For the first time in its long history, the Cotton Bowl will be played in primetime. Fox is using this game as a dry run for the Super Bowl next month as the Cotton Bowl and the Super Bowl are being played in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX. The Jerry Jones Mahal will have plenty of opportunities for Fox to experiment tonight. Pat Summerall will voice the open and be seen during pregame with a vignette and an interview with Jim Brown.
Here are the details of Fox’s coverage tonight.
FOX SPORTS TURNS ON FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS:COTTON BOWL CLASSIC MAKES PRIME TIME DEBUTLegendary Pat Summerall Joins Expanded Pregame Coverage;Rules Analyst Mike Pereira Added To BoothLos Angeles, CA – The SEC and Big 12 Conferences send two of its best to battle in a prime time showdown this Friday, Jan. 7, on FOX as the 10th ranked LSU Tigers invade Cowboys Stadium to take on the 18th ranked Texas A&M Aggies in the 75th Cotton Bowl Classic. Coverage begins at 8:00 PM ET marking the first time ever that the Cotton Bowl is being played in primetime.“We believe we have one of the best and most exciting match-ups of the entire bowl season,” said FOX Sports President Eric Shanks. “Our commitment is to provide the Cotton Bowl broadcast and its competing universities with a level of production that equals or surpasses any bowl game on television.”Legendary broadcaster Pat Summerall lends his renowned voice to the game’s opening tease, vignettes and enhancements and offers his most memorable moments in this prestigious bowl game’s storied history as part of FOX Sports’ expanded pregame coverage. He also interviews Jim Brown, one of the greatest running backs in football history and a member of the inaugural class of the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame. The Syracuse running back will be on hand for the coin flip prior to kick-off.FOX Sports’ Chris Rose hosts the special extensive pregame coverage live from field level at Cowboys Stadium. He is joined by analysts John Lynch, a former All-America safety at Stanford and future NFL Hall-of-Famer, and former University of Tennessee defensive back Charles Davis. Following kick-off, Davis and Lynch contribute during the game broadcast as field analysts/sideline reporters and return for postgame analysis and interviews with Rose.FOX Sports’ rules analyst Mike Pereira joins veteran play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert and former Dallas Cowboys great Daryl Johnston in the booth to offer his unique perspective of the game. Best known for his expertise from his tenure as VP of officiating for the NFL, Pereira spent 14 years officiating college football. He worked nine years in the Big West Conference (1982-91) followed by five years in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) (1992-96). During that time, Pereira officiated eight postseason Bowl Games including the Cotton Bowl Classic and Aloha Bowl twice each, Citrus Bowl, Gator Bowl, Holiday Bowl and Freedom Bowl.FOX Sports has been the television home of the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic since 1999.A crowd of over 80,000 is expected when LSU faces the Aggies in the 50th meeting of the two storied programs. “The atmosphere at Cowboys Stadium will be electric and we are looking forward to capturing every moment,” Shanks added.This rivalry dates back to 1899 when the Aggies posted a 52-0 victory in College Station, but the two square off for the first time since 1995. This is LSU’s fifth trip to the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic (2-1-1) and its 42nd overall bowl appearance. Texas A&M is making its 12th trip to the Cotton Bowl and first since 2005.Larry Lancaster produces FOX Sports’ coverage of the 2011 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. Derek Manning directs. Don Bui produces all pregame and postgame coverage. Bill Brown is the Senior Producer of FOX Sports. David Hill, Ed Goren and Eric Shanks are the Executive Producers of FOX Sports.
More stuff coming up.
