2015 Cotton Bowl Classic (December): Difference between revisions

2015 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
2015 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
CFP Semifinal; 80th Cotton Bowl Classic
Michigan State Spartans	Alabama Crimson Tide
(12−1)	(12−1)
Big Ten	SEC
0	38
Head coach: ; Mark Dantonio	Head coach: ; Nick Saban
Date	December 31, 2015
Season	2015
Stadium	AT&T Stadium
Location	Arlington, Texas
MVP	QB Jake Coker (Alabama); CB Cyrus Jones (Alabama)
Favorite	Alabama by 10
Referee	Mike Defee (Big XII)
Attendance	82,812
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN/ESPN Radio
Announcers	Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Heather Cox, and Tom Rinaldi (ESPN) Brad Sham, Danny Kanell and Ian Fitzsimmons (ESPN Radio)
Nielsen ratings	(18.5 Million viewers)
Cotton Bowl Classic
< 2015 (Jan.)	2017 >
2 vs. 3 Seed CFP Semifinal Game
< 2015 Rose	2016 Fiesta >

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The 2015 Cotton Bowl Classic was a college football bowl game played on December 31, 2015 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The 80th Cotton Bowl Classic was a College Football Playoff semifinal between Alabama and Michigan State with the winner to compete in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship. It was one of the 2015–16 bowl games that concluded the 2015 FBS football season.

The game was broadcast on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio and XM Satellite Radio. It was sponsored by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and was officially known as the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

Alabama defeated Michigan State 38–0 and later won the National Championship by defeating Clemson in the National Championship game.^[2]

Teams

The Cotton Bowl acted as one of the two College Football Playoff semifinal games. The two teams selected for the game were No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Michigan State.^[3] Michigan State returned to the Cotton Bowl after defeating Baylor in a non-playoff version of the bowl game on January 1, 2015.^[4]^[5] Michigan State became just the third school in history to play in the same bowl twice in a calendar year, joining Auburn, which played in the Gator Bowl on January 1 and December 31, 1954, and Oklahoma, which played in the Sugar Bowl on January 1 and December 31, 1972.

The game was a rematch of the 2011 Capital One Bowl, where Alabama defeated Michigan State 49–7.^[6]

Game summary

After Oklahoma lost to Clemson 17–37 in the Orange Bowl Semifinal, Michigan State was throttled by Alabama 38–0.^[7] A tight first half saw Alabama take a 10–0 lead into half time. Near the end of the second quarter, Michigan State had its best drive of the night, but all-time winningest MSU quarterback, Connor Cook, was intercepted by Cyrus Jones. Alabama scored a touchdown on the opening possession of the second half and MSU turned the ball over on its first possession. Alabama could not capitalize on the turnover, but did return MSU's next punt for a touchdown, putting the game out of reach at 24–0 with a little over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. MSU's offense could not muster any points and were held to a total of 249 yards. Cook finished the night with zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

Alabama went on to defeat Clemson 45–40 for the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship.^[8]

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	MICH ST	ALA
2	5:36	6	80	2:38	ALA	Derrick Henry 1-yard touchdown run, Adam Griffith kick good	0	7
2	1:25	7	43	2:39	ALA	47-yard field goal by Adam Griffith	0	10
3	10:36	9	75	4:24	ALA	Calvin Ridley 6-yard touchdown reception from Jake Coker, Adam Griffith kick good	0	17
3	3:24	-	-	-	ALA	Punt returned 57 yards for touchdown by Cyrus Jones, Adam Griffith kick good	0	24
3	2:20	1	50	0:09	ALA	Calvin Ridley 50-yard touchdown reception from Jake Coker, Adam Griffith kick good	0	31
4	7:52	3	69	0:09	ALA	Derrick Henry 11-yard touchdown run, Adam Griffith kick good	0	38
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							0	38

Statistics

Statistics^[1]	Michigan State	Alabama
First Downs	5	21
Total offense, plays - yards	65–193	66–440
Rushes-yards (net)	26–29	35–154
Passing yards (net)	188	286
Passes, Comp-Att-Int	19–39–2	25–31–0
Time of Possession	27:04	32:56

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "2015 Cotton Bowl Classic: Michigan State vs. Alabama Stats". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
^ "Alabama routs Michigan State to reach College Football Playoff final". Retrieved September 20, 2016.
^ "Playoff bound: MSU ranked No. 3 to play Alabama in Cotton Bowl". December 6, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
^ "No. 7 Michigan State stuns No. 4 Baylor 42-41 in Cotton Bowl". Retrieved September 20, 2016.
^ "Cotton Bowl History, Scores, Results". www.collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
^ "Cotton Bowl by the numbers: Alabama, Michigan State meet in CFP semifinals". Retrieved September 20, 2016.
^ "Michigan State vs. Alabama - Game Recap - December 31, 2015 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
^ "Alabama vs. Clemson - Game Recap - January 11, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 20, 2016.

[Stats-1] "2015 Cotton Bowl Classic: Michigan State vs. Alabama Stats". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved December 31, 2015.

[2] "Alabama routs Michigan State to reach College Football Playoff final". Retrieved September 20, 2016.

[3] "Playoff bound: MSU ranked No. 3 to play Alabama in Cotton Bowl". December 6, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2016.

[4] "No. 7 Michigan State stuns No. 4 Baylor 42-41 in Cotton Bowl". Retrieved September 20, 2016.

[5] "Cotton Bowl History, Scores, Results". www.collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved September 20, 2016.

[6] "Cotton Bowl by the numbers: Alabama, Michigan State meet in CFP semifinals". Retrieved September 20, 2016.

[7] "Michigan State vs. Alabama - Game Recap - December 31, 2015 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 20, 2016.

[8] "Alabama vs. Clemson - Game Recap - January 11, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 20, 2016.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
 {{Infobox NCAA football yearly game
-| Game Name          = Cotton Bowl Classic
+| game_name          = Cotton Bowl Classic
-| Optional Subheader = CFP Semifinal<br>80th Cotton Bowl Classic
+| subheader = CFP Semifinal<br>80th Cotton Bowl Classic
-| Title Sponsor      = Goodyear
+| title_sponsor      = Goodyear
-| Image              = [[File:2015CottonBowl.png|200px]]
+| image              = [[File:2015CottonBowl.png|200px]]
-| Caption            =
+| caption            =
-| Date Game Played   = December 31
+| date_game_played   = December 31
-| Year Game Played   = 2015
+| year_game_played   = 2015
-| Football Season    = 2015
+| football_season    = 2015
-| Stadium            = [[AT&T Stadium]]
+| stadium            = [[AT&T Stadium]]
-| City               = [[Arlington, Texas]]
+| city               = [[Arlington, Texas]]
-| Visitor School     = Michigan State University
+| visitor_school     = Michigan State University
-| Visitor Name Short = Michigan State
+| visitor_name_short = Michigan State
-| Visitor Nickname   = Spartans
+| visitor_nickname   = Spartans
-| Visitor Record     = 12−1
+| visitor_record     = 12−1
-| Visitor Conference = [[Big Ten Conference|Big Ten]]
+| visitor_conference = [[Big Ten Conference|Big Ten]]
-| Visitor AP         = 3
+| visitor_rank_AP         = 3
-| Visitor Coaches    = 4
+| visitor_rank_coaches    = 4
-| Visitor CFP        = 3
+| visitor_rank_CFP        = 3
-| Visitor Coach      = [[Mark Dantonio]]
+| visitor_coach      = [[Mark Dantonio]]
-| Visitor1           = 0
+| visitor_1q           = 0
-| Visitor2           = 0
+| visitor_2q           = 0
-| Visitor3           = 0
+| visitor_3q           = 0
-| Visitor4           = 0
+| visitor_4q           = 0
-| Home School        = University of Alabama
+| home_school        = University of Alabama
-| Home Name Short    = Alabama
+| home_name_short    = Alabama
-| Home Nickname      = Crimson Tide
+| home_nickname      = Crimson Tide
-| Home Record        = 12−1
+| home_record        = 12−1
-| Home Conference    = [[Southeastern Conference|SEC]]
+| home_conference    = [[Southeastern Conference|SEC]]
-| Home AP            = 2
+| home_rank_AP            = 2
-| Home Coaches       = 2
+| home_rank_coaches       = 2
-| Home CFP           = 2
+| home_rank_CFP           = 2
-| Home Coach         = [[Nick Saban]]
+| home_coach         = [[Nick Saban]]
-| Home1              = 0
+| home_1q              = 0
-| Home2              = 10
+| home_2q              = 10
-| Home3              = 21
+| home_3q              = 21
-| Home4              = 7
+| home_4q              = 7
-| Odds               = Alabama by 10
+| odds               = Alabama by 10
 | MVP                = QB [[Jake Coker]] (Alabama)<br/>CB [[Cyrus Jones]] (Alabama)
-| Anthem             =
+| anthem             =
-| Halftime           =
+| halftime           =
-| Referee            = Mike DeFee ([[Big 12 Conference|Big XII]])<ref name="Stats" />
+| referee            = Mike Defee ([[Big 12 Conference|Big XII]])<ref name="Stats" />
+| attendance         = 82,812<ref name="Stats" />
-| Attendance         = 82,812<ref name="Stats">{{cite web|url=http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=112002|title=2015 Cotton Bowl Classic: Michigan State vs. Alabama Stats|publisher=Stat Broadcast|access-date=2015-12-31}}</ref>
-| Payout             =
+| payout             =
-| US Network         = [[ESPN College Football|ESPN]]/[[ESPN Radio]]
+| us_network         = [[ESPN College Football|ESPN]]/[[ESPN Radio]]
-| US Announcers      = [[Chris Fowler]], [[Kirk Herbstreit]], [[Heather Cox]], and [[Tom Rinaldi]] (ESPN)
+| us_announcers      = [[Chris Fowler]], [[Kirk Herbstreit]], [[Heather Cox]], and [[Tom Rinaldi]] (ESPN)
 [[Brad Sham]], [[Danny Kanell]] and [[Ian Fitzsimmons]] (ESPN Radio)
-| Ratings            = (18.5 Million viewers)
+| ratings            = (18.5 Million viewers)
-| Intl Network       =
+| intl_network       =
-| Intl Announcers    =
+| intl_announcers    =
-| Different Previous = [[2015 Cotton Bowl Classic (January)|2015 (Jan.)]]
+| different_previous = [[2015 Cotton Bowl Classic (January)|2015 (Jan.)]]
-| Different Next = [[2017 Cotton Bowl Classic (January)|2017]]
+| different_next = [[2017 Cotton Bowl Classic (January)|2017]]
-| Navigation 2       = [[College Football Playoff|2 vs. 3 Seed CFP Semifinal Game]]
+| navigation_2       = [[College Football Playoff|2 vs. 3 Seed CFP Semifinal Game]]
-| Different Previous 2 = [[2015 Rose Bowl|2015 Rose]]
+| different_previous_2 = [[2015 Rose Bowl|2015 Rose]]
-| Different Next 2   = [[2016 Fiesta Bowl (December)|2016 Fiesta]]
+| different_next_2   = [[2016 Fiesta Bowl (December)|2016 Fiesta]]
 }}
 The '''2015 Cotton Bowl Classic''' was a [[college football]] [[bowl game]] played on December 31, 2015 at [[AT&T Stadium]] in [[Arlington, Texas]]. The 80th [[Cotton Bowl Classic]] was a [[College Football Playoff]] semifinal between [[2015 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]] and [[2015 Michigan State Spartans football team|Michigan State]] with the winner to compete in the [[2016 College Football Playoff National Championship]]. It was one of the [[2015–16 NCAA football bowl games|2015–16 bowl games]] that concluded the [[2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2015 FBS football season]].
@@ Line 67: / Line 68: @@
 ==Game summary==
-After [[2015 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma]] lost to [[2015 Clemson Tigers football team|Clemson]] 17–37 in the [[2015 Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl Semifinal]], Michigan State was throttled by Alabama 38–0.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=400852732|title=Michigan State vs. Alabama - Game Recap - December 31, 2015 - ESPN|website=ESPN.com|access-date=2016-09-20}}</ref> A tight first half saw Alabama take a 10–0 lead into half time. Near the end of the second quarter, Michigan State had its best drive of the night, but all-time winningest MSU quarterback, [[Connor Cook]], was intercepted by [[Cyrus Jones]]. Alabama scored a touchdown on the opening possession of the second half and MSU turned the ball over on its first possession. Alabama could not capitalize on the turnover, but did return MSU's next punt for a touchdown, putting the game out of reach at 24–0 with a little over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. MSU's offense could not muster any points and were held to a total of 249 yards. Cook finished the night with zero touchdowns and two interceptions.
+After [[2015 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma]] lost to [[2015 Clemson Tigers football team|Clemson]] 17–37 in the [[2015 Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl Semifinal]], Michigan State was throttled by Alabama 38–0.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=400852732|title=Michigan State vs. Alabama - Game Recap - December 31, 2015 - ESPN|website=ESPN.com|access-date=2016-09-20}}</ref> A tight first half saw Alabama take a 10–0 lead into half time. Near the end of the second quarter, Michigan State had its best drive of the night, but all-time winningest MSU quarterback, [[Connor Cook]], was intercepted by [[Cyrus Jones]]. Alabama scored a touchdown on the opening possession of the second half and MSU turned the ball over on its first possession. Alabama could not capitalize on the turnover, but did return MSU's next punt for a touchdown, putting the game out of reach at 24–0 with a little over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. MSU's offense could not muster any points and were held to a total of 249 yards. Cook finished the night with zero touchdowns and two interceptions.
-Alabama would go on to defeat Clemson 45–40 for the [[2016 College Football Playoff National Championship]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=400852743|title=Alabama vs. Clemson - Game Recap - January 11, 2016 - ESPN|website=ESPN.com|access-date=2016-09-20}}</ref>
+Alabama went on to defeat Clemson 45–40 for the [[2016 College Football Playoff National Championship]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=400852743|title=Alabama vs. Clemson - Game Recap - January 11, 2016 - ESPN|website=ESPN.com|access-date=2016-09-20}}</ref>
 ===Scoring summary===
@@ Line 169: / Line 170: @@
 ===Statistics===
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
-! Statistics<ref name="Stats" /> !! style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Michigan State Spartans|border=0|color=white}};"|Michigan State !! style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Alabama Crimson Tide|border=0|color=white}};"|Alabama
+! Statistics<ref name="Stats">{{cite web|url=http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=112002|title=2015 Cotton Bowl Classic: Michigan State vs. Alabama Stats|publisher=Stat Broadcast|access-date=2015-12-31}}</ref> !! style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Michigan State Spartans|border=0|color=white}};"|Michigan State !! style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Alabama Crimson Tide|border=0|color=white}};"|Alabama
 |-
 | First Downs || 5 || 21
@@ Line 198: / Line 199: @@
 [[Category:2015–16 College Football Playoff]]
 [[Category:Cotton Bowl Classic]]
-[[Category:Alabama Crimson Tide football bowl games|2015]]
+[[Category:Alabama Crimson Tide football bowl games]]
-[[Category:Michigan State Spartans football bowl games|2015]]
+[[Category:Michigan State Spartans football bowl games]]
 [[Category:2015 in sports in Texas|Cotton Bowl Classic]]
 [[Category:21st century in Arlington, Texas]]

v t e 2015–16 NCAA football bowl game season
New Mexico (Dec. 19) Las Vegas (Dec. 19) Camellia (Dec. 19) Cure (Dec. 19) New Orleans (Dec. 19) Miami Beach (Dec. 21) Famous Idaho Potato (Dec. 22) Boca Raton (Dec. 22) Poinsettia (Dec. 23) GoDaddy (Dec. 23) Bahamas (Dec. 24) Hawaii (Dec. 24) St. Petersburg (Dec. 26) Sun (Dec. 26) Heart of Dallas (Dec. 26) Pinstripe (Dec. 26) Independence (Dec. 26) Foster Farms (Dec. 26) Military (Dec. 28) Quick Lane (Dec. 28) Armed Forces (Dec. 29) Russell Athletic (Dec. 29) Arizona (Dec. 29) Texas (Dec. 29) Birmingham (Dec. 30) Belk (Dec. 30) Music City (Dec. 30) Holiday (Dec. 30) Peach (Dec. 31) Outback (Jan. 1) Citrus (Jan. 1) Fiesta (Jan. 1) Rose (Jan. 1) Sugar (Jan. 1) TaxSlayer (Jan. 2) Liberty (Jan. 2) Alamo (Jan. 2) Cactus (Jan. 2)
College Football Playoff games: Orange (semifinal) (Dec. 31) Cotton (semifinal) (Dec. 31) National Championship Game (Jan. 11)
All-Star Games: East–West Shrine Game (Jan. 23) NFLPA Collegiate Bowl (Jan. 23) Senior Bowl (Jan. 30)

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.

v t e College Football Playoff
Overview	New Year's Six College Football Playoff National Championship
Games	2014 (Rose Bowl Sugar Bowl National Championship) 2015 (Orange Bowl Cotton Bowl Classic National Championship) 2016 (Peach Bowl Fiesta Bowl National Championship) 2017 (Rose Bowl Sugar Bowl National Championship) 2018 (Orange Bowl Cotton Bowl Classic National Championship) 2019 (Peach Bowl Fiesta Bowl National Championship) 2020 (Rose Bowl Sugar Bowl National Championship) 2021 (Orange Bowl Cotton Bowl Classic National Championship) 2022 (Peach Bowl Fiesta Bowl National Championship) 2023 (Rose Bowl Sugar Bowl National Championship) 2024 (Fiesta Bowl Peach Bowl Rose Bowl Sugar Bowl Orange Bowl Cotton Bowl Classic National Championship)
Other	List of College Football Playoff games CFP National Championship Trophy NCAA Division I FBS champions Mythical national championship Power Four conferences
Championship games for each season are played in January, as well as the Rose Bowl semifinal and the Sugar Bowl semifinal