Big 12 Power Rankings: Oklahoma State goes to 2-quarterback system

A popular refrain is a team with two quarterbacks truly has no quarterbacks.

Just don't tell that to Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy. He's fine with having starter Mason Rudolph and J.W. Walsh in the bullpen to help his team win games.

"I've never been a big fan of having two quarterbacks," Gundy said on Monday. "But it has worked for us so far this season and there is a need for that for this football team."

The last three games have seen the Cowboys make great rallies to pull out a trio of close-shave wins against Texas, Kansas State, and West Virginia.

On Saturday, Walsh came off the pine once again to spell Rudolph in a raucous Milan Puskar Stadium. Even though he won his eighth straight game as the starting quarterback, Rudolph threw three interceptions and was largely ineffective for much of the game, despite throwing for 437 yards the week before vs. Kansas State.

WVU was able to overcome a 15-point deficit to send the game into overtime. Enter Walsh. And enter the previously dormant running game. The Pokes made six straight runs in their first possession of the extra period, culminating in Walsh's two-yard TD plunge on a tricky fourth-and-goal.

"We changed our formation because, before that, West Virginia had stuffed our running game," Gundy said. "So we knew we needed something different. Once we got to fourth and less than two, a field goal was not an option. We felt that if we had kicked a field goal it would’ve just energized that stadium so we felt we had to score a touchdown to stop their momentum."

Rudolph is still his starting quarterback, having completed 63 percent of his throws for 1,892 yards so far this season. He also busted out a 40-yard scramble versus WVU.

"We have to try to keep Mason in the fold," Gundy said when asked about platooning his starter. "We have to keep it to where he feels like a layoff between series won't effect his play. We don't know if we have an answer for that but we're trying to avoid that situation."

Still, Gundy appears to love having a two-headed monster.

"There's no doubt that quarterbacks who can run and scramble and can run the read option are effective," Gundy said. "Sometimes running the ball is our best option for moving the team in the red zone, so we are willing to take that risk."

That system is working well for the Cowboys as they improved to 6-0 with the win. And yes, Gundy is fully aware that dates with TCU, Baylor, and Oklahoma come up in November.

Here's a look at how the Big 12 shakes down after Week 6 with the conference power rankings:

Big 12 Power Rankings

1. Baylor (last week: 2)
The Bears' string of glorified scrimmages will continue until they finish up with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and TCU. The highlight versus Kansas was seeing 6-foot-7, 410-pound LaQuan McGowan's TD catch.

2. TCU (last week: 1)

Another road game, another struggle for the Frogs. But they had 17 plays for 203 yards and held Kansas State to 17 plays for 40 yards in a furious fourth-quarter rally. Trevone Boykin gets a Heisman push.

3. Oklahoma State (last week: 4)
Is there a more exciting team in the nation? Three straight panic-time wins. Though this time, the Cowboys lost a 15-point lead before winning in overtime.

4. Texas Tech (last week: 6​)
Odd to praise the defense here but the Raiders got three interceptions and held Cyclones quarterback Sam Richardson to 10-of-21 and just 139 yards. OK, so the Texas Tech offense did have a program-high 776 total yards.

5. Oklahoma (last week: 3)
Sooner nightmare. The defense gave up 313 yards rushing and their offensive line surrendered six sacks, as Baker Mayfield was pressured relentlessly.

6. Kansas State (last week: 5)
Ouch. The upset bid comes up just short again. The Power Cats led 35-17 at halftime vs. No. 3 TCU, but bogged down when it mattered late.

7. West Virginia (last week: 7)
The Mountaineers out-gained OSU 444-to-362 but was felled by four turnovers, which led to 17 Cowboys points.

8. Texas (last week: 9)

A program-turning win? A blip on the radar? Either way, the look of relief on Charlie Strong's countenance was nearly as remarkable as his team's voracious pass rush versus Mayfield.

9. Iowa State (last week: 8)
Only good news was Mike Warren ran for 245 yards on 23 carries, his third straight 100-plus-yard game.

10. Kansas (last week: 10)
Ugh, poor woebegone Jayhawks. Injuries to their top two quarterbacks means freshman Ryan Willis will struggle versus Baylor.