Bowman hopes to recapture mojo of his last trip to OSU
Texas Tech quarterback Alan Bowman (10) hands off to DeMarcus Felton during the Red Raiders' 41-17 victory in September 2018 at Oklahoma State. After that game, Bowman was 3- 0 as a starter with a 22-for25 showing for 282 yards against Lamar, 605 yards passing and five touchdowns against Houston and 397 yards and two TDs against OSU. But he's had a series of misfortunes ever since.
Coming out of the Texas Tech- Oklahoma State game two years ago, Alan Bowman's future seemed incredibly bright.
He and the Red Raiders had just beaten the Cowboys 41- 17 in his third college start, and in those three starts he had completed almost 77% of his passes for nearly 1,300 yards — including a 605-yard game against Houston — and nine touchdowns.
What would the Alan Bowman of today tell the Bowman who walked off the Boone Pickens Stadium turf triumphantly two years ago?
“Initially what comes to mind is to call out a corner crash ( blitz) against West Virginia so I'm not in the hospital for five days after that game,” Bowman said Monday. “That's the first thing that comes to mind.
“The second thing that comes to mind is just to always have that swagger and confidence that I played with my freshman year. Stay humble in everything I do in the facility, outside the facility, but as soon as I'm on the field play with all that confidence and swagger and just cut it loose. Absolutely cut it loose. Don't care what anybody says; just cut it loose, go have fun and play your game.
“And call out corner crash so you don't go to the hospital.”
Texas Tech ( 3- 5, 2- 5 in the Big 12) visits No. 21 Oklahoma State (5-2, 4-2) again Saturday, trying to beat the Cowboys for the third year in a row.
Bowman threw for 397 yards and two touchdowns the last time he played at Boone Pickens Stadium in late September 2018. Ever since, beginning the following week, he's experienced one misfortune after another: a collapsed lung, a recurrence of a collapsed lung, a broken collarbone, an ankle injury and being benched for ineffective play.
If only Bowman had altered the pass protection two years ago against West Virginia. He recognized West Virginia cornerback Keith Washington creeping up, ready to deliver the hit that led to the collapsed lung. Washington drilled him in his left ribcage, and 276-pound defensive end Ezekiel Rose simultaneously smacked him in his right ribcage.
Now perhaps the football gods are smiling on the Tech quarterback again.
After coming off the bench and leading a comefrom-behind victory against Baylor, Bowman has regained his No. 1 quarterback status, Tech coach Matt Wells said last week and again Monday.
Even better, he's healthy enough to do something with it.
In his three years on campus, this is the latest in a season Bowman has been good to go.
Bowman should get the start against OSU, but with a qualifier: He's not necessarily going to play every series. Henry Colombi, who started four games in a row when Bowman was benched, also will have a role, as was the case against Baylor.
“I think we saw enough to continue to do it,” Wells said. “Just like I said last week, we'll play both quarterbacks. As of today, Alan will start the first series, but we need to bring out the best in both of them.”
In Tech's victory two years ago at OSU, Bowman completed 35 of 46 passes for 397 yards and two touchdowns. The Cowboys currently are second in the Big 12 in fewest passing yards allowed per game (188.1) and per attempt (6.5).
But Bowman relishes the challenge.
“They're a little bit different to every other team in the Big 12, to where they run a lot of man coverage,” he said. “Press man, press bail, off man. Now, every team in the Big 12 does man, but Oklahoma State does it a lot more than anybody else. And so as a quarterback that makes me excited, because you get one-on-one shots. Find the one-on-one shots, and I think our guys on the perimeter and the inside are hard to cover.”