Gundy Names Walsh Starter Against FSU

Mike Gundy named quarterback J.W. Walsh his starter for the season opener against Florida State on ESPN Radio. Gundy has previously mentioned that the Cowboys expect backup Daxx Garman to get a few snaps as well.<br/>

Thursday, August 28th 2014, 3:13 pm

By: News 9

After months of wondering and debating, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy made a public announcement on who would start at quarterback for the Pokes in the season opener.

As expected, J.W. Walsh will start under center for the Cowboys against No. 1 Florida State on Saturday in the Cowboys Classic in Arlington, Texas.

Gundy made the announcement on ESPN Radio on the SVP & Russillo show.

"J.W. has taken the majority of the (first team) reps and will be the guy who goes out there and starts for us," Gundy said.

The Denton, Texas, native was inconsistent for the Cowboys in eight appearances as a sophomore last season. Walsh threw for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns with five interceptions, however, he didn't see any prolonged playing time after OSU's Oct. 19 victory against TCU. Walsh threw just three more passes over the final seven games.

He has started eight games for OSU over the past two seasons.

Walsh does give OSU a nice dual-threat option with his scrambling ability, which paired with his on-field experience, likely gave him the nod over Arizona transfer Daxx Garman and highly-touted freshman Mason Rudolph. Walsh has rushed for 584 yards and 10 touchdowns over the past two seasons.

The re-loading Cowboys take on the defending national-champion Seminoles on Saturday at 7 p.m.