 "Photo: Sam Grenadier")
STILLWATER, OKLA. — The carousel at quarterback continues for the Red Raiders, who have switched quarterbacks in some capacity 10 times this season after coach Mike Leach used both Taylor Potts and a limping Steven Sheffield in a 24-17 loss at Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Potts, who played early in the first half and late in the game, started but was replaced by Sheffield in the second quarter after throwing an interception and nearly tossing two others.
The first four drives featured Potts under center and they resulted in an interception, a missed field goal, a punt and a field goal.
“I thought he was OK, but it wasn’t real dynamic and he turned the ball over and we’re close to others,” Leach said of Potts. “He hit a few of our opponents with a couple too many footballs, so I figured we’d put Sheffield in and see how that went and he kind of sparked things.”
Potts went 19-of-35 for 190 yards, a touchdown and one interception while Sheffield went 16-of-23 with 117 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
It was Sheffield’s first action since a 31-10 win at Nebraska on Oct. 17, when he injured his left foot and was projected to be out two to three weeks.
On Sheffield’s first drive, cornerback Perrish Cox nabbed his second interception of the night when he snatched away a pass intended for receiver Adam James at the 2-yard line.
With Tech’s defense playing well, Oklahoma State couldn’t get outside the 5-yard line, punting to Tech receiver Austin Zouzalik, who ran it 26 yards down to the 32-yard line.
Sheffield hit receiver Detron Lewis with an 11-yard strike and Baron Batch added a 4-yard run that put the ball on the 21-yard line. A few plays later, Sheffield connected with receiver Alex Torres for a 12-yard touchdown to give Tech a 10-3 lead going into halftime.
The Red Raiders should have made more of the offensive opportunities in the first half considering how long the Cowboys held onto the ball for the rest of the game.
OSU and quarterback Zac Robinson showed what it was like to have stability at quarterback early in the third quarter, piecing together the longest drive of the season — an 8:08 journey that consisted of 19 plays and ended in a field goal. The Cowboys added another drive later, this time a six-minute trek that culminated in a 1-yard touchdown run by Keith Toston.
“Yeah that definitely doesn’t help with the whole rhythm thing,” Batch said. “It kind of throws you off when the offense is on the sideline for seven, eight minutes at a time. That’s no excuse though, when we go in we’re supposed to execute.”
With Sheffield calling the shots and limping noticeably, Tech punted on its first two drives of the third quarter before he was intercepted by linebacker Patrick Lavine who returned it 21 yards for a touchdown and 24-10 lead.
Potts came back in the next drive and orchestrated a quick drive that was capped by a 24-yard pass to receiver Ed Britton, and Tech was down 24-17 midway through the fourth quarter.
“I think Potts stepped up pretty good,” Lewis said. “The whole time, when Leach pulled him, out I just told him to keep his head up and that’s what he did. He came back in the game and led us down on the drive and gave us a chance to win the game.”
After a scary hit caused Robinson to fumble and turn the ball over to the Red Raiders, Potts had a little more than 1:30 left on the clock to go 81 yards and force overtime with a touchdown. But Tech couldn’t get past the 45-yard line after receiver Tramain Swindall dropped a potential first down catch on fourth down, giving the ball back to OSU, who kneeled and ran out the clock.
After the game, Batch said the quarterback situation “is what it is,” and Lewis said he didn’t notice a difference between Potts and Sheffield.
“I gotta do my job and control what I can control and have faith that those guys are gonna come in and be ready,” Batch said. “That’s the mentality that everybody has, just try to do their job, and I think everybody could’ve done a better job of that tonight.”
Leach called both quarterbacks “inconsistent,” and overall he said the entire team played the same way.
“Just basically had too many flat spots,” he said. “I’m just tired of flat spots, and that’s not just quarterback play. That’s line and receivers and all that other business. Any of those guys worried about who’s playing quarterback need to do their job. Their job is the most important one. If we wanted anyone playing quarterback other than the quarterback then we’d ask someone to.”
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