Manziel puts on a show in Cotton Bowl rout

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ARLINGTON - Following a 24-yard scramble early against Oklahoma on Friday night, mesmerizing Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel sprang high in the air and slapped a teammate on his helmet in exultation.

Manziel's critics of his post-Heisman rendezvous of talk shows, NBA games and concerts might contend his whirlwind tour took a couple of inches off his vertical. But it took zero toll on his forward (and backward and side to side) movement – and that mattered most to the No. 10 Aggies in a 41-13 whipping of the No. 12 Sooners in the Cotton Bowl on Friday in Cowboys Stadium.

"This is the first A&M team to win 11 games in a long time," a triumphant A&M first-year coach Kevin Sumlin said. "I couldn't be prouder of this coaching staff and this football team."

Manziel, in his first game since winning the Heisman Trophy on Dec. 8, and then enjoying the fruits of his labor for nearly the next month, rushed for 229 yards before 87,025 fans, second largest crowd in Cotton Bowl history.

"He's an amazing player and a great leader," A&M offensive lineman Jake Matthews said. "I'm glad to have him on my team."

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) and his teammates hoist the Cotton Bowl trophy after beating Oklahoma. Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) and his teammates hoist the Cotton Bowl trophy after beating Oklahoma. Photo: Nick De La Torre, Staff Photo: Nick De La Torre, Staff Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Manziel puts on a show in Cotton Bowl rout 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Manziel's rushing total set an FCS record and school record for a quarterback in a bowl game. The Aggies also set a Cotton Bowl record with 633 total yards against a befuddled Sooners defense. Manziel accounted for 516 all-purpose yards.

"It's tough," Sooners coach Bob Stoops said of defending Manziel. "Not only throwing the football, but what he does with his feet is incredibly difficult to handle."

A&M's win also gave plenty of ammunition to those who argue had the Aggies (11-2) stuck around in the Big 12 for at least one more season, they would've contended for the national title. The Aggies, who blew out the Big 12 co-champions in OU, lost their two games in the Southeastern Conference to Florida and LSU by a combined eight points.

Meanwhile OU (10-3), which only lost to Notre Dame and Kansas State, hammered former A&M rival Texas 63-21 in mid-October in Dallas. A&M and OU both entered the season's final game unbeaten away from their respective home stadiums, and with five-game winning streaks.

The Aggies, who'd lost their last six Cotton Bowls, prevailed in the contest for the first time since a 35-10 triumph over Notre Dame following the 1987 season. A&M also became the fourth team in program history to win at least 11 games, and the first since the 1998 Big 12 champions.

The Aggies busted open a 14-13 halftime lead by scoring three touchdowns in the third quarter while holding OU scoreless in the second half. A&M scored twice in the first eight minutes of the third quarter on a 7-yard touchdown run by Ben Malena and a 30-yard touchdown sprint by Trey Williams.

The final dagger occurred on a fourth-and-5 with 3:55 remaining in the third quarter, and with A&M leading by two touchdowns at 27-13. Aggies kicker Taylor Bertolet was coming off a missed extra point on the previous possession, and Sumlin chose to go for it from the OU 33-yard line.

Manziel connected with Ryan Swope on a short pass across the middle, and the swift senior did the rest, in outrunning the Sooners secondary into the end zone.

Sumlin also earned the victory over one of his mentors, Bob Stoops, for whom he served as an assistant from 2003-07. OU quarterback Landry Jones had entered the season as a Heisman candidate, and wrapped up his career as the Big 12's all-time passing and total yards leader. But he was no match for Manziel on the season and in the game, and Jones lost his first bowl game in four tries.

A&M starting defensive end Julien Obioha missed the contest with an undisclosed injury, intensifying the pressure on fellow end Damontre Moore, a junior who was playing in his final college game after declaring for the NFL draft. Moore and the defense, guided by first-year defensive coordinator Mark Snyder, responded splendidly, especially in the second half in limiting OU to zero points.

The four quarters also served as a heck of an audition for A&M running backs coach Clarence McKinney, who called the plays following the departure of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, the new head coach at Texas Tech.

A&M won consecutive bowl games for the first time since 1989 and '90, in wins over Pittsburgh and BYU in the Sun and Holiday bowls, respectively.