Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said during Monday's Big 12 conference call that All-American running back Kendall Hunter is doubtful for Saturday's non-conference home game against Rice.Hunter injured either his right ankle or right foot during the second quarter of the Cowboys' stunning upset loss to Houston on Saturday. He did not return, but experienced backs Keith Toston and Beau Johnson filled in nicely in Hunter's absence.
Both are expected to carry the load against the Owls is Hunter is unable to go.
"We're fortunate that we have a couple backs who can make plays for us," said Gundy, who speculated Sunday that Hunter could be out as long as a month. "Depth is such an important factor in college football now, in my opinion with the limited number of scholarships being able to have quality backups that give you maturity and experience in the game. We're very fortunate to have those two guys."
In other injury news, Gundy said quarterback Zac Robinson is indeed healthy. There had been some speculation Robinson could still be suffering from a hamstring injury that caused him to miss time during fall camp.
Robinson has yet to make big plays with his legs as he had in his previous years and as a result his overall game has suffered in the first two games this season. The senior committed two costly turnovers late in Saturday's game, a fumbled snap and then an interception for a touchdown that ended any comeback threat against the Cougars.
Gundy said the only thing ailing Robinson now is turnovers. Robinson currently ranks 11th in the Big 12 in passing efficiency with a rating of 129.1 after completing 29 of 53 passes for 375 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
"We have a lot of confidence in Zac, we would like for him to take care of the football better than he has in the last game," Gundy said. "In our zone read game, he needs to do a good job of taking care of the ball and keeping it off the ground. Improving in that area will help our offense considerably."
