Young Gundy helps rescue OSU offense

STILLWATER—Many Oklahoma State University fans were anxious during fall drills about which of the quarterbacks would start Saturday’s season opener against Central Arkansas.

While the Cowboys managed to find some life late to preserve a 27-13 victory, it took a good amount of time before anyone wearing orange was comfortable.

The more pressing concern should have been the offensive line which showed little improvement over the spring and fall drills as the Cowboys struggled to open holes for backs or provide protection for the three quarterbacks who took the field during the first three quarters before a sellout crowd at Boone Pickens Stadium.

Garett Rangel got the start and did throw a touchdown pass late in the first quarter but after that he was ineffective.

Alan Bowman was next on the field and while he hit a few completions he ended up missing his final nine passes as the Cowboys had to settle for a pair of field goals to nurse a 13-0 lead into halftime.

And, when those two failed Gunnar Gundy came on late in the third quarter and was unable to move the team on his first series.

By that time the Bears had found some life in their offense and marched for a 95-yard touchdown drive that left the large home crowd a bit nervous.

The problems were also evident on defense as the Cowboys were unable to get a consistent pass rush allowing dangerous Will McElvain to have time to find receivers and with dangerous speedsters running free in the Cowboys’ secondary it was a tough matchup for the outmanned OSU secondary that was beaten time after time for chunk plays.

McElvain had completed 19-of-27 for 198 yards and a touchdown after just three quarters and the Bears had rushed for 106 more yards.

But just when it looked like the Bears might make a push at the lead the OSU defense got a stop but the bad news was Gundy and the offense had to start at its own 7-yard-line.

That’s when the former Stillwater quarterback flashed some signs of brilliance in leading the Cowboys 93 yards to paydirt, the payoff coming on an Elijah Collins TD run from 17 yards away. Alex Hale toed the conversion and the remaining OSU fans could relax a bit with 10:38 left in the game.

Another stop by the defense and this time young Gundy led the Cowboys on a 78-yard touchdown drive including a dandy 39-yard strike to Jayden Bray to get the drive deep into UCA territory and finally put serious pressure on the Bears’ defense.

Gundy had back-to-back runs to move the ball from the 23 to the 2-yard-line where Ollie Gordon got the payoff to really stretch the lead at 27-7.

So, just what happened on those late possessions? Maybe the Bears’ defensive front was getting gassed even though game temperatures were rather mild for a September evening.

It was obvious that something changed and OSU fans can only hope that the offensive line started to find a groove in the fourth quarter.

What will be interesting is to see who starts at quarterback next week when the Cowboys jet to Tempe, Ariz., to face Arizona State. After what we saw last night it’s hard not to put Gundy into that mix.

Sooners impressive

Earlier Saturday in Norman, Oklahoma had little trouble routing Arkansas State behind a 19-of-22 passing effort from Dillon Gabriel that accounted for 308 yards and two touchdowns, all in the first half of OU’s 73-0 victory.

It was Oklahoma’s largest victory margin in a season opener since 1917 and it left the visiting coach impressed to say the least.

“There was a marked difference with this football team than what we saw on video,” Arkansas State coach Butch Jones said. “They’re tough. They’re physical. I thought they out-athleted us. The speed differential is probably the most glaring I’ve probably seen in my career.”

Gabriel also ran for a score in the first half to help Oklahoma take a 45-0 lead. The Sooners gained 437 yards before the break while holding Arkansas State to 106.

Oklahoma freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold, a consensus five-star recruit, played most of the second half. He completed all 11 of his passes for 114 yards and a touchdown and ran for 39 yards and another score on his 19th birthday.

The Sooners dominated the war in the trenches and that was a clear indication this was going to be a long day for the visitors.

It will be interesting to see how the Sooners will fare against SMU Saturday at 5 p.m. in Norman. The Mustangs should have a better offense but still expect the Sooners to be heavy favorites again. A road trip to Cincinnati on Sept. 23 may be the toughest early test for the Sooners.