16Oklahoma State 31 - 42 6Oregon
Final
  for this game

Gundy, Oklahoma State return to Holiday Bowl

Dec 30, 2008 - 12:33 PM (13) Oregon (9-3) vs. (14) Oklahoma State (9-3), 8:00 pm EST

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- In 1988, Mike Gundy quarterbacked an Oklahoma State team led by Barry Sanders to a 62-14 victory over Wyoming in the Holiday Bowl.

Two decades later, Gundy and the 14th-ranked Cowboys return to San Diego on Tuesday to face No. 13 Oregon in what could be one of the most attractive non-BCS bowl matchups.

Gundy, who is in his fourth season at Oklahoma State, becomes the first person to participate in the Holiday Bowl as a player and coach.

While the Cowboys (9-3) were somewhat overlooked in Big 12 Conference, they put together a solid season and will be looking to match a school record for wins. Oklahoma State reached 10 victories on three occasions under coach Pat Jones in the 1980s.

Unlike the pass-happy teams in the Big 12, the Cowboys put more of an emphasis on the running game.

While junior quarterback Zac Robinson had a solid year, passing for 2,735 yards and 24 touchdowns, Oklahoma State relies heavily on Kendall Hunter, who paced the Big 12 in rushing with 1,518 yards and 24 touchdowns.

The Cowboys also boast one of the nation's top receivers in Dez Bryant, who caught 74 passes for 1,313 yards - the second-best mark in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Bryant also had 18 TD receptions - tied with Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree for second in the FBS.

Oregon (9-3) concluded the regular season with a 65-38 drubbing of Oregon State, a result that derailed the Beavers' Rose Bowl hopes. The Ducks finished with 694 yards of total offense.

Oregon, which is making its 12th bowl appearance in 14 years, is entering the Holiday Bowl having won five of its last six games. Excluding a 26-16 loss at California played in a driving rain, the Ducks are averaged 52 points in their last four games.

Sophomore quarterback Jeremiah Masoli overcame a concussion early in the season to play well down the stretch, passing for nearly 300 yards in each of the Ducks' last two games.

The Ducks feature one of the top rushing tandems in the FBS in senior Jeremiah Johnson (1,082) and junior LeGarrette Blount (928), who combined to run for more than 2,000 yards.

Oregon is fourth in the FBS in rushing (277.8 ypg) and Oklahoma State seventh (256.0 ypg).

The Ducks are looking to duplicate last season's bowl success when they drubbed South Florida, 56-21, in the Sun Bowl.






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