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Writing off Cowboys seems silly now

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Updated Oct 29, 2009 11:56 PM ET
     
 
The statistics suggest Oklahoma State's Zac Robinson might be the best quarterback in the Big 12, but that's an opinion rarely shared outside of Stillwater. Even if he doesn't have the name recognition of some of his higher-profile peers, surely his play in this, his senior year, makes up for any perceived shortcomings. No, he's not Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, but he's also not injured like his Heisman Trophy-winning rival. He's not Texas Tech's (insert a new name this week), but the Cowboys don't ask him to throw 50 times a game, either. He's not Kansas' Todd Reesing, the spunky underdog who was building a case to succeed Bradford as the recipient of college's most prestigious award until last week's meltdown against the Sooners.
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Oh, and he's not Colt McCoy either, but he can emerge from the Texas quarterback's shadow with a triumph at Boone Pickens Stadium this weekend against the third-ranked Longhorns. Which seems about right. Because all Robinson has done this year is win. The Cowboys are a quiet 6-1 and 3-0 in the conference, despite being written off for dead after a 45-35 loss to Houston on Sept. 12. One week earlier, OSU knocked off Georgia, 24-10, but by losing to the Cougars — who are also 6-1 and ranked 15th in this week's Associated Press poll, by the way — the critics howled. Can't handle prosperity, they cried. Overrated all along, they huffed. Same old Pokes, they claimed. Essentially, the Cowboys were ignored, another flash in the pan that failed to turn that sizzle into substance. And when all-world wide receiver Dez Bryant was suspended on Oct. 7 for misleading NCAA officials about his relationship with former NFL star Deion Sanders, OSU reportedly didn't stand a chance without its main offensive weapon. In retrospect, doesn't it all seem a little silly? Oklahoma State has won five straight, its last three without Bryant, whom the NCAA ruled out for the remainder of the season Tuesday. In that stretch without Bryant, Robinson has played perhaps the best football of his career. Known mostly as a dual threat, the senior has relied on his arm to lead the Cowboys, and the results — 59-of-87 for 706 yards and six touchdowns against just one interception — have been staggering. "He's playing well right now," OSU coach Mike Gundy said. "He's playing with more confidence. He's managing the game very well. In my opinion, being a good quarterback is being able to manage the game in understanding what your strengths are and where their weaknesses are and try to attack those areas using what your strengths are as an offense. "I think he's done a pretty good job of that over the last few weeks." He'd always shown glimpses, but because of the Cowboys' ability to run the football — even without injured starter Kendall Hunter, OSU is still averaging 185.57 yards per game on the ground, 27th in the country — his brilliance has been either obscured or unnecessary. Now, there can be no debate. With a QB rating of 158.27, Robinson is seventh in the NCAA in pass efficiency. In last week's 34-7 rout of Baylor, he completed 23 of 27 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns, breaking Gundy's single-game completion percentage record in the process. Asked this week if this is, in fact, the best he's been, Robinson was non-committal. "I don't know," he said. "There's been good stretches that I've had and I feel good right now and feel comfortable with the receivers more and the tight ends that we have. I feel good with what we're doing and hopefully we can just keep getting better." The man replacing Bryant, at least in the passing game, is sophomore Hubert Anyiam. He's not Bryant — no shame there — but he's been ultra-productive, hauling in 22 receptions for 260 yards and two touchdowns. "The chemistry has been building," Anyiam said. "I'm feeling great with the guys we've got," Robinson added. There was a time when the only reason the Cowboys would have a shot in a game of this magnitude was because of a talent like Bryant, who was probably the best athlete on the field in last year's 28-24 loss to UT, which leads the all-time series by a resounding count of 21-2.
It's 11 straight wins for the Longhorns, whose defense hasn't allowed more than 175 yards of total offense in three of the last four games. Gundy doesn't seem concerned. Robinson connected on 17 of 26 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown last season against Texas, without an interception, and the senior quarterback is on a different level at the moment. "We're looking forward to an opportunity to go out and play against what some people may think is the best team in college football," Gundy said. And that's a little more manageable with one of the best quarterbacks in college football leading the way. Jeffrey Martin is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com. He also writes for the Houston Chronicle. He can be reached at reyheath@gmail.com.
Tagged: Texas, Houston, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Kansas

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