Mike Gundy reflects on his time as a true freshman starting quarterback

In Wednesday’s Oklahoman, I looked back at Mike Gundy’s experience as a true freshman starting quarterback in 1986 and what that means now that he could name true freshman Wes Lunt as the Cowboys’ starter for 2012.

If I had known Gundy would have an impromptu media session following Wednesday’s scrimmage — OSU’s final practice before Saturday’s spring finale — I would have waited until today to write that story. Because Gundy was asked about it that very subject.

The biggest difference between Gundy’s situation and Lunt’s is, obviously, that Lunt arrived on campus for spring practice and Gundy didn’t come until he had to report for fall camp the first week of August.

“I walked off the baseball field (in Texas) in the morning and came up here that night,” Gundy said.

Which means he didn’t have any sort of grasp of Pat Jones’ offense when he arrived at OSU.

“I had no clue,” Gundy said. “I was playing 75 Legion baseball games and worrying more about trying to hit an off-speed pitch than I was anything else. I didn’t think I was going to play (as a freshman) anyway, so I wasn’t really worried about it.”

But he did play, getting inserted at halftime of the Cowboys’ third game against Houston, and was successful as a true freshman starter. He finished the season with 1,525 passing yards and was named the best freshman quarterback in the country by The Sporting News.. After that, he helped lead OSU to a pair of 10-win seasons and became the Big Eight’s all-time leading passer.

Lunt, conversely, will have a clue about OSU’s offense when fall camp begins and has prepared this spring like he’s going to be the starter.