guys healthy, so we're looking forward to practicing and preparing for what should be a tough match-up against a great team. I'm really looking forward to it because they came down here to Austin and beat us. It was just my second start then, so it will be fun getting another chance to play them. They've got a great defense, so we know it is going to be tough to score. We just have to practice and prepare like we have all season and, hopefully, we can come out with the win.
WR Quan Cosby
This has been a great year. Being 11-1 and getting to play in one of the best bowl games is really exciting. We have the chance to play against one of the best teams and best defenses in the country, so we're looking forward to getting out to Arizona and getting back to work. Clearly, we still have a lot to prove and a lot to play for, and being a senior, we want to make sure we finish this season with a victory.
DE Brian Orakpo
We've put this recent challenge of not making the Big 12 Championship game behind us and are disappointed we didn't make it to the National Championship Game. We know we're still worthy of being considered one of the best teams in the nation and are focused on proving to everyone what a great team we are in the Fiesta Bowl. We're very excited about playing Ohio State, the Big Ten co-Champs, and a team I had an opportunity to play in two great games against. We have a ton of respect for them and everything that program stands for. The two games we played against them were some hard-nosed, tough football games. Two great teams with nothing but respect for one another. That's how it will be again, this time in Arizona. It will be a special game between two of college football's powers.
DT Roy Miller
I'm excited to go to Arizona and play Ohio State. It's another big-time program, and obviously having the chance to play in a BCS bowl game is something we look forward to. Even though we're disappointed we're not playing in the National Championship Game, it's a great way to finish our season and show what kind of team we really are. The Fiesta Bowl is one that nobody on this team has gotten to go to, so it will be a new experience, and from everything I've heard, the Fiesta Bowl is one of the best experiences.
With Ohio State, coach Tressel has done a great job there holding up their tradition, and they have a great winning tradition like us. I've been able to watch Terrelle Pryor, and he's a great young quarterback. Beanie Wells is one of the top running backs in the country and he's had a great season, despite having to fight through injuries. I know he's going to come on strong at the end. We're really looking forward to the competition. Any time you get two great teams together like this, it's going to be one people remember for a long time. We've played them twice in the last four years, and it's always one that's talked about.
