'I’m just excited about being back there': OSU returning to Fiesta Bowl 10 years later, gets to face Notre Dame
STILLWATER — There was a time early in his Oklahoma State coaching tenure that Mike Gundy wanted to schedule a home-and-home series with Notre Dame, but the timing couldn’t be worked out.
Instead, the Cowboys and Fighting Irish will meet on the football field for the first time in the Fiesta Bowl.
The ninth-ranked Cowboys (11-2) will face fifth-ranked Notre Dame (11-1) at noon on New Year’s Day at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
“I think it’s cool,” Gundy said on Sunday, a few hours after the bowl announcement was made. “It’s gonna bring a lot of national recognition.
“Years ago, we tried to work out a series, but what I was told is that Notre Dame has been booked up for a long, long time, so it never worked out. I thought it would be great for our fans to be able to play a home-and-home with Notre Dame.”
Gundy was already on the road recruiting on Sunday, a day after his Cowboys fell to Baylor in the Big 12 championship game, and saw not only their conference title hopes, but their College Football Playoff chances evaporate in a 21-16 defeat.
More: Five things to know about the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who will face Oklahoma State in Fiesta Bowl
While the coaches hit the recruiting trail for the next few days, the current players get to rest and reset their minds, and Gundy expects to get them back next weekend refreshed with the Baylor defeat behind them.
“This is a mature group,” Gundy said. “They’ve handled themselves the right way. They compete each week. We just came up a little short yesterday.
“These guys are fun to coach. They take care of themselves. They enjoy the game. They like the X’s and O’s. They like the grind of it. I’d like to play a lot more games with this team. They’re fun to be around. They’ve made my job enjoyable every day. They’re a special group, and they were in a lot of pain yesterday after the game, and that’s the way you want it to be.
“When we get back together on Friday or Saturday, they’ll be in a good frame of mind. We have enough leaders to get it rolling. And they’ll be excited about playing Notre Dame.”
The Fighting Irish suffered their only loss, to Cincinnati, on Oct. 2, and have been a staple in the top-10 since that point, despite falling short of the four-team College Football Playoff.
“We’re gonna be playing a really talented team,” Gundy said. “The committee voted them fifth, so they were just right on the verge of being in the playoff.”
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OSU is making its fifth trip to a New Year’s Six bowl game since 2010, having played in the Cotton Bowl in 2010 and 2014, the Fiesta Bowl in 2012 and the Sugar Bowl in 2016.
The Cowboys are making their 16th consecutive bowl appearance, which is the sixth-longest active streak in the nation. OSU has won four of its last five bowl games.
This will be its third appearance in the Fiesta Bowl, with previous trips coming in 1974, a 16-6 win over BYU, and 2012, a 41-38 overtime victory against Stanford.
Gundy has fond memories of the game on New Year’s Day of 2012, which capped the Cowboys’ Big 12 title season of 2011.
“I remember it being a fantastic trip,” Gundy said. “It’s an unbelievable atmosphere out there. You play in a beautiful stadium. The weather’s terrific. The practice facilities, they took great care of us.
“That was a battle of two really good teams. I’m just excited about being back there again.”
“I think it’s a tribute to our organization, to our culture and to our staff to be back in the Fiesta Bowl 10 years later.”
Fiesta Bowl
OSU VS. NOTRE DAME: Noon Saturday, Jan. 1, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (ESPN)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football to face Notre Dame in Fiesta Bowl
