A&M 41, OU 13

Aggies cruise to Cotton Bowl victory over Sooners, but can Manziel keep themagic alive?

Ryan Swope and Johnny Manziel celebrate in the endzone at the Cotton Bowl.
Texas A&M University/Facebook
The Aggies and the Sooners brought a raucous, sold-out crowd to Cowboys Stadiumin Arlington.
Texas A&M University/Facebook
Heisman Trophy Winner Johnny Manziel, shown here after the Aggies victory overNo. 1 Alabama, did not let his recent success get in the way of winning theCotton Bowl.
Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images

So much for a Heisman Trophy hangover. Johnny Manziel looked like he was ready to join Archie Griffin as the only two-time Heisman winner.

Texas A&M’s redshirt freshman quarterback helped the Aggies dominate Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, 41-13. From the beginning, Manziel didn’t look the part of a quarterback that might have been distracted by his schedule since he won the Heisman last month, a schedule that included banquets, awards, basketball games and meeting actress Megan Fox.

Manziel’s first touchdown saw him dance down the sideline and hop into the end zone, a flourish that underscored the joie de vivre with which “Johnny Football” has played with this season.

His numbers against the Sooners, like most of his games this season, were dominant. He threw for 288 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He rushed for 229 yards and two touchdowns. He nearly became the second person in the history of college football to pass for 300 yards and rush for 200 yards in a single game.

Adjectives are becoming difficult to come by when it comes to Manziel, a player only die-hard Aggie fans knew in early August when fall workouts began. Now he’s the main man in college football. And Aggie fans get at least two more years of him, since Manziel can’t turn pro until after his junior year.

A magical season
Manziel and the Aggies went into college football’s toughest conference, the SEC, won 11 games and beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Manziel should enjoy it as much as the law will allow, because next season could be much different.

The Aggies will no longer be able to protect Manziel from the media’s glare. The Aggies’ rule that doesn’t allow freshmen to do interviews goes out the window. There will be demands on Manziel’s time next season that will make the last month look like a stroll at the Galleria.

There are now sky-high expectations in Aggieland.

There are expectations now in Aggieland. In fact, they’re sky-high. The Aggies looked like legit national championship contenders as they destroyed the Sooners.

It wasn’t just Manziel. The defense kept a lid on the Sooners, shutting them out in the second half. The Aggies are going to be a trendy national championship pick, which ratchets up expectations.

Finally, every SEC defensive coordinator has a year’s worth of film on Manziel and will spend the next eight months looking for ways to slow him down. That wasn’t easy in 2012. He proved about as elusive as a ringtail in Palo Duro Canyon during tourist season.

The story's not finished yet
Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart is getting ready for Notre Dame next week. But you know he can’t wait to get another crack at Manziel.

The beauty of Manziel’s season was that it came out of nowhere and seemed to have a purity of competition that is sometimes lacking in college football. If Manziel were leaving Aggieland tomorrow for the NFL, it would be a perfect ending.

But he’s not, and the stars don’t always align for Heisman winners who come back for more.

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow won a national championship after winning the Heisman Trophy. USC quarterback Matt Leinart reached the national championship game after he won the Heisman, but his Trojans lost to Texas. Sam Bradford returned for as a senior after winning the Heisman and played three games in an injury-riddled season.

For now, it’s high cotton for Manziel. But next season we’ll find out just how special Johnny Football really is. If he gets better, the Aggies may be celebrating more than a Cotton Bowl victory.

Think BCS. Think Pasadena.

That’s the potential power of Johnny Football.

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for the win

Cheer on these Texans competing for Team USA in the 2026 Winter Olympics

Amber Glenn, 2026 Winter Olympics figure skater from Plano

teamusa.com/

Plano's famous figure skater Amber Glenn is on the roster.

The XXV Winter Olympic Games, also known as the Milano Cortina 2026, are right around the corner, running February 6-22 in northern Italy. Out of the 2,900 athletes who will participate in this year's Games, 232 will represent the U.S., with four hailing from the Lone Star State.

North Texans will recognize two local athletes in particular: Ice hockey player Hannah Bilka, who grew up in Coppell, and Plano's record-breaking figure skater Amber Glenn. Another figure skater, Emily Chan, also has ties to Dallas-Fort Worth.

To catch these Texas-born athletes in the 2026 Winter Olympics, viewers can tune in to NBC and its affiliate networks, websites, and apps (like Peacock).

Without further ado, these are the Winter Olympians competing for Team USA with roots in Texas. (Note that there are other athletes with Texas ties, like Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars, who are competing in the Olympics but aren't considered Texans.)

Hannah Bilka, 24
Sport: Ice hockey
Texas tie: Bilka grew up in Coppell and is the youngest of four children. At age six, she followed in the footsteps of her older brother, Anthony, and started playing hockey. Due to a "lack of girls’ hockey teams in Texas," she grew up playing hockey with boys.
Fun facts: She won the 2024 National Championship in women’s ice hockey with the Ohio State Buckeyes, the same university where she earned a master's degree in sport management. Her two older sisters, Christina and Stephanie, were figure skaters.
When to watch: The women's ice hockey preliminary round begins on Thursday, February 5. The women's bronze and gold medal matches will take place on Thursday, February 19.

Hannah Bilka, 2026 Winter Olympics hockey player Hannah Bilka is one of two North Texans competing in this year's Games.Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Emily Chan, 28
Sport: Pairs figure skating
Texas tie: Chan hails from Pasadena, a Houston-area suburb in Harris County, but she also calls Dallas home. She graduated from Texas Online Preparatory School as the valedictorian.
Fun facts: She loves to cook, bake, make jewelry, and dreams of opening her own café in the future. Her longtime skating partner, Spencer Akira Howe, is from Los Angeles. They both relocated to train at the Skating Club of Boston in 2019, where Chan now coaches young figure skaters. Chan is also pursuing a family and marriage counseling degree from Grand Canyon University.
When to watch: The figure skating "team event" kicks off on Friday, February 6. The pairs figure skating competition begins on Wednesday, February 16.

Emily Chan, 2026 Winter Olympics figure skater In addition to being a top-notch figure skater, Emily Chan is also trained in Chinese modern dance and ballet.teamusa.com/

Amber Glenn, 26
Sport: Singles figure skating
Texas tie: She was born in Plano, and started skating at just five years-old.
Fun facts: Glenn is a mental health advocate and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. She came out as pansexual in 2019. She loves to play Magic: The Gathering, and her dog, Uki, is named after stalking shadow card Ukkima. She also enjoys anime and Star Wars. On Friday, May 29, Glenn will visit Allen during the 2026 Stars on Ice Tour.
When to watch: The figure skating "team event" kicks off on Friday, February 6. The women's singles free skate competition begins Thursday, February 19.

Amber Glenn, figure skating Plano's Amber Glenn will have the Dallas-Fort Worth crowd on its feet. Facebook/ISU

Boone Niederhofer, 32
Sport: Bobsledding
Texas tie: Niederhofer grew up in San Antonio, and later became a wide receiver at Texas A&M University. His father, Dan, played football for Abilene Christian University. Niederhofer and his family previously lived in Midland .
Fun facts: Niederhofer has a degree in petroleum engineering and worked in Texas' oil and gas industry while competing in bobsledding competitions.
When to watch: The bobsled competition begins on Sunday, February 15. The men's two-man heat will take place on Tuesday, February 17, and the men's four-man heat is scheduled for Sunday, February 22.

Boone Niederhofer, 2026 Winter Olympics bobsledder Boone Niederhofer is a former Texas A&M University football player.Photo courtesy of Getty Images

winter olympics olympics texas amber glenn figure skating