Oklahoma State was edged 24-21 in the Texas Bowl by a Texas A&M team that played one of the toughest schedules in the nation.
“Played a good football team in the Bowl, right? They’re a good team,” Gundy said after the game. “I said this early, and I’ll say it again. They lost to No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 4, and No. 12. So they’re definitely a top-20 team in my opinion.”
Before the bowl game, Gundy called Texas A&M “the best 7-5 team in the history of the NCAA.”
After the game, Gundy praised Texas A&M, calling Jimbo Fisher’s team a top-20 team.
Gundy was particularly complimentary of the Aggie offense.
“They’ve got skill,” Gundy said. “They’ve got wideouts that can make plays. Their running backs obviously have skill. And you have to watch the quarterback, he’s an issue, as we saw tonight when they went to the triple option basically.
“You’ve got to try to be in the gap. Got to get off the block and make the play. I think they wore our front down a little bit as the game went on. Scheme wise they got us a time or two. Scheme wise we got them a time or two.
“As I said, we were right there to the end. We went toe-to-toe and just came up a little short.”
Aggie quarterback Kellen Mond ran for a career-high 117 yards and threw a touchdown pass for Texas A&M as his team scored 24 straight points.
The Aggies (8-5) took a 21-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. OSU (8-5) went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Texas A&M 34 on their next possession, but quarterback Spencer Sanders was stopped for no gain.
Chuba Hubbard, who finished the regular season as the nation’s leading rusher, ran for 158 yards, and Johnson had 124 yards receiving and two touchdowns for the Cowboys.
Hubbard has not yet announced a decision on whether he will turn pro or come back to OSU for another year.
Hubbard finished the season with 2,094 yards rushing to become the second player in school history to reach 2,000, joining Barry Sanders, who did it in 1988 when he won the Heisman Trophy. Hubbard’s total ranks as the 18th-best individual season rushing total in college football history.
Hubbard finished the season in the top 10 of several OSU single-season categories, including:
- Rushing Yards: 2nd (2,094 yards)
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 3rd (161.1)
- Rushing Touchdowns: 4th (21)
- Rushing Attempts: 4th (318)
- Yards Per Rush: 4th (6.6)
- Total Touchdowns Scored: 5th (21)
- Most 100-Yard Games in a Season: 12 (1st)
- Total Points Scored: 9th (128)
- All-Purpose Yards: 2nd (2,334))
- All-Purpose Yards Per Game: 2nd (179.5)
Hubbard wrapped up the regular season in the top 10 of several Big 12 single-season marks, including:
- Rushing Yards: 3rd (2,094)
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 6th (161.1)
- Rushing Touchdowns: 7th (21)
- Yards Scrimmage Yards: 2nd (2292)
- Scrimmage Yards Per Game: 6th (176.3)