Alan Bowman Talks Getting Benched and Overcoming Slow Start
STILLWATER – I think we can all agree, especially quarterback Alan Bowman, Saturday’s game against Utah was a bad one. This was the first time I could remember not getting to talk to a quarterback after a game, but that’s what happened on Saturday as Alan Bowman wasn’t made available.
He did, however, speak with the media on Monday afternoon and the first thing he addressed was his performance and being benched to start the third quarter.
Through the first two quarters, Bowman went 8-of-22 passing for just 89 yards and one interception. So, while it was surprise to see a new quarterback in the game to start the third based on Gundy and Co. traditionally not changing out quarterbacks in a game, it wasn’t a surprise based on performance.
After being replaced by Garret Rangel, who didn’t play well either, Bowman was put back into the game with just over nine minutes remaining in the game. One thing that was speculated was Bowman’s mindset on how he would react to being replaced, specifically during the game, but it didn’t affect him for very long.
It took him a few drives to get going, including overcoming an interception with six and a half minutes left in the game, leading to a touchdown on the other end, Bowman completed three-straight passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. Then five more passes for 59 yards and another score to get the Pokes within three after hitting Brennan Presley for the two-point conversion.
“I think it was our first big test [going up against Utah’s] defense, and they pretty much played Cover 1 and had a deep safety, No. 15’s a great player, and that was the first time we’ve seen that all year, fall camp or not. So, it was going to take some time to get adjusted to a new style of defense that we haven’t seen yet this year. So, I think that initially and some one-on-one match ups we didn’t win, and obviously, some throws I missed and didn’t execute on.”
Gundy confirmed Bowman is the starting quarterback moving forward and he has four days to make sure the offense is rolling in the right direction before the Pokes travel up to Manhattan for a very important game against Kansas State on Saturday morning.