OSU loses offensive lineman Bowie
BY JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
8/01/12 at 6:56 PM
STILLWATER -- Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy announced Wednesday that Michael Bowie -- who was listed atop the preseason depth chart at left tackle -- is no longer on the team due to an unspecified violation of team rules.
Bowie, a senior from Sand Springs, started five games last season.
“Any time you lose a good football player that has got experience, it affects your team,” Gundy told reporters after his annual media golf day at Karsten Creek.
“That’s not the first time that this has ever happened. We have had unfortunate situations where we have lost players for whatever reason. We lost Dez Bryant. We lost Orie Lemon. We lost Kendall Hunter for awhile. Mike was a good player for us, but it didn’t work out. And I think the one thing people have to realize that it’s extremely difficult to play college football and there are certain standards and requirements that you have to meet in order to be a part of our football team, and that’s coaches and players. We don’t really bend for anybody at any particular time.”
Gundy said his team will be fine and he expects another player to step in and compete for Bowie’s job. The coach said he wishes Bowie the best and said he is sure Bowie will be able to transfer and play for another program.
Asked if OSU has enough offensive line depth to absorb Bowie’s loss, Gundy said, “I think so. It’s much better than it was four years ago. You can never have enough players and, as a coach, you never feel comfortable with your depth. But I feel more comfortable now than in the past.”
Redshirt freshman Devin Davis was listed behind Bowie at left tackle on the preseason depth chart, but Gundy indicated OSU will “have a few options” in juggling offensive linemen.
“The one thing that you miss is experience -- game experience, playing on the road,” Gundy said. “But, again, this is what we do. It’s a team. We have guys that have worked hard. They might not have as much experience, but we will expect them to play.”
A spokesman at Northeastern State in Tahlequah said Bowie has asked for a release to two D-II schools: NSU, where his former Sand Springs and OSU teammate Johnny Deaton is quarterback; and Central Oklahoma, where Bowie's former Navarro coach Nick Bobeck is head coach.
Associated Images:
Offensive lineman Michael Bowie (61) blocks during OSU's Spring Football game at Boone Pickens Stadium, in Stillwater back in April. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World File
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