Oklahoma State Football: What's Wrong with Daxx Garman?

In the three games the Oklahoma State Cowboys played in September, starting quarterback Daxx Garman had 929 yards with a 56.3 completion percentage, eight touchdowns and just two interceptions. Furthermore, Garman was only sacked eight times in those three games, good for 2.67 sacks per game.

In the five games since, Garman has 954 yards with a 54.3 completion percentage, three scores and nine interceptions. In addition, he's been sacked 16 times, which raises his sacks per game to 3.2 per game.

Obviously, the talent level of Oklahoma State's opponents has only gone up as the season has progressed; however, Garman's numbers (and the Cowboys offense) have basically dropped off the map completely in the last five games.

Outside of playing Kansas State's defense instead of Texas Tech's, what's happened to Garman over the past month to turn him into a shell of the gunslinger Oklahoma State had in September?

Well, that's a question that has a complicated answer. That said, the biggest factor is likely the offensive line. Simply put, the line play has been awful and, unfortunately, there's not much anyone can do about it.

This is what happens when two of your key starters go down to injury (Brandon Garrett and Devin Davis) and two more decide to leave the university for various reasons (Travis Cross and Jake Jenkins). You have to turn to walk-ons to play center, and your offense's play goes into the tank.

The increase in sacks given up week to week is alarming on its own, but it isn't the only thing keeping Garman from being effective.

If you look at yards per attempt, you'll notice that Garman's statistics have gone from 10.68 YPA in September to around six in the five weeks since. That suggests that Garman doesn't have time to throw the ball deep (his strength) and is being forced to attempt shorter routes to counteract pass-rushers who are getting in his face early and often.

The tape tells the same story. Go back and watch any Oklahoma State game from the past month and you'll notice that a majority of Garman's misses are high. More often than not, this is because he's trying to throw over someone on defense.

Garman's line simply isn't giving him the time to throw, forcing him to do things he's not proficient at and keeping the Pokes offense from humming along at its usual pace. When Daxx Garman is successful, he sits back and picks apart a defense with his rocket arm.

Unfortunately, that's probably not happening again this year.

Oklahoma State opponents will continue to blitz Garman as long as the offensive line continues to be such a sieve. However, there are a few things Oklahoma State coaches could do to help Garman out.

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The first thing that could help is more carries for Tyreek Hill. The coaches seem to have doubts about whether or not Hill can carry the ball more than 15 times a game, but at some point, you need to let him loose.

Hill can break long runs at the drop of the hat and could slow pass-rushers if he's used effectively. Draw plays would certainly be helpful; that said, even runs off tackle would allow him to get outside the numbers and use his speed to his advantage.

The Pokes began to do this some last week against Kansas State. However, the team largely went away from Hill in the second half after he was so effective in the first 30 minutes. Hopefully with Des Roland back against the Texas Longhorns, the staff can spread out those carries and let him be effective throughout a full game.

Another thing Oklahoma State may have to consider is more screen plays.

It may not always be the most exciting play, but it does allow Garman to get off quick passes to the many talented Oklahoma State receivers. The logic here is that teams will be forced to slow down their pass-rushers, thus giving Garman more time later when attempting deeper routes.

That's where Garman is dangerous. We've seen him attempt countless short slant patterns that sail over the receivers' heads and know that he struggles on anything that's not 15 yards out. Therefore, finding ways to get him more time in the pocket is imperative.

If Oklahoma State is going to get its sixth win and become bowl-eligible, the offensive line play will have to improve. Whether this is done through scheme or play-calling, it doesn't matter. The team needs to make adjustments to give its young quarterback time to throw the ball.

Oklahoma State's last real chance comes in two weeks at home against the Texas Longhorns. If it doesn't win there, the 2014 season is essentially over. Look for Mike Gundy and his staff to incorporate a few new wrinkles during their bye week and come out with just enough changes to pick up a crucial win.