Alan Bowman using seventh season to polish legacy with Cowboys
Oklahoma State quarterback Alan Bowman drops back to attempt a pass during the first quarter against Kansas Saturday October 14, 2023 at Boone Pickens Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
LAS VEGAS — The quarterback led Oklahoma State all the way to the Big 12 Championship Game last season, but it wasn’t enough, and now he’s eager to finish the job this fall.
Alan Bowman’s journey up to this point is nothing short of inspiring. After all, his collegiate career dates back to 2018. Bowman played three seasons at Texas Tech, then moved to Michigan for a couple of years before he landed at Oklahoma State.
The Texas native used his experience, production and leadership to secure the job with the Cowboys last year. However, Bowman had some growing pains early on in Mike Gundy’s offense before he turned it all around. He even led the Big 12 with 14 interceptions.
Once the smoke cleared, Oklahoma State won 10 games, and Bowman passed for 3,460 yards, which ranked 15th nationally. Although the yards are something positive to build on, the turnovers and blowout loss at Jerry’s World played a big part in Bowman’s decision to return for a rare seventh season. Now Gundy will be fielding a veteran team with a plethora of seniors, and like Bowman, they’re all hungry for a Big 12 Title.
“The reason why we all wanted to come back was to win it, and to go take it,” Bowman said. “This year no one is going to give us the Big 12 Championship, so we gotta go take it, and that has been our motto and inspiration throughout the winter, spring ball and summer.”
He has done everything to improve his decision making in the pocket, including footwork and throwing motion. There’s no denying Oklahoma State’s offense could potentially be special, and Bowman understands a lot of that is going to fall on his shoulders.
With the reigning Doak Walker Award winner returning in the backfield, one of the best offensive lines in the country, and a slot receiver that caught 101 balls last season, Bowman has the weapons in his arsenal to get the Cowboys to the promised land. Regardless of the matter, the interceptions have to be minimized on his part.
“I think if we take good care of the football this year we’re going to win a lot of games,” he said. “As a seventh-year guy, who has experience, you normally have less turnovers, so it’s about cleaning up the stupid mistakes.”
With the expansion of the Big 12 to 16 teams, Bowman will have a slimmer margin for error this time around. Competition in the league is going to be fierce because of parity, and the Cowboys won’t be sneaking up on anyone. Bowman knows his team is going to be the hunted instead of the hunters, and he’s embracing that, along with a challenging schedule.
“I’m just excited to see a conference that’s packed with a lot of high-level competition,” the 24-year old said. “I’m excited to renew our rivalry with Colorado, they’re coming back into the Big 12, playing new teams like Utah and going to Provo, it’s just fun.”
The Big 12 Media Preseason Poll had the Cowboys at No. 3, but that doesn’t bother Bowman and his teammates. It only adds more fuel to the fire for Oklahoma State to accomplish all of the goals set for the 2024 campaign.
“The chip on our shoulders don’t go away, we know if we take care of business it’ll all figure itself out.”
