Jimbo Fisher Talks Bowl Matchup with OSU, Recalls 2014 Season Opener

Jimbo Fisher will face Mike Gundy on a neutral field in the Lone Star State once again. The last time he did so was the 2014 season opener when his defending national champion Florida State team defeated the Cowboys 37-31 in Arlington. Now his 7-5 Aggies will square off against the No. 25 Pokes in Houston in the Texas Bowl.

On Sunday, Fisher spoke with media members about the Texas Bowl and what he sees in Oklahoma State, and that tilt with the Cowboys was still fresh on his mind.

“That’s going to be one heck of a challenge,” said Fisher. “They’ve done a great job. Mike’s done a great job of putting up a winning tradition there. They’ve always had players.

“You know, I played against them one time when I was at Florida State. In ’14 we opened up against them and it was a heck of a game. They had Tyreek Hill. We came down to the last possession.

“They’re a great football team, had a great year. Hubbard, he can run the football. But they’re playing great defense. They mix it around. They’ve done a really good job up in that league. It’s going to be a heck of a challenge for us. It’s a good challenge. It’s what bowl games are all about.”

Fisher said that he knows Gundy “in passing” but has admired his success from afar. “I’ve talked to him quite a few times. Always enjoyed him. He does a great job.”

But Fisher kept going back to that game in Jerry World. It was a memorable one. Jameis Winston had 370 yards but threw two interceptions. J.W. Walsh rushed for two scores and threw for another. And Tyreek Hill burst onto the scene with 278 total yards.

“It was a shootout, I mean it was crazy,” said Fisher. “We had a really good team. We were coming off a national championship. We ended up going undefeated that year but it was a shootout. We made plays. They made plays. Tyreek Hill was running kicks back. But they were throwing the football, moving the football. Came down to a last-possession game.”

Whether or not we get a “shootout” remains to be seen. The only real similarities between that 2014 matchup and the one two days after Christmas will be the two men donning headsets one either sideline. Even their haircuts have changed. One man ditched his fledgling mullet. The other grew one out and turned it into his own brand.

In its second year under Fisher, A&M is looking to avoid ending 2019 on a three-game skid. The Aggies fell to Georgia 19-13 before getting blown out 50-7 by LSU. In his first season at the helm, A&M finished 9-4 after a win over North Carolina State in the Gator Bowl.

Texas A&M has only reached double-digit wins once since leaving the Big 12 for the SEC and just twice since 1998 (Mike Gundy was a position coach at Maryland.) Meanwhile, the Cowboys will fall short of 10 wins for just the second time in the last five years and third in the last seven.