Who should Oklahoma State football start at QB? Let's make the case for all three Cowboys
Scott WrightJacob UnruhThe Oklahoman
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy twice posed the question to the media on Monday, asking not which quarterback he should choose as the starter, but what reason would justify the other two not deserving to be the starter.
There’s no doubt it’s a difficult question based on what can be seen in games from outsiders with no actual knowledge of the calls and reads being made. And obviously, Gundy and his staff have a few extra days of practice in between by which to judge the players as well, entering Saturday's 6 p.m. contest against South Alabama at Boone Pickens Stadium, broadcast on ESPN+.
But based on the eight possessions each that the quarterbacks have played so far — minus one for Garret Rangel, who only kneeled to run out the clock in his final possession against Arizona State — here are the cases to be made for each of the three players.
The case for Alan Bowman
Wright: People will look at his stats or his quarterback rating compared to the other two and make judgments, but here’s an equally important number to reflect what Bowman has faced: the Cowboys have rushed for 19 yards on 13 carries during his eight possessions this season. That’s 1.5 yards per carry. He has operated with a reliable level of efficiency, given he has had no run game to speak of. He looked strong running the up-tempo offense against Central Arkansas and his comfort level seemed to rise at Arizona State.
Unruh: An excellent point. But I'll look past the stats at an important aspect about Bowman: His veteran presence. A guy with this much experience commanding the offense could be crucial, especially if the offensive line fails to find consistency. Saturday was his 17th career start and he looked better than he did in the opener, improving his completion percentage. He also was aided by receivers not dropping the football.
The case for Garret Rangel
Unruh: Rangel has an interesting case. He's played one less drive than the others simply because he closed Saturday's win and the final drive was kneeling out the clock. But he had to sit a long time between playing. He started the opener and left in the second quarter. He did not return until the fourth quarter at Arizona State. With all of that said, Rangel has looked the most comfortable to me. He's taken a huge leap from last season when he mostly looked like a true freshman. His completion percentage is up 16%. And I was really impressed with his decision making against Central Arkansas, throwing the football away when needed. A year ago, he would not have done that.
Wright: Rangel’s improvement since last year is stark. He could’ve gone the other way, had his confidence destroyed and fallen apart after being thrust into such a difficult situation. But he responded with resiliency. He must’ve done something special to earn the start in the opener, so that bodes well for him. But his consistency and command of the offense have been dramatically better this year, and while he’s thrown the only interception of the season, that clearly wasn’t on him, after a defensive lineman busted through and hit him as he was throwing.
The case for Gunnar Gundy
Wright: Honestly, Gundy’s improvement might be more drastic than Rangel’s, considering where he was when we had last seen him on the field against Iowa State last year. He has thrust himself into this conversation, and he has run the offense efficiently. To be fair, the run game has been more productive for him than for the other two, but he can only do what he can do when he’s on the field. And he’s operating quickly and cleanly with the ball in his hands, completing 75% of his passes for 138 yards and a touchdown.
Unruh: Fans will point to OSU's rushing attack picking up steam every time Gundy is in the game as reason enough to name him the starter. But that's not enough of a reason. What makes Gundy the winner is his 11.5 yards per completion, which is the best of the trio. Gundy isn't throwing it as much — he's attempted 16 passes compared to 24 by Rangel and 40 by Bowman — but he's more efficient when he does throw the football. Plus, you have to be impressed with how he's worked his way into this battle behind a huge August when nobody outside of the program was sure he'd even be in the mix.
