Game Preview: Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. South Alabama Jaguars
The Oklahoma State Cowboys are set to play their third non-conference game, which is the final one before Big 12 play begins, and they're going to roll out three quarterbacks once again.
If the pattern that Week 1 and Week 2 saw continues, Gunnar Gundy will receive the start with relief from Garret Rangel, allowing Alan Bowman to close out the game.
Last week, Bowman had a solid passing game, racking up 113 passing yards while completing 11 of his 16 passes. Though he didn't find the end zone through the air, which the other two quarterbacks did, having a quarterback capable of moving the ball to close the game is a positive sign, given that the Cowboys are only seven-point favorites.
Having the oldest quarterback be able to close a game that is on upset watch is always a good idea, and, luckily, the quarterback carousel fell that way.
There is a way the Cowboys can avoid that situation all the way, however. The Cowboys were able to win the second half of their Week 2 matchup 17-0. Both Rangel and Gundy were able to throw for a touchdown, but they didn't do all the work.
The run game opened up after rushing for zero yards in the first half. The ball moved much easier once the run game started finding success. Building off that momentum will be huge for the Cowboys, as they have the chance to put together two successful halves on the ground.
The Jaguars' run defense is solid, though, as it ranked No. 5 in the nation last year. Their entire defense ranked No. 26 in the nation last season. Things look a bit different this year, but the run defense remains firm.
Fortunately for the Cowboys, their defense found a groove in the second half against Arizona State. Again, they'll have to build off that momentum. The secondary will have to be aggressive in making open-field tackles.
Check out our staff score predictions.
Starting the game off by both securing tackles and moving the ball on the ground will be important to the Cowboys taking care of business over the Jaguars ahead of Big 12 play.
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