Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M: Postgame Grades for the Sooners' Loss in the Cotton Bowl

The Oklahoma Sooners came into the 2012-13 season with high expectations.

However, those expectations came up short as the Sooners fell for the third time this year. This time it was to the Texas A&M Aggies in the Cotton Bowl. The Sooners were dominated, 41-13.

Texas A&M used a 21-point third quarter to propel itself to the win, as Oklahoma never seemed to be able to recover from it.

Here's a look at the postgame grades for each unit on the Sooners.

Quarterback

Overall Game Grade: C-

Landry Jones’ stats were actually not bad. He finished the game with 35 completed passes for 278 yards.

However, when it came to finishing drives, the Sooner quarterback failed.

Well, I guess you can say "quarterbacks." On the first drive, with the ball on the 1-yard line, Blake Bell failed to get the ball into the end zone on second and third downs. A false start on the next play forced the Sooners to settle for a field goal, giving Texas A&M all the confidence in the world.

From there, Bell was still a part of the game plan, but wasn’t as effective as he was in other games throughout the year.

Jones was able to get eight different receivers involved, but that’s more indicative of any Big 12 offense than his ability to spread the ball around.

For Jones, it’s the end of a disappointing season—one that only a decent NFL career will help him forget.

Running Backs

Overall Game Grade: D-

There wasn’t much to be excited about regarding the Oklahoma running game. Then again, is there ever anything to be excited about in a Big 12 running game?

The Sooners rushed for 123 yards on the night, with Brennan Clay leading the team with 44 yards on 10 carries.

Honestly, this game just goes to show you that it's hard to succeed against an SEC team when you have no running game.

Wide Receivers

Overall Game Grade: D+

The ball was spread around amongst the Oklahoma receivers, but the Texas A&M defense suffocated them all night.

Kenny Stills led the team with seven catches for 67 yards, while Jalen Saunders had nine catches for 63 yards.

It’s impossible to fault any of the receivers; Texas A&M was just better throughout the night with its secondary play.

Offensive Line

Overall Game Grade: F

Throughout the night the Texas A&M defensive line seemed to get penetration, and there was nothing the Sooner offensive line could do about it.

The Sooners allowed only one sack, but that doesn’t mean the Aggies weren't in Jones’ face all night. And if they weren’t in his face, they were getting their hands up to disrupt the throwing lanes.

On a critical drive early in the fourth quarter, with Oklahoma down by 21 points, Jones faced pressure on third and fourth downs and couldn’t find an open receiver.

The lack of time to find someone to throw the ball to ultimately kept Oklahoma from making a serious comeback attempt.

Defensive Line

Overall Game Grade: F

The Sooners couldn’t stop the run all night.

For the game, the Aggies rushed for 326 yards and made the defensive line look like high schoolers all night.

Oklahoma couldn’t get sacks either. When it did get penetration, Johnny Manziel was able to escape pressure and get a positive gain.

Manziel finished with 229 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Undisciplined play by the defensive line ultimately cost the Sooners. Had they stayed in their lanes, Manziel wouldn’t have run for as much as he did.

Linebackers

Overall Game Grade: D+

The linebackers struggled throughout the night as well. They couldn’t keep Manziel contained when he slipped past the defensive line.

It was surprising that the Sooners didn’t have a spy on Manziel in the second half. They saw what he was able to do in the first half and he just went off in the second half.

Was it a mistake by the coaches, or was it just a lack of execution by the linebackers?

Either way, there’s nothing to be excited about for any part of the Oklahoma defense in this one.

Secondary

Overall Game Grade: D-

Javon Harris did intercept Manziel once in the second quarter, but that was the only highlight of the night for the secondary, which played poorly otherwise.

For the game, Oklahoma allowed 287 yards through the air, including passing touchdowns of 33 and 34 yards.

Part of the secondary’s problem was that the defensive line couldn’t stop Manziel in the backfield as he kept plays alive, allowing his receivers more time to get open.

This game does go to show you the difference between an SEC defense and a Big 12 defense. And just think, A&M was a part of that just one year ago.

What a difference a year makes.

Special Teams

Overall Game Grade: B-

Special teams played well for the most part.

With field goals of 23 and 24 yards by Michael Hunnicutt, the special teams kept the Sooners in the game in the first half.

However, it was the punting team that saw the majority of time in the third quarter, as the offense never got things going.

For the game, Tress Way averaged 49.4 yards on his five punts, which is a very good average.

In the end, the special teams didn’t lose the game for the Sooners. They performed well given the situations they were put in.

Coaching

Overall Game Grade: D-

Things looked good for Oklahoma through the first half. However, the Oklahoma coaches failed to make the proper adjustments during halftime, and it showed in the second half.

The Sooners were never able to recover from Texas A&M's 21-point third quarter. 

The coaches couldn’t do anything to stop them, either.

They found out there’s a reason why Manziel won the Heisman Trophy.