Winning One for Wile E.

    Oklahoma State didn’t expect to have much of a fight put up against them when the Roadrunners of the University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA) came strolling into the house that Pickens built. UTSA, who was without their starting quarterback, was going up against an OSU team that was also missing their starter under center. J.W. Walsh is out for possibly another game, but that is yet to be determined. After Daxx Garman put up an impressive performance against Missouri State, he took off right where he left, and threw for 315 yards, 2 touchdowns, and threw not a single interception. This stat line led the Pokes to an easy 43-13 victory that left the OSU fan base singing the praises of Garman. Heck, the way the Cowboys beat up on the Roadrunners, it was enough to even bring a smile to the face of Wiley Coyote! But with that being said, has the quarterback controversy in Stillwater ended?

   The simple answer to that question is: NO.  Though Garman has been spectacular with his efficiency and care of the ball when he possesses it, (see Florida State game where Walsh fumbled away an OSU chance at victory) who is to say that J.W. wouldn’t have put up the same numbers, or better, against a team with such low offensive production? Wait, what does the UTSA offense have to do with the OSU offense? Well, if the offense is so terrible, that means there are a lot of 3-and-outs for the Roadrunners, and that means more time of ball possession for the Pokes unless UTSA decided to run the ball a bunch. So what did UTSA decide to do with no starting quarterback and knowing their opponent was far superior? They ran the ball 6 more times than they threw it, and ended up with just over a 1 minute more than the Cowboys when it came to time of possession. Even with that being said, there is still no solid evidence supporting the statements made by local media, that Garman is the foreseeable starter for the Cowboys heading into their conference opener against Texas Tech. With the week off, this gives time for Walsh to heal, and that’s only going to fuel the fire to the controversy.

   All in all, the Cowboys did what they were supposed to do when it came to the thrashing of UTSA, and most people believed OSU would be 2-1 heading into the Texas Tech game. The Red Raiders, who proved that they can’t stop the run at all when they got demolished by the Arkansas Razorbacks this past week, 49-28, look like they are in for another tough matchup. The Cowboys finally got their starting running back, Desmond Roland, back into the lineup against a UTSA defense that is ranked 68^th in the country (OSU is at 61^st) and had 2 touchdowns to go along with 95 yards rushing. Roland will look to be a key asset in OSU’s offensive attack when they face the Red Raiders. Expect the Cowboys to run the ball a lot, and rely on Garman or Walsh to convert some critical 3^rd downs.  Until we find out what OSU coach, Mike Gundy, is going to decide when it comes to the quarterback position, it’s just another thing to think about as the Pokes look forward to their conference opener on September 25^th against Texas Tech.