LSU ready to renew longtime rivalry at Cotton Bowl

The LSU football team will be spending the holiday season in Dallas.

And they’ll be rehashing a longstanding rivalry with an old enemy in the process.

The Tigers were chosen to participate in the 75th-annual AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. Kickoff for the game will be Jan. 7 at 7:28 p.m., on FOX.

On the opposing sideline will be the Big 12’s Texas A&M, who was one of LSU’s most fierce rivals throughout the 1980s and 1990s when the teams were regular non-conference opponents.

“Once it looked like we were out of the running for a BCS bowl game, we turned our attention to Dallas and getting into the Cotton Bowl,” LSU Athletics Director Joe Alleva said. “This is the bowl that our players and coaches wanted to play in.”

It’s apparently a bowl that fans want to see, as well.

The Aggies were slotted into the several days before LSU accepted their invitation last Sunday and had already sold out their entire allotment of tickets.

In true LSU fashion, the Tiger faithful did the same, just minutes after the bowl announced the matchup.

“This was one of those years where everything really fell into place,” Cotton Bowl Chairman Tommy Bain said. “LSU formally accepted our invitation [last Sunday] and the Tigers took all the remaining tickets to make the 75th Classic a hard sellout. I can’t wait to see the atmosphere at Cowboys Stadium in primetime on January 7th.”

The players on both sidelines will mostly not be familiar with one another, but the rivalry still runs deep.

LSU owns a 26-20-3 series record against the Aggies, and both Patrick Peterson and LSU coach Les Miles know there’s a little extra satisfaction in having the chance to beat a rival.

“We get to renew a rivalry with a great Texas A&M team,” Peterson said. “I watched them against Texas and they are a great team with a traditional offense but can still run spread and I-formation. This is a big time opportunity for them as well getting to play us.”

Miles agreed and said renewing a rivalry in a venue like Cowboys Stadium at the Cotton Bowl is extra special.

This will be Miles’ second go-round in the bowl, as he also coached his Oklahoma State team in the 2003 version of the game.

“The Cotton Bowl is one of the all-time great college bowl games and to be able to participate in what is the 75th anniversary of this legendary game will be special for our team,” Miles said. “I’ve been here before as a head coach so I know firsthand what a first-class bowl this is. The hospitality is second to none and the atmosphere is no different than if you were playing in the national championship game.”

The team opposing LSU may have been championship caliber if not for a rough stretch in the middle of the season. The Aggies started the year 3-0, then lost three-straight games. Since that tough patch, the team closed 2010 by winning six-straight games, including wins over Oklahoma, Nebraska, Baylor and Texas.

That streak, Aggies coach Mike Sherman believes, will be heavily tested against LSU.

“The matchup with LSU presents a great challenge against a very talented and well-coached opponent,” he said. “Our players are very aware of the Tigers’ success and look forward to this game.”

Former LSU center and now Aggies starter Matt Allen agreed and said the game will be a great way to ring in the New Year.

“I still have some good friends on the LSU team,” he said. “One thing is for certain, LSU is very talented and they will be a great challenge. I have really enjoyed being a part of this Aggie team and the way we have responded to challenges this year.”

Below is a breakdown of the Tigers’ Cotton Bowl opponent:

Texas A&M

2010 record: 9-3

Coach: Mike Sherman

Streak: Won six-straight to end season

Rank: No. 18 in the latest Associated Press poll

Wins (in order): Stephen F. Austin, Louisiana Tech, FIU, Kansas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Baylor, Nebraska, Texas

Losses (in order): Oklahoma State (38-35), Arkansas (24-17) and Missouri (30-9)

Total offense: 447.5 yards per game, 20th in the country

Total defense: 357.5 yards allowed per game, 51st in the country

Scoring offense: 31.8 points per game, 37th in the country

Scoring defense: 20.3 points allowed per game, 27th in the country

Key players on offense:

Junior halfback Cyrus Gray (180 carries, 1,033 yards, 12 touchdowns)

Junior quarterback Ryan Tennehill (130-of-190, 1,434 yards, 11 touchdowns and 3 interceptions)

Key players on defense:

Senior defensive end Von Miller (59 tackles and 10 sacks)

Senior linebacker Michael Hodges (111 tackles)