JOHN TRANCHINA
Associated Press
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is sticking with Daxx Garman at quarterback in the wake of a lopsided loss at TCU.
Garman threw two interceptions in Saturday’s 42-9 loss to the Horned Frogs. The rout sent the Cowboys tumbling out of the Top 25, while TCU moved up to No. 10.
Oklahoma State (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) gained just 258 yards and failed to score a touchdown for the first time in 59 games. But Gundy insisted Monday there were positives coming out of the game.
“I think part of my responsibility right now is not to panic,” he said. “I don’t like losing, but I like when there’s fight, and I don’t like to give the game away. We didn’t give the game away Saturday, they kicked our butt. But we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.
“We have good, young men that are willing to do it. We just got to keep moving forward.”
Next up for Oklahoma State is No. 22 West Virginia, which is coming off a big victory against Baylor. Gundy made it clear that Garman would be behind center against the Mountaineers.
Garman was 10 for 25 for 132 yards against TCU. He has thrown for 1,493 yards and 10 touchdowns with seven interceptions in six games in his first extensive action in five years.
“He played OK, we didn’t give him much of a chance,” Gundy said of Garman, a junior who transferred from Arizona in 2012. “We have to evaluate Daxx and where he’s at and the reason he’s not performing on offense. There’s not any reason now to say that we need to replace the quarterback. We’ve got issues, and it’s not just him. He’s played OK for where he’s at in his career.”
Gundy also pointed out that former starting quarterback J.W. Walsh, who injured his right foot in the Cowboys’ second game of the year, probably won’t be back this season.
“I don’t think he can come back,” Gundy said. “He gets out of his cast or whatever he’s in this week, but I don’t think he’ll be back.”
Oklahoma State has been hurt by its inexperienced offensive line, which features three first-time starters. The running game has averaged just 3.7 yards per attempt this season.
“We have to run the ball. If we don’t run the ball a little better than we did Saturday, and protect, then it’s hard for him to operate,” Gundy said of Garman. “We actually blocked pretty good in the run game at TCU, so we made some strides there. If we can improve in certain areas, improve in those basics of our offense, it will allow our quarterback to play a little better, and it opens up more plays for our team.”
On the defensive side of the ball, the Cowboys were playing pretty well until the loss to TCU. The Horned Frogs had three big plays in a span of five minutes to open a 21-3 lead late in the first quarter.
“We give up 21 points in five minutes, big plays, and that’s uncharacteristic for us,” Gundy said. “They were on the field almost the whole time. The offense is exposing them because they’re on the field too much. We have to find a way to get better at that, and the only way is to get some stability on offense and limit the big plays on defense.
“We haven’t had a day like that in a long time around here. Our team is doing just fine. They’ll practice hard this week and they’ll play hard this Saturday.”
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