Quarterback to Back: While OSU’s QB Situation Becomes Dire, Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson Is Hitting His Stride

Just when the Cowboys’ quarterback situation couldn’t get much worse, the football gods said, “Hold my drink.”

Oklahoma State finally made the switch from Alan Bowman to Garret Rangel ahead of the Pokes’ trip to BYU. Bowman had turned in four-straight games in which he’d had at least as many interceptions as touchdowns, some more. In those games he didn’t sniff 60% in pass completion either. It was time to give Rangel a shot.

Rangel’s impact on the offense against BYU seemed immediate. He completed six of nine passes for 51 yards and touchdown and picked up 77 yards on the ground but did throw an interception early in the second quarter. Unfortunately, Rangel went down with injury late in the second quarter and will now be out for some time. To add injury to insult, it was announced prior to kickoff that Zane Flores, the freshman QB who fans in BPS bleachers were chanting for a few weeks ago, was done for the year with a lower leg injury.

Bowman stepped back in and nearly willed the Cowboys to a win, but he again fell below 60% (though his 57.9% was his second-best outing on the year) and went one-to-one on picks to scores. He’s only managed a positive TD-to-INT ratio in two of his seven appearances this year. Things haven’t worked how anyone could have predicted it. Believe it or not Cowboy fans, Bowman is your QB, and he’s about to square off against one of the Big 12’s hottest quarterbacks fresh off the best game of his young career.

Before we dig into Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson, let’s take a look at the matchup as far as the stats are concerned.

Last Saturday, Baylor’s sophomore passer turned in an a five-touchdown performance without a pick in an impressive 59-35 win at Texas Tech. It was his third-straight game with at least three passing TDs, and it earned him Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and weekly honors from the folks in charge of both the Davey O’Brien, the Manning and the Earl Campbell Awards. His 83.8 QBR rating currently leads the Big 12. And he’s also a formidable run threat.

Robertson started four games last season but lost out to Toledo transfer Dequan Finn in fall camp. Finn was injured ahead of the Bears’ Week 3 matchup vs. Air Force, and Robertson led them to a 31-3 win. Both QBs were given the “or” treatment a week later ahead of Colorado, but Robertson got the nod and has held the reins ever since.

The Cowboys rank three spots higher than the Bears in passing offense (278 yards per game to 235), but you’ll have to do some foraging to cherry-pick many other offense stats that go the Cowboys’ way. They’re behind in scoring offense, rushing offense and passer rating. And very importantly, the Bears have a decided advantage when it comes to their quarterbacks keeping their paws on the football.

A major deciding factor in the Cowboys’ four losses has been turnovers, of which Bowman has been the main culprit. He’s responsible for nine of the Cowboys’ 11 total lost turnovers. In four straight games and counting, one of those picks has led directly to an opponent TD.

With all that said, Baylor’s QB situation has produced results that aren’t much different from the Cowboys’ hapless carousel. The Bears are just one full game ahead of the 0-4 Cowboys in the conference standings, locked in a six-way tie at 1-3. Robertson’s big game against the Red Raiders snapped Baylor’s own three-game skid. The Bears will move forward with Robertson because of hope for the future, and the Cowboys will move forward with Bowman because they have little choice.

But Bowman has been here before. He was the one at the reins when OSU rattled off five-straight wins last October and he led the Cowboys to an 8-2 finish, and to Arlington. Sure, Ollie Gordon went nuclear, but No. 0 looked more like his 2023 version in Provo than he has all season, another ray of hope for the optimistic Pokes fan. But so did Alan Bowman. Despite the pick, he led the Cowboys on three touchdown drives, including back-to-back TD possessions that culminated in a go-head passing score to Brennan Presley late in the fourth quarter.

They may not be playing for a ticket to Arlington, but the Cowboys can make the postseason for the 19th-straight season, keeping a historic bowl streak alive. And believe it or not, Cowboy fans, they do have the roster (including the quarterback) that can get them there.