2023 Cotton Bowl Classic (January)

2023 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
2023 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
87th Cotton Bowl Classic
Tulane Green Wave	USC Trojans
(11–2)	(11–2)
AAC	Pac-12
46	45
Head coach: ; Willie Fritz	Head coach: ; Lincoln Riley
Date	January 2, 2023
Season	2022
Stadium	AT&T Stadium
Location	Arlington, Texas
MVP	Offensive: Tyjae Spears (RB, Tulane); Defensive: Dorian Williams (LB, Tulane);
Favorite	USC by 2.5
Referee	Steve Marlowe (SEC)
Attendance	55,329
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN
Announcers	Mark Jones (play-by-play), Robert Griffin III (analyst), and Quint Kessenich (sideline)
International TV coverage
Network	ESPN Deportes
Announcers	Javier Trejo Garay and Ramiro Pruneda
Cotton Bowl Classic
< 2021	2023 (Dec.) >

The 2023 Cotton Bowl Classic was a college football bowl game played on January 2, 2023, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The 87th annual Cotton Bowl Classic, the game featured two teams selected at-large by the College Football Playoff selection committee — Tulane from the American Athletic Conference and USC from the Pac-12 Conference. The game began at 12:00 p.m. CST^[5] and was aired on ESPN.^[6] It was one of the 2022–23 bowl games concluding the 2022 FBS football season. Sponsored by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, the game was officially known as the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

Teams

The game featured at-large teams selected by the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee. Tulane qualified as the highest-ranked team from the Group of Five conferences.

This was the fourth meeting between the two teams and their first since 1946; USC led the all-time series, 2–1.^[7] One of their meetings came in the 1932 Rose Bowl, where USC defeated Tulane to win the national championship. This was USC's third Cotton Bowl, they were 1–1 in previous appearances. This was Tulane's first Cotton Bowl.

Tulane Green Wave

Tulane played to a 10–2 regular-season record (7–1 in conference). They faced two ranked teams, defeating Cincinnati and losing to UCF. Their only other loss was to Southern Miss. The Green Wave qualified for the AAC Championship Game, where they defeated a ranked UCF in a rematch. Tulane entered the Cotton Bowl with an 11–2 overall record.

USC Trojans

USC compiled an 11–1 record during the regular season (8–1 in conference). Their only loss was to Utah in mid-October. In addition to Utah, USC faced ranked teams UCLA and Notre Dame, defeating the latter two. The Trojans qualified for the Pac-12 Championship Game, where they lost to Utah in a rematch. USC entered the Cotton Bowl with an overall 11–2 record.

Game summary

USC had a lead of 14–0 that quickly evaporated, but led 28–14 at halftime. The game tightened again in the second half but USC kicked a field goal with just 4:30 left in the game to extend their lead to 45–30. Tulane responded by taking just 23 seconds to cut the lead to 45–37, and then registered a safety with 3:20 left to cut the lead to 45–39. Tulane then converted a pair of fourth downs on a 12-play, 66-yard drive, scoring the winning touchdown with just 9 seconds left in the game.^[8] With 4:30 remaining in the game and a 15-point lead, USC's win probability stood at 99.8%.^[9]

2023 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 16 Tulane	0	14	16	16	46
No. 10 USC	7	21	7	10	45

at AT&T Stadium • Arlington, Texas

Date: Monday, January 2, 2023
Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Indoor
Game attendance: 55,329
Referee: Steve Marlowe
TV announcers (ESPN): Mark Jones (play-by-play), Robert Griffin III (analyst), and Quint Kessenich (sideline)
Box score

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	Tulane	USC
1	5:58	17	75	9:02	USC	Michael Jackson III 9-yard touchdown reception from Caleb Williams, Denis Lynch kick good	0	7
2	12:33	12	95	5:13	USC	Terrell Bynum 3-yard touchdown reception from Caleb Williams, Denis Lynch kick good	0	14
2	9:30	8	75	3:03	Tulane	Tyjae Spears 3-yard touchdown run, Valentino Ambrosio kick good	7	14
2	5:42	2	92	0:50	Tulane	Jha'Quan Jackson 87-yard touchdown reception from Michael Pratt, Valentino Ambrosio kick good	14	14
2	2:21	6	75	3:21	USC	Raleek Brown 39-yard touchdown run, Denis Lynch kick good	14	21
2	0:12	6	68	1:07	USC	Brenden Rice 4-yard touchdown reception from Caleb Williams, Denis Lynch kick good	14	28
3	11:55	7	76	3:05	Tulane	Tyjae Spears 7-yard touchdown run, Valentino Ambrosio kick good	21	28
3	4:02	7	40	3:06	Tulane	42-yard field goal by Valentino Ambrosio	24	28
3	1:24	5	97	2:38	USC	Brenden Rice 19-yard touchdown reception from Caleb Williams, Denis Lynch kick good	24	35
3	0:40	3	65	0:44	Tulane	Tyjae Spears 3-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed	30	35
4	12:09	7	47	3:31	USC	Kyron Hudson 4-yard touchdown reception from Caleb Williams, Denis Lynch kick good	30	42
4	4:30	11	46	6:16	USC	43-yard field goal by Denis Lynch	30	45
4	4:07	2	63	0:23	Tulane	Tyjae Spears 4-yard touchdown run, Valentino Ambrosio kick good	37	45
4	3:20				Tulane	Austin Jones tackled in end zone for a safety by Patrick Jenkins	39	45
4	0:09	12	66	3:11	Tulane	Alex Bauman 6-yard touchdown reception from Michael Pratt, Valentino Ambrosio kick good	46	45
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							46	45

With the win, Tulane finished their season with an overall 12–2 record, a 10-win improvement over their prior season—the biggest single-season improvement in NCAA football history.^[10]

Statistics

Team statistical comparison^[5]
Statistic	Tulane	USC
First downs	16	29
First downs rushing	9	6
First downs passing	6	22
First downs penalty	1	1
Third down efficiency	3–8	11–15
Fourth down efficiency	2–2	2–2
Total plays–net yards	52–539	84–594
Rushing attempts–net yards	34–305	32–132
Yards per rush	9.0	4.1
Yards passing	234	462
Pass completions–attempts	8–18	37–52
Interceptions thrown	0	1
Punt returns–total yards	0–0	1–1
Kickoff returns–total yards	6–146	5–67
Punts–average yardage	2–43.0	0–0
Fumbles–lost	1–1	2–0
Penalties–yards	4–30	5–37
Time of possession	20:11	39:49

Tulane statistics^[5]
Green Wave passing
	C–A	Yds	TD–INT
Michael Pratt	8–17	234	2–0
Team	0–1	0	0–0
Green Wave rushing
	Car	Yds	TD
Tyjae Spears	17	205	4
Michael Pratt	15	83	0
Shaadie Clayton-Johnson	1	19	0
Team	1	-2	0
Green Wave receiving
	Rec	Yds	TD
Jha'Quan Jackson	1	87	1
Duece Watts	2	83	0
Alex Bauman	3	46	1
Tyjae Spears	1	14	0
Reggie Brown	1	4	0

USC statistics^[5]
Trojans passing
	C–A	Yds	TD–INT
Caleb Williams	37–52	462	5–1
Trojans rushing
	Car	Yds	TD
Raleek Brown	6	61	1
Austin Jones	22	61	0
Caleb Williams	4	10	0
Trojans receiving
	Rec	Yds	TD
Brenden Rice	6	174	2
Tahj Washington	5	109	0
Mario Williams	6	35	0
Michael Jackson III	4	31	1
Terrell Bynum	3	26	1
Raleek Brown	2	24	0
Kyron Hudson	4	23	1
Austin Jones	4	20	0
Kyle Ford	2	19	0
John Jackson III	1	3	0
Caleb Williams	0	-2	0

References

^ "Tulane's Tyjae Spears Named 87th Classic J. Curtis Sanford Offensive MVP". cottonbowl.com. January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
^ Trainor, Emma (January 2, 2023). "Tulane's Dorian Williams Named 87th Classic Felix McKnight Defensive MVP". cottonbowl.com. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
^ Austro, Ben (December 4, 2022). "2022–23 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
^ "Javier Trejo Garay on Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "2023 Cotton Bowl Classic Final Stats" (PDF). Statbroadcast. January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
^ "2022 College Football Bowl Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
^ "Winsipedia - Tulane vs. USC". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
^ Gaydos, Ryan (January 2, 2023). "Tulane scores 16 points in under 5 minutes to shock USC at Cotton Bowl Classic". Fox News. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
^ "Tulane 46-45 USC (Jan 2, 2023) Box Score - ESPN". January 2, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
^ "Tulane seeks 10-win improvement vs. USC in Cotton Bowl". apnews.com. AP. January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.

[1] "Tulane's Tyjae Spears Named 87th Classic J. Curtis Sanford Offensive MVP". cottonbowl.com. January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.

[2] Trainor, Emma (January 2, 2023). "Tulane's Dorian Williams Named 87th Classic Felix McKnight Defensive MVP". cottonbowl.com. Retrieved January 3, 2023.

[refs-3] Austro, Ben (December 4, 2022). "2022–23 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. Retrieved December 16, 2022.

[4] "Javier Trejo Garay on Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved February 3, 2023.

[finalstats-5] "2023 Cotton Bowl Classic Final Stats" (PDF). Statbroadcast. January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023.

[6] "2022 College Football Bowl Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

[7] "Winsipedia - Tulane vs. USC". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 4, 2022.

[8] Gaydos, Ryan (January 2, 2023). "Tulane scores 16 points in under 5 minutes to shock USC at Cotton Bowl Classic". Fox News. Retrieved January 2, 2023.

[9] "Tulane 46-45 USC (Jan 2, 2023) Box Score - ESPN". January 2, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.

[10] "Tulane seeks 10-win improvement vs. USC in Cotton Bowl". apnews.com. AP. January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

v t e 2022–23 NCAA football bowl game season
Bahamas (Dec. 16) Cure (Dec. 16) Fenway (Dec. 17) Celebration (Dec. 17) Las Vegas (Dec. 17) LA (Dec. 17) LendingTree (Dec. 17) New Mexico (Dec. 17) Frisco (Dec. 17) Myrtle Beach (Dec. 19) Famous Idaho Potato (Dec. 20) Boca Raton (Dec. 20) New Orleans (Dec. 21) Armed Forces (Dec. 22) Independence (Dec. 23) Gasparilla (Dec. 23) Hawaii (Dec. 24) Quick Lane (Dec. 26) Camellia (Dec. 27) First Responder (Dec. 27) Birmingham (Dec. 27) Guaranteed Rate (Dec. 27) Military (Dec. 28) Liberty (Dec. 28) Holiday (Dec. 28) Texas (Dec. 28) Pinstripe (Dec. 29) Cheez-It (Dec. 29) Alamo (Dec. 29) Duke's Mayo (Dec. 30) Sun (Dec. 30) Gator (Dec. 30) Arizona (Dec. 30) Orange (Dec. 30) Sugar (Dec. 31) Music City (Dec. 31) ReliaQuest (Jan. 2) Citrus (Jan. 2) Cotton (Jan. 2) Rose (Jan. 2)
College Football Playoff games: Fiesta (Dec. 31) Peach (Dec. 31) National Championship Game (Jan. 9)
All-Star Games Hula Bowl (Jan. 14) Tropical Bowl (Jan. 21) NFLPA Collegiate Bowl (Jan. 28) East–West Shrine Bowl (Feb. 2) Senior Bowl (Feb. 4) HBCU Legacy Bowl (Feb. 25)

v t e Cotton Bowl Classic
History & conference tie-ins	History Cotton Bowl AT&T Stadium College Football Playoff Playoff at-large Group of Five
Games	1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 (January) 1966 (December) 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 (January) 2015 (December) 2017 (January) 2017 (December) 2018 2019 2020 2021 2023 (January) 2023 (December) 2025 (January) 2025 (December)
Notes	There was a Cotton Bowl Classic in January and December in 1966, 2015, 2017, 2023, 2025. The 2015 (December), 2018, 2021, and 2025 (January) editions were College Football Playoff semifinals.