The Cotton Bowl is one of the longest running bowl games in the history of college football. The game has been played annually since 1937, but for the first time it was moved out of Cotton Bowl Stadium and into the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Though the game had a new venue for its 2010 edition, one of the teams was very familiar with the game. The Ole Miss Rebels won this game over Texas Tech last season and returned to the New Year’s Day classic in the hope f gaining a repeat. Ole Miss did just that with a 21-7 over Oklahoma State.
Both Texas Tech and Oklahoma State were contending for the National Championship Title at the beginning of the season but fell out somewhere along the way when they failed to live up to the expectations placed on them. However, they now have to be contented with the Cowboys Stadium’s turf after they failed to get to Pasadena. This was a game played in the classic national championship style. These teams were defensive in their struggle during the three quarters, but the Rebels managed to snatch the victory from them to be the champions of Cotton Bowl.
Running Back Dexter McCluster had a field day for the Rebels and showed why he could be a potential NFL first round draft pick in just a few short months. McCluster ran for 182 yards on 32 carries and added a pair of touchdowns as he carried the bulk of the Ole Miss offense. He also ran early and often. McCluster provided the game’s first score when he busted an 87 yard run with 11:19 left in the second quarter. That run made it 7-0 and the Rebels would hold that lead until halftime.
The Ole Miss defense was also a big key on the day. It did a stellar job of shutting down Zac Robinson and one of the most prolific passing offenses in college football. They could not keep the Cowboys off of the board in the third quarter, however. Running back Keith Toston helped Oklahoma State get into the end zone on a trick play. He pulled up short of the line of scrimmage on a third and one play before throwing a jump pass to Wilson Youman. That touchdown was set up by an Andre Sexton interception at the 12 yard line, making for a very short drive.
From there Ole Miss put things in the hands of McCluster and its defense. As Zac Robinson fumble gave Ole Miss the ball on the Oklahoma State 34 yard line and the Rebels were able to break the tie five plays later when McCluster scored on a short run. That score came at 4:03, and the Ole Miss defense put an exclamation point on the game a few minutes later. Hubert Anyiam squashed any hope of an Oklahoma State comeback when he picked off a Robinson pass and returned it 34 yards for a clinching touchdown.
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