Mike Baldwin
What would
Oklahoma State's offense look like if
Zac Robinson wasn't the quarterback?
Oregon featured one of the nation's most potent offenses last season, an option-oriented attack similar to
Oklahoma State's spread-the-field philosophy.
But the Ducks went from a national title contender to a team that lost three consecutive games after quarterback
Dennis Dixon was injured. With
Dixon watching from the sideline, Oregon's offense suffered a dramatic drop off.
One of the interesting competitions during
OSU's spring practices is who emerges as
Robinson's backup — sophomore
Alex Cate or redshirt freshman
Brandon Weeden.
Finding a No. 2 quarterback this spring might allow the
Cowboys to avoid an Oregon-like drop off if
Robinson were sidelined.
"If Zac is not in there, some of the stuff we do with him, we wouldn't do with the other guy,” said coach
Mike Gundy. "We would have to tweak it some to benefit the guy who ends up playing.”
With
Robinson,
OSU's offense features a heavy dose of option.
Robinson compiled three 100-yard rushing games, rushed for 847 yards and averaged 90.2 yards rushing the final six games.
How much less option would
OSU run if
Robinson 11 wasn't available?
"There aren't many people who look like Zac running the option,” Gundy said, "but we're still going to run our offense.”
Gundy said it's important for
Cate or
Weeden to seize the backup job this spring so the offensive staff can devise a "Plan B” this summer.
How much
OSU's offense would change is uncertain. Spring practices should provide some answers.
"The other two guys aren't as talented as Zac is running the ball, so we would need to develop other things in our arsenal,” said co-offensive coordinator
Gunter Brewer. "We would play to their strengths. But we first need to see what they're capable of.”
Gundy emphasized the option will always be part of the offense.
Cate and
Weeden have enough speed that the offense wouldn't suddenly switch to a drop-back passing attack.
"Zac is an average passer,” Gundy said. "He's not a great thrower. But he will improve. He's still young, early in his career. The other two could be more prolific in those areas, throwing slants, those type things. We'd have to see.”
OSU's offense has been ranked in the top 10 nationally the past two seasons. The
Cowboys should feature another high-scoring attack this year.
Because he runs a lot,
Robinson is more susceptible to an injury. Gundy and his staff wisely are working on a contingency plan just in case
Robinson doesn't play all 12 games. The coaches want assurance the offense can remain productive.
"You'd like to have something in place, that's practiced, that if something happened, you could put it in without changing a whole lot,” Gundy said.
The 2006 season was a good example of the spread offense's versatility. Coaches tried to get former quarterback
Bobby Reid to run the ball more. Despite
Reid's reluctance to run, the
Cowboys were the eighth-highest scoring team in the country.
"The other two guys' strengths are more of a thrower than a runner, but we need to find out what they can do,” Brewer said. "You go in open minded. That's what spring is for, 15 days to find out some things.”
