OSU’s Alan Bowman Again Falters Versus Kansas State
One week after being benched, seventh-year quarterback Alan Bowman again failed to come up big for the Cowboys as they lost to Kansas State Saturday, 42-20.
For the second straight week, Bowman couldn’t find rhythm, completing 26 of 50 passes for 364 yards, one touchdown and two tough interceptions.
The team fell to 3-2 on the year, with both losses coming against ranked Big 12 opponents.
In his second contest of the year against Tulsa, Bowman saw one of the best performances of his career, offering hope in the form of 396 passing yards and five touchdowns through the air.
The very next week, though, he completed just 16 of 33 passes for 206 yards with two interceptions against then-No. 12 Utah, with most of that production coming late in the fourth. Garret Rangel, OSU’s redshirt sophomore QB who saw limited snaps last year, replaced Bowman for several series, failing to put up much offense himself.
The blame isn’t shouldered squarely on Bowman. The line hasn’t looked as advertised, and Ollie Gordon II — the team’s prized running back who finished top-seven in the Heisman just a season ago — has yet to re-find his production. But without the team’s leader firing on all cylinders, it’s been hard for the Cowboys to find offensive synergy early enough to keep them in games against tough ranked opponents.
Bowman will look to bounce back against unranked West Virginia next week on Oct. 5. It remains to be seen whether Mike Gundy and the Cowboys will make another quarterback change, but it could make sense with the team’s Playoffs hopes faltering, and Bowman in his final year of eligibility.
If OSU does pivot, it could be Rangel, or redshirt freshman Zane Flores.
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Derek is co-founder of All Pokes and publisher for Draft Digest and Inside The Thunder for Fan Nation, powered by Sports Illustrated. He has been a sports writer in the Oklahoma market for five years now covering a variety of sports over the course of his career.