COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 9 University of Missouri football team continues its remarkable 2023 season against No. 7 Ohio State in the 88th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Friday, Dec. 29 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT with ESPN and Tiger Radio Network providing coverage.
The Tigers (10-2) and Buckeyes (11-1) meet for the first time since 1998 and 13th matchup overall. OSU holds a 10-1-1 edge in the series and the teams will square off for the first time in the postseason.
Fans can request tickets for the game today at MUTigers.com/BowlTickets.
Stay up on all the information for Mizzou’s trip to the 88th Cotton Bowl Classic online.
The Tigers have the nation’s No. 1 red-zone offense and No. 25 scoring offense, averaging 34.1 points per game. They achieved double-digit wins for the first time since 2014 and finished 6-2 in Southeastern Conference play.
Led by QB Brady Cook, WR Luther Burden III and RB Cody Schrader, the Tigers have the nation’s No. 1 red-zone offense and No. 25 scoring offense, averaging 34.1 points per game. Schrader leads the NCAA FBS and SEC in rushing yards per game and is a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy and Doak Walker Award. Cook has thrown for over 3,000 yards while the electrifying Burden had his first career 1,000-yard receiving season. The offensive line, anchored by 40-game vets at RT (Javon Foster) and RG (Xavier Delgado), is a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award.
Defensively, Mizzou’s senior-led 11 topped the SEC in turnover margin and has forced 10 turnovers in the last three game. CB Kris Abrams-Draine leads the SEC in passes defended while DE Darius Robinson’s 6.5 sacks rank sixth in the conference. Butkus Award finalist Ty’Ron Hopper has 55 tackles, six for a loss, and three sacks to his credit. Abrams-Draine, Hopper, CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Robinson have all accepted invitations to the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl.
MIZZOU-OHIO STATE TIES
- OL Javon Foster’s father Jerome was a four-year letterwinner at Ohio State (1979-82). He played nose guard for the Buckeyes, was three-year starter, 1982 team captain and still ranks among OSU’s Top-20 tacklers.
- WR Mookie Cooper started his career at Ohio State, redshirting during the 2020 season.
“We cannot be more excited to have this Top-10 matchup and welcome Ohio State and Missouri to North Texas for the 88th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic,” said Dave Brown, Chair, Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. “Our goal is to provide the student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans and alumni an experience befitting of their remarkable season.”
“Ohio State and Missouri deserve to be honored for a tremendous season and we have an incredible week of activities planned for the teams when they hit the ground on December 23,” said Rick Baker, President/Chief Executive Officer, Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. “We are planning for fans from both schools to come in droves to support these two great teams.”
MIZZOU IN THE COTTON BOWL CLASSIC
- MU will play in its third Cotton Bowl Classic and first since 2014.
- The Tigers are 2-1 all time in the classic.
COTTON BOWL GAME-BY-GAME
- Jan. 1, 1946: Texas 40, Missouri 27
- Jan. 1, 2008: Missouri 38, Arkansas 7
- Jan. 3, 2014: Missouri 41, Oklahoma State 31
ABOUT OHIO STATE
The 2023 Buckeyes have been powered by one of the nation’s top defenses and an offense that features the Big Ten’s top wide receiver and tight end. Ohio State has national rankings of No. 3 in total defense (259.9 yards/game), No. 1 in passing defense (147.4 yards/game) and No. 2 in scoring defense (11.0 points/game).
Offensively, Marvin Harrison Jr., the two-time Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year as well as the conference’s offensive player of the year in 2023, is tied for second nationally with 15 receiving TDs. His 1,211 receiving yards leads the Big Ten, as does his average of 18.1 yards per catch. Cade Stover earned Big Ten Tight End of the Year honors for his 41-catch, 579-yard season this fall.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For all the latest information on Mizzou Athletics, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Missouri football (@MizzouFootball) and Coach Drinkwitz (@CoachDrinkwitz) on X. You can also find the Tigers on Instagram and Facebook.
