Oklahoma State QB Battle Still Undecided Through Two Games

Oklahoma State has managed a 2-0 start to the season, yet the clarity of its quarterback situation has made little progress, if any.

Under Mike Gundy, the Cowboys are no strangers to playing multiple quarterbacks to decide the season’s starter. OSU’s three-quarterback situation, however, is unorthodox.

A player like Alan Bowman, who has been playing college football since 2018, could often win the battle based solely on his experience. Along with the other two quarterbacks, Bowman has played well at times but has not shown enough to run away with the starting job.

Completing 60% of his passes, Bowman has thrown for the most yards of any quarterback on the Cowboys with 193 this season. However, with 40 pass attempts in 2023, he has just as many throws as Garret Rangel (24) and Gunnar Gundy (16) combined.

Although Bowman has been given more opportunities to air it out, Gundy and Rangel have done more with their attempts. At 8.6 yards per attempt, Gundy leads the Cowboys. Rangel follows him with 6.8, then Bowman finishes last at 4.8.

Getting more yardage is not the only advantage the young quarterbacks have on Bowman. With two touchdown throws from Rangel and one from Gundy, they are the only quarterbacks to put OSU in the endzone this season.

Having only three passing touchdowns through two games, including a matchup with an FCS squad, is part of a larger concern for OSU. With two 27-point outings, OSU ranks ahead of only Iowa State and Baylor in scoring average among Big 12 teams.

Some of the Cowboys’ scoring troubles can be attributed to their struggling rushing game, but ultimately, the quarterback is the most important position on the field, especially at OSU. As no quarterback has stood out thus far, coach Gundy appears committed to allowing all three to play until a final decision is made.

“So if they come in and sit down and say, ‘Coach, how come I didn’t get to play in this game based on what happened in game one and two?’” Gundy said. “You have to have a good reason for that.”

Through two games, those “good reasons” have not materialized. As the Cowboys head into Saturday’s game against South Alabama, they need those reasons to come to light quickly, or they may start conference play without a clear leader under center.

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