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OKLAHOMA STATE FOOTBALL | ORANGE-WHITE GAME
The longest completion was a 17-yard pass to tight end Josh Ford over the middle. The game was void of dazzling throws and acrobatic runs.
Is there immediate concern? Should a panic button be pressed in Stillwater?
Not in Mike Gundy’s mind.
“The same thing you guys saw, what I’ve been telling you has been gone on for three weeks, is they’re all out there playing pretty good. So it gave you guys a chance to see what I’ve been seeing and you’ve been asking me about. I think that’s what we saw today,” Gundy said after the game, which consisted of a split squad playing three 15-minute periods of live football.
Zane Flores, Hauss Hejny, Garret Rangel and Maealiuaki Smith shared 87 offensive snaps. The quartet combined for 24-of-36 passing for 195 yards with plays not called by offensive coordinator Doug Meacham — Gundy wanted assistant coaches to get an opportunity to script plays in the Orange team’s 14-10 win over the White squad.
The roster splits also resulted in little cohesion on the offensive line, which led to blocking busts.
In the end, this could be considered one of 15 spring practices, except this one was played in front of an estimated 2,500 fans who braved the elements of a cold, rainy afternoon.
It’s understandable that Gundy will play things close to the vest when breaking down the quarterback competition. But what about Auburn transfer and wide receiver Sam Jackson V, who opened scoring with an 80-yard punt return?
Jackson is a former quarterback at TCU and Cal, so he has a good grasp at the position.
“Hauss was at TCU. He’s kind of played like he can run and get himself out of some situations. He’s a little younger too. But Garret, he’s the one who’s gonna sit in that pocket and just find out where to get it to,” Jackson said. “But you got Zane and (Maealiuaki Smith), too. And as you can see today, they were throwing (the ball) around.
“Honestly, I can’t really pick. I’ve been going with all, all for him, because we haven’t really done like one, two, threes. Obviously, that’s how spring goes. But I’ve been going with them all, and I love them all.”
That’s what makes spring football big and, more importantly, the offseason.
All the quarterbacks have had to learn new offensive coordinator Doug Meacham’s system. Hejny has a head start after spending last year at TCU with Meacham.
Flores was sacked four times against the defense, but it’s almost unfair to read too much into that because of the offensive line issues. Rangel showed his scrambling abilities on a long run, while Smith continues to mature as a player.
Gundy was asked about Smith’s growth but his answer could be generic to all four quarterbacks.
“Just the understanding of the offense, of what we’re trying to do. When I say that, it’s very similar to what we do now and what we used to do with Meach,” Gundy said, referring to the offensive coordinator’s first stint on OSU’s staff. “Quarterback’s a big part of what we do in this system, always has been, and his understanding of what to do and when to do it is important.”
Flores was 8-of-15 passing for 60 yards and had the game’s only interception on a Hail Mary attempt on the final play. Smith was 6-of-10 for 54 yards, Rangel 5-of-6 for 48 while Hejny was 5-of-5 for 33.
There’s plenty of time between now and the Aug. 28 season opener against UT Martin.
So what does Jackson think Meacham is looking for in a starting quarterback?
“You want someone who can pass. You know, there’s a lot of (quarterbacks here) who can throw the ball deep and throw it hard and stuff like that, but I think out of those four guys, all four of them can put touch on it and get it to the spot,” Jacksons said. “(Meacham) wants that accuracy, and he wants the quarterback to be able to (roll out) when a pocket does break down, get out and make plays. He’s pretty hard on the quarterbacks.
“And then you got Kevin Johns, a quarterback coach who is super-detailed. So our guys at quarterback are super detailed. They’re learning a lot. They’re definitely learning like they never played before.
“You know what? I mean, that’s how he teaches our guys — like he wants to start from the base, and then he wants to get to the more complicated stuff. So I think whoever starts out of the four, they’ll be well prepared.”
Orange 14, White 10
Orange 7 7 0 — 14
White 7 3 0 — 10
First quarter
Orange: Jackson V 80 punt return (Shrum kick)
White: Smith 1 1 run (Panikowski kick)
White: Panikowski 25 FG
Second quarter
Orange: Fields Jr. 74 run (Shrum kick)
RUSHING: Fields 4-92; Howland 7-33; Vailahi 10-32; Hicks 9-16; Rangel 1-8; Smith 8-2; Freeman 1-2; Hejry 4-(minus-4); Flores 7-(minus-33).
PASSING: Flores 8-15-0-1-60; Smith 6-10-0-0-54; Rangel 5-6-0-0-48; Hejny 5-5-0-0-33.
RECEIVING: Lofton 4-24; Fields 3-22; Freeman 3-32; Hicks 3-21; Vailahi 3-14; Capell 2-16; Ford 1-17; Powell 1-16; Rigby 1-16; Andrews 1-6; Monney 1-6; Pearson 1-5.
OKLAHOMA STATE FOOTBALL | ORANGE-WHITE GAME
OSU's quarterback quandary: Spring game offers little insight to close, heated competition
- Eric Bailey
- Apr 19, 2025 Updated 11 hrs ago
The longest completion was a 17-yard pass to tight end Josh Ford over the middle. The game was void of dazzling throws and acrobatic runs.
Is there immediate concern? Should a panic button be pressed in Stillwater?
Not in Mike Gundy’s mind.
“The same thing you guys saw, what I’ve been telling you has been gone on for three weeks, is they’re all out there playing pretty good. So it gave you guys a chance to see what I’ve been seeing and you’ve been asking me about. I think that’s what we saw today,” Gundy said after the game, which consisted of a split squad playing three 15-minute periods of live football.
Zane Flores, Hauss Hejny, Garret Rangel and Maealiuaki Smith shared 87 offensive snaps. The quartet combined for 24-of-36 passing for 195 yards with plays not called by offensive coordinator Doug Meacham — Gundy wanted assistant coaches to get an opportunity to script plays in the Orange team’s 14-10 win over the White squad.
The roster splits also resulted in little cohesion on the offensive line, which led to blocking busts.
In the end, this could be considered one of 15 spring practices, except this one was played in front of an estimated 2,500 fans who braved the elements of a cold, rainy afternoon.
It’s understandable that Gundy will play things close to the vest when breaking down the quarterback competition. But what about Auburn transfer and wide receiver Sam Jackson V, who opened scoring with an 80-yard punt return?
Jackson is a former quarterback at TCU and Cal, so he has a good grasp at the position.
“Hauss was at TCU. He’s kind of played like he can run and get himself out of some situations. He’s a little younger too. But Garret, he’s the one who’s gonna sit in that pocket and just find out where to get it to,” Jackson said. “But you got Zane and (Maealiuaki Smith), too. And as you can see today, they were throwing (the ball) around.
“Honestly, I can’t really pick. I’ve been going with all, all for him, because we haven’t really done like one, two, threes. Obviously, that’s how spring goes. But I’ve been going with them all, and I love them all.”
That’s what makes spring football big and, more importantly, the offseason.
All the quarterbacks have had to learn new offensive coordinator Doug Meacham’s system. Hejny has a head start after spending last year at TCU with Meacham.
Flores was sacked four times against the defense, but it’s almost unfair to read too much into that because of the offensive line issues. Rangel showed his scrambling abilities on a long run, while Smith continues to mature as a player.
Gundy was asked about Smith’s growth but his answer could be generic to all four quarterbacks.
“Just the understanding of the offense, of what we’re trying to do. When I say that, it’s very similar to what we do now and what we used to do with Meach,” Gundy said, referring to the offensive coordinator’s first stint on OSU’s staff. “Quarterback’s a big part of what we do in this system, always has been, and his understanding of what to do and when to do it is important.”
Flores was 8-of-15 passing for 60 yards and had the game’s only interception on a Hail Mary attempt on the final play. Smith was 6-of-10 for 54 yards, Rangel 5-of-6 for 48 while Hejny was 5-of-5 for 33.
There’s plenty of time between now and the Aug. 28 season opener against UT Martin.
So what does Jackson think Meacham is looking for in a starting quarterback?
“You want someone who can pass. You know, there’s a lot of (quarterbacks here) who can throw the ball deep and throw it hard and stuff like that, but I think out of those four guys, all four of them can put touch on it and get it to the spot,” Jacksons said. “(Meacham) wants that accuracy, and he wants the quarterback to be able to (roll out) when a pocket does break down, get out and make plays. He’s pretty hard on the quarterbacks.
“And then you got Kevin Johns, a quarterback coach who is super-detailed. So our guys at quarterback are super detailed. They’re learning a lot. They’re definitely learning like they never played before.
“You know what? I mean, that’s how he teaches our guys — like he wants to start from the base, and then he wants to get to the more complicated stuff. So I think whoever starts out of the four, they’ll be well prepared.”
Orange 14, White 10
Orange 7 7 0 — 14
White 7 3 0 — 10
First quarter
Orange: Jackson V 80 punt return (Shrum kick)
White: Smith 1 1 run (Panikowski kick)
White: Panikowski 25 FG
Second quarter
Orange: Fields Jr. 74 run (Shrum kick)
RUSHING: Fields 4-92; Howland 7-33; Vailahi 10-32; Hicks 9-16; Rangel 1-8; Smith 8-2; Freeman 1-2; Hejry 4-(minus-4); Flores 7-(minus-33).
PASSING: Flores 8-15-0-1-60; Smith 6-10-0-0-54; Rangel 5-6-0-0-48; Hejny 5-5-0-0-33.
RECEIVING: Lofton 4-24; Fields 3-22; Freeman 3-32; Hicks 3-21; Vailahi 3-14; Capell 2-16; Ford 1-17; Powell 1-16; Rigby 1-16; Andrews 1-6; Monney 1-6; Pearson 1-5.
