By John Werner

Tribune-Herald staff writer

Nobody’s ever going to return all the way back to the days of Darrell Royal’s wishbone or Bill Yeoman’s veer.

But in this pass-every-down era of college football, there’s a handful of teams that still try to run the ball effectively.

Two of them will face off today when Baylor plays No. 8 Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater.

Make no mistake: The Bears and Cowboys still like to throw the ball.

Cowboys quarterback Zac Robinson ranks third nationally in passing efficiency with a 71.1 completion percentage, 1,250 yards and 12 touchdowns. Baylor’s Robert Griffin ranks 14th nationally with a 61.7 completion percentage, 1,109 yards and nine scores with no interceptions.

But one of the reasons the two quarterbacks have thrown the ball so well is because their running games have set them up for success.

“If you run the ball with any kind of success, it gives you an opportunity to set up plays off it,” Baylor coach Art Briles said. “And that’s something we’ve been pretty good at. We’ve been able to run the ball effectively. We’re going to have to continue to do that to have a chance to be good and put some points up on the board on offense.”

The Bears rank second behind Oklahoma State in Big 12 rushing with 206.2 yards per game. Led by Jay Finley with 425 yards and Griffin with 421, the Bears have piled up 1,237 yards while averaging five yards per carry in six games.

Those numbers come on the heels of two seasons when the Bears gained just 1,416 yards combined in 2006-07 under former coach Guy Morriss. They’ve gone from one of the nation’s worst rushing teams to No. 18 in the latest NCAA national statistics.

But as good as the Bears have been, the Cowboys have been even better, ranking fourth on the national rushing charts with 293.8 yards per game.

Kendall Hunter leads the Big 12 with 862 yards and nine touchdowns in six games, including 154 yards in last weekend’s 28-23 upset of then- No. 3 Missouri. Keith Toston has picked up 431 yards and five touchdowns while averaging an astounding 8.1 yards per carry.

Robinson isn’t just a great passer, he’s also a running threat who has added 192 yards and five touchdowns.

Scoring at a 48.5 clip

A deep backfield and Robinson’s passing have allowed the Cowboys to rank second in the country with 48.5 points per game.

“We try to be versatile enough where we can run and throw,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “Hunter has been a very explosive runner and has really matured. Tosten is more of a slasher who can get you the tough yards. Sometimes, the defense doesn’t want to give it to you, but we’re always going to try to run the football.”

The Bears have been vulnerable against good running teams, ranking eighth in the Big 12 by allowing 134.7 yards per game.

“We’re going to have to really play our responsibilities well,” Baylor linebacker Joe Pawelek said. “They use an option zone read offense and try to get defenders out of position and attack those areas.”

The Bears know they’re going to have to continue to play mistake-free football to have a chance on the road against the heavily favored Cowboys. Baylor has set a modern-day school record by going the last four games without a turnover.

They’ll face an Oklahoma State defense that has forced 14 turnovers, including three interceptions off Chase Daniel to key the win over Missouri.

“We don’t want to hurt ourselves in any game,” Griffin said. “Not making turnovers and scoring points go hand in hand. We also know we’re going to have to be able to run the ball at crunch time.”

—— BAYLOR at #8 OKLAHOMA STATE ——

Kickoff: 2 p.m., Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.

TV: None

Radio: 1:30 p.m., KRZI-AM (1660)

Records: Baylor 3-3 (1-1), Oklahoma State 6-0 (2-0)

Series: OSU leads, 14-12

Last meeting: OSU, 45-14 (2007, in Waco)

Betting line: OSU by 17

Weather: 73 degrees and sunny