Written by Tyler Graddy
Oklahoma State presents one of the most difficult and rare offensive attacks in the country to prepare for – the successfully run two-quarterback system.
Quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and J.W. Walsh have intertwined this season to propel the Cowboy’s pass attack into the forefront of the NCAA, finishing the regular season as college football’s 10th ranked air assault. Rudolph and Walsh each retained their own identities and key characteristics during that course, operating and excelling in their own respective skill sets.
Rudolph worked the bulk of the time under center as the game-manager while Walsh flourished in his role as a red zone specialist, scoring 24 total touchdowns and leading the team with 11 rushing scores.
Unfortunately for OSU, Rudolph sustained a foot injury late in the season against Baylor and it is still not known to the outside world whether or not the quarterback will be able to play come Friday’s Sugar Bowl.
In the wake of the lack of clarity, the Rebels haven’t flinched in their preparations, despite now having to be ready to go for either a multi-faceted attack from the gun slinging duo or an offense run completely by the dual-threat talents of Walsh.
“We took real good looks at both of them,” said Ole Miss defensive back Mike Hilton.
“One is really the passer and one is really the runner, but they both can do both. But we prepared for both of them and whoever plays we are comfortable facing. We are just going to run our scheme and hope the plays fall our way.”
Defensive end John Youngblood echoed Hilton’s sentiments, emphasizing the different styles brought to the table and what the defense can do to contain Walsh’s running tendencies.
“If they go to their back-up, he likes to run. He’s back there two to three seconds and then he’s taking off so that really affects how we want to either get pressure on him or not get pressure on him to keep him in the pocket and kind of contain him. We’d rather have the back-up throwing the ball as opposed to running around,” he said.
The up-tempo style that the Cowboys live and die with has also been a focal point for the Rebels in their game planning, readying themselves for a battle of stamina.
“We put in some extra conditioning as a team and a lot of us did stuff individually like extra running to just try and get ready for that tempo. Their concepts and style is similar to Mississippi State; they like to take the deep shots. We did well against teams like this in the past but every team has a different DNA and a different group of players,” said defensive back Trae Elston.
Walsh views the mystery behind the starting quarterback as an advantage for the Cowboys, another mental edge in the chess match of a New Year’s Day bowl.
“JW (Walsh) has the coaching mindset and it’s fun to have both those guys out there,” clarified OSU offensive lineman Zach Crabtree. “They’re both great with the way they go about preparing, so it’s always nice to have both guys ready to go.”
Furthering the mental advantage is OSU’s comfort level with both quarterbacks, an advantage that cannot be considered lightly. Thanks to the consistency of the approach all season long, the offensive line does not have to go through the growing pains of adjusting to a new signal caller after losing their number one so late in the year.
Having been ordered to keep the quarterback situation under wraps, no new information has been leaked by the team about Rudolph’s availability, though he has returned to practice. The world will have to wait until Friday evening during primetime for the final reveal, a revelation that will dictate the structure of both team’s ultimate gameplan.
Quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and J.W. Walsh have intertwined this season to propel the Cowboy’s pass attack into the forefront of the NCAA, finishing the regular season as college football’s 10th ranked air assault. Rudolph and Walsh each retained their own identities and key characteristics during that course, operating and excelling in their own respective skill sets.
Rudolph worked the bulk of the time under center as the game-manager while Walsh flourished in his role as a red zone specialist, scoring 24 total touchdowns and leading the team with 11 rushing scores.
Unfortunately for OSU, Rudolph sustained a foot injury late in the season against Baylor and it is still not known to the outside world whether or not the quarterback will be able to play come Friday’s Sugar Bowl.
In the wake of the lack of clarity, the Rebels haven’t flinched in their preparations, despite now having to be ready to go for either a multi-faceted attack from the gun slinging duo or an offense run completely by the dual-threat talents of Walsh.
“We took real good looks at both of them,” said Ole Miss defensive back Mike Hilton.
“One is really the passer and one is really the runner, but they both can do both. But we prepared for both of them and whoever plays we are comfortable facing. We are just going to run our scheme and hope the plays fall our way.”
Defensive end John Youngblood echoed Hilton’s sentiments, emphasizing the different styles brought to the table and what the defense can do to contain Walsh’s running tendencies.
“If they go to their back-up, he likes to run. He’s back there two to three seconds and then he’s taking off so that really affects how we want to either get pressure on him or not get pressure on him to keep him in the pocket and kind of contain him. We’d rather have the back-up throwing the ball as opposed to running around,” he said.
The up-tempo style that the Cowboys live and die with has also been a focal point for the Rebels in their game planning, readying themselves for a battle of stamina.
“We put in some extra conditioning as a team and a lot of us did stuff individually like extra running to just try and get ready for that tempo. Their concepts and style is similar to Mississippi State; they like to take the deep shots. We did well against teams like this in the past but every team has a different DNA and a different group of players,” said defensive back Trae Elston.
Walsh views the mystery behind the starting quarterback as an advantage for the Cowboys, another mental edge in the chess match of a New Year’s Day bowl.
“JW (Walsh) has the coaching mindset and it’s fun to have both those guys out there,” clarified OSU offensive lineman Zach Crabtree. “They’re both great with the way they go about preparing, so it’s always nice to have both guys ready to go.”
Furthering the mental advantage is OSU’s comfort level with both quarterbacks, an advantage that cannot be considered lightly. Thanks to the consistency of the approach all season long, the offensive line does not have to go through the growing pains of adjusting to a new signal caller after losing their number one so late in the year.
Having been ordered to keep the quarterback situation under wraps, no new information has been leaked by the team about Rudolph’s availability, though he has returned to practice. The world will have to wait until Friday evening during primetime for the final reveal, a revelation that will dictate the structure of both team’s ultimate gameplan.