Oklahoma State football: Light goes on for Desmond Roland

“To be honest, there was a point where I thought he might go home,” Gundy said. “I didn't know if he wanted to get up, be on time, go to class. ... All those things kind of set his schedule off.

“But he's getting better. He's starting to mold into our system. And he really has improved.”

And it's happening for Roland just in time, with tailback depth a concern and the need increasing to forecast someone for the future.

Currently, the position is in good hands with the Cowboys employing a virtual 1A and 1B approach, with Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith forming a productive tandem that produced 1,862 yards and 33 touchdowns rushing a year ago.

Yet good health is never a given. And in OSU's offense, where the Cowboys averaged better than 75 plays a game in 2011, there are always snaps and carries to go around.

“That's the thing about what we do here and how fast we go, guys are going to get tired,” said OSU running backs coach Jamal Singleton. “They're going to need a break. And we need to make sure we've got depth and when we put somebody in, we don't lose a step.

“That's what we have with our No. 1 and 2, with Joseph and Jeremy, those two guys can roll in pretty freely and you get a great result. We need to make sure we get that with our third cog in the wheel and have another guy we can roll in and definitely be three deep.”

More and more, Roland looks like he's ready to roll.

“It's just about being ready to play when my name is called,” Roland said. “I want this. I just have to stay ready, stay in my playbook and when the time comes, I'm going to let people know what I'm like.”

At 6-foot-2, 203 pounds, Roland offers a blend of power and speed. He's also shown receiving skills that can be quite useful in OSU's offense.

“I've been working on my catching skills before and after practice,” Roland said. “Coaches said that was something I needed to improve on, so I've been putting in overtime with J.W. (Walsh) and Wes (Lunt). And it showed in the scrimmage.