ARLINGTON, Texas – The No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1, 8-2 Big Ten Conference) spent part of its Christmas morning on the practice field at AT&T Stadium as the Big Ten representatives for the 88th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic continued to unwrap its gameplan for Friday's showdown with the No. 9 Missouri Tigers.

Ohio State is making its third appearance at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. The Buckeyes are 2-0 in their previous appearances including a 28-12 win over Texas A&M in the 51st Classic in 1987 and a 24-7 win over USC in the 82nd Classic at the conclusion of the 2017 season.

This matchup between the two programs marks the 13th all-time meeting between Ohio State and Missouri and the first since the Buckeyes defeated Mizzou 35-14 in the 1998 regular season. The Buckeyes are 10-1-1 all-time against the Tigers. The two programs have never met in a bowl game.

"We had our typical 'Tuesday' practice today which is one of our longer, more physical practices of game week. I liked our energy." said Day. "I'd like to wish holiday greetings to all. While it can be difficult to be away from home on Christmas, our football family is a tight-knit one and we have enjoyed celebrating this holiday together."

Ohio State has 11 wins this season, but is looking to rebound after its lone loss of the season, a 30-24 defeat against archrival Michigan. Coach Day says while the Buckeyes came up just short of a College Football Playoff berth, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic presents an opportunity for this year's senior class to help set the tone for future Ohio State teams.

"I think the margin is so tiny and so when you come up short it hurts, but I think about the players," said Day. "And like X (Xavier Johnson) said, the sacrifice, the hard work. Everything that goes on from January, when you restart a season, all the way until the end. For it to come down to a play or two, we know that that's what the game is all about. But that doesn't take it away from these guys and the legacy they're leaving behind to their teammates.

"But like X said, this game, winning the Cotzton Bowl means a lot to the people of Ohio. It means a lot to Ohio State. It means a lot to our team to win this game and do it the right way. And so that's what we're going to do this week."

The 88th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is Friday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN and ESPN Radio. Kickoff is slated for 7:10 p.m. This year's Classic is a part of the ESPN bowl lineup for the 10th straight year. Dave Pasch and Dusty Dvoracek are set to the call the action from the booth with Tom Luginbill reporting from the sidelines. 

ESPN Radio returns as the Classic's national radio partner for the tenth consecutive year with Brad Sham and Kirk Morrison in the booth and Taylor McGregor on the sidelines to describe all the action from AT&T Stadium.

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