Johnny Manziel: Will Heisman Trophy Winner Flop in 2013 Cotton Bowl vs Oklahoma?

Johnny Manziel walked away with the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, becoming the first freshman to ever take home the award. The eyes of the country will follow him to the Cotton Bowl in January where Manziel will lead the Aggies against former Big 12 opponent, Oklahoma. 

While some may tune in to watch Manziel falter against the Sooners, Johnny Football is set to have one of his best games to date. 

This is a quarterback who racked up over 1,000 yards in the regular season on the ground. The Aggies have a dangerous duo of backs that support Manziel in the backfield, and there are a host of receivers led by Ryan Swope that make impossible throws possible. 

Manziel will thrive in the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma. The Sooners will look mediocre on defense against the Aggies offense, leading to a big day and huge end to a magical season for the living legend Johnny Football. 

The young quarterback has grown into the Texas A&M offense over the past 12 games. When looking back to an opening season loss to Florida, the complexity of the calls and play of Manziel are very basic with flashes of explosion.

The offense looked more efficient and methodical in the first game, and Manziel looked more game manager than game-changer. 

The legend began to grow the following week against SMU, but a win against Arkansas to end September changed the landscape of college football this season. Manziel lit up the Razorbacks for 453 yards in the air and 104 on the ground.

The game-changing Heisman winner had arrived. 

Manziel continued to get better over the season despite a hiccup loss against LSU. He tossed three interceptions to the Bayou Bengals leading to a 24-19 loss for the Aggies. If he had one of those back, the Aggies would have most likely won the game. 

Against Alabama, Manziel won the Heisman. He crippled the Crimson Tide defense for a half and did enough to close out the game with a win. He finally found a way to close a game against a big opponent and then led the Aggies to an impressive 10-win season.

Landing in the Cotton Bowl is a blessing for the Aggies. They were picked to be a middle-of-the-pack SEC West team, but they dominated nearly every game they played in splitting wins against the big two. 

Few quarterbacks become comfortable and poised in just one season, but Manziel has found the right mix of emotion and thoughtful play. He will lead the Aggies through the tough transition in the SEC for at least the next two years, helping put together a truckload of wins and hardware. 

It starts in Dallas in January against Oklahoma. The Sooners are solid against the pass, ranking No. 10 in pass efficiency defense, No. 26 in pass defense and No. 44 in total defense. 

The one gaping hole is the run defense—the Sooners rank No. 81 in the country against the run. 

Manziel and the Aggies ground game will be able to ignite the scoreboard with regularity, leaving the Sooners behind in the early quarters.

The legend of Johnny Manziel will continue to grow as the Aggies head into the offseason with a big bowl win. 

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