Quarterback to Back: Previewing the Matchup Between OSU’s Alan Bowman and TCU’s Josh Hoover

It comes down to this. The Cowboys need to win out to keep from spoiling a nearly two-decade bowl streak while the hosting Horned Frogs, at 5-4, can become bowl eligible with a win.

Oklahoma State heads to Fort Worth for a must-win game (if there is such a thing this season) at 6 p.m. Saturday, and captaining the Cowboys will be Alan Bowman on his own swan song. On the opposite sideline, TCU has a promising sophomore in Josh Hoover, who seems to just be hitting his stride.

There is a chance we see Maealiuaki Smith, who made his debut last weekend captaining one drive, albeit one that ended in the end zone. But with Mike Gundy being noncommittal when asked about Smith, and given his track record, it’s fairly safe to assume Bowman at least gets the nod to start.

Before we dig into the differences in this weekend’s two quarterbacks, let’s see how they stack up when it comes to the stats.

Hoover is coming off maybe his best career game despite a loss. His 333 yards, three total TDs and 74% completion rate were almost enough to secure the Frogs’ third-straight win. Hoover led his team on an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive to tie things up late. With just under two minutes to go, he found Jack Bech, the Big 12’s No. 2 receiver, for a 24-yard touchdown. Unfortunately, Baylor had enough time on the clock to manage a walk-off field goal for the win.

Still, it was Hoover’s most efficient game thus far, and the Horned Frogs didn’t turn the ball over for only the second time in the last six games. TCU ranks last in the league in lost TOs.

Hoover is not necessarily a threat to break loose for a big run or two per series, but he does have the ability to beat you with his feet at the goal line. His season high is 10 yards on the ground, but he’s got four more rushing TDs than Bowman, as the table shows. Along with those extra points on the ground, Hoover does bring some baggage. His six lost fumbles lead the FBS. Those turnovers do even the scale a bit between he and Bowman, who has thrown an interception in his last eight games. Turnovers are big in any game, but these two have the propensity to be careless with the ball.

While Bowman is coming down to the final three or four games of his career, Hoover does seem to be hitting his stride. If we prescribe to Gundy’s rule of 15 games, Hoover enters this weekend fully formed as a QB, with that Baylor loss being start No. 15. But all the Cowboys are concerned with is breaking their six-game skid, getting out of Fort Worth with a win and keeping their bowl streak alive. To do that, they’ll need Bowman to raise his level of play, and a turnover or two from Hoover couldn’t hurt the cause.