Berry Tramel: OSU's Zac Robinson playing best ball of his career
By BERRY TRAMEL
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8
Published: October 24, 2009
Modified: October 26, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Modified: October 26, 2009 at 12:14 pm
WACO, Texas — Oklahoma State never has had an all-conference quarterback.
But Zac Robinson sure looked the part Saturday at Floyd Casey Stadium, where OSU routed Baylor 34-7.
A school record 85.2 completion percentage, on 23 of 27 passing. No bad decisions. No bad throws.
Play like this next Saturday, when Texas comes to Stillwater, and Robinson might end more than one OSU drought. Play like this, and the Cowboys could commandeer the Big 12 race.
"He's learning to be the playmaker we think he is," said OSU offensive coordinator Gunter Brewer. "He can run it. He can throw it. He manages the clock well. He's our Peyton Manning."
Talk of a belated Heisman campaign for Robinson is silly. But the Big 12's best quarterback? Sam Bradford's injured and Todd Reesing's reeling.
That leaves Robinson and Texas' Colt McCoy as the last men standing. They square off in a Halloween showdown that is likely to unmask the all-Big 12 quarterback.
"We need everybody to play well next week," State coach Mike Gundy said. True enough. But if Robinson plays like this, OSU's offense hums along, even without Dez Bryant or Kendall Hunter, 2008 all-Americans who continue to sit out for ineligibility (Dez) or health (Spud) reasons.
Robinson is playing the best quarterback of his career, mainly because he's throwing better than he ever has.
In three Big 12 games, Robinson is 59 of 87 passing (67.8 percent) for 756 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. That's the kind of production that built Colt into a Texas legend.
Robinson always has been a dangerous runner and a big-play passer. But he seems to be progressing into an efficient passer, which separates many a quarterback.
Here's a two-play sequence that shows Robinson's development.
Second quarter. OSU up 10-0. The Baylor pass rush swarmed Robinson. He ducked away, then was grabbed by an oncoming Bear. No matter. As he fell, Robinson flipped a pass to tight end Cooper Bassett for a 9-yard gain.
The next play, Robinson wanted to throw to Hubert Anyiam on a stop-and-go pattern. Anyiam was well defended, so Robinson calmly looked elsewhere and rifled a pass over the middle to Dameron Fooks for a 16-yard touchdown.
The first play the result of physical superiority, the second from mental expertise.
"Good, efficient day," Robinson said. "Everything we were calling, it was there. If the first read wasn't there, the second read or the third read was."
So now OSU plays its most consequential game in a quarter century, since 1984 Bedlam. And the Cowboys get Texas with their quarterback riding high.
"Zac's a very smart, disciplined, structured player," Gundy said.
"He's making good decisions. He's getting comfortable with his new receivers. And our play up front is good."
Now, granted, it's Baylor. But the Bears played tough two weeks ago in Norman. Saturday, they were no match for an OSU offense that did as it pleased.
In years past, Robinson's passing never was pinpoint. But that's precisely what it was Saturday.
Of those 23 completions, there were no diving catches. No breaking routes to retrieve an errant pass.
It's as if Robinson has realized that without Dez, passes must be on target rather than thrown up and let Superman make his magic.
"I think he's become more of a complete player, with a lack of having some of the other players," Brewer said of Robinson. "It's a case where now he has to spread the field and look at other people.
"So when you're forced to do something, you have to move your cheese a little bit, lean on some other things."
Robinson's three touchdown passes Saturday were to Fooks, Bassett and Wilson Youman. That trio came into the game with a combined 13 career catches, 12 of them this season.
The absences of Hunter and Bryant has drastically reduced OSU's star power. But one star remains.
And Mister Robinson, could deliver to Stillwater a Big 12 championship.
Berry Tramel: 405-760-8080; Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1.
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And go Cooper Bassett, Tuttle finally has an awesome rep for OSU! Please make the Tuttlites stop talking about the glory days of Jason White, lol.
Zac was as good as any quarterback in the country today. He looked as relaxed as I've ever seen him. Something almost casual about the way he dropped back and rifled or feathered the ball into the heart of his receivers again and again. Great game to watch. Another zero turnover game like this one and OSU might just be sitting on top of the heap.