Even in the best of times, Texas Tech coach Matt Wells doesn't volunteer much inside information.

For Tech's football program, this isn't a great time, facing No. 6 Oklahoma (3-0) as 24-point underdogs without starting quarterback Alan Bowman because of a left shoulder injury.

So Wells declined Monday to name a starter for Saturday's game. He did say junior Jeff Duffey and Rice graduate transfer Jackson Tyner would both play against the Sooners.

Bowman was injured in Tech's last game, a 28-14 loss to Arizona after two easy wins to open the season. Tech hasn't provided a timetable for his return.

"With the quarterback situation for us," Wells said at his weekly press conference, "you're going to see both guys. Not sure how that's going to play out. We'll see how the week goes in practice and we'll have a plan to find exactly for those guys by the end of the week before we get on the bus to head to the airport."

Actually, after an off week, it's a safe bet than Wells already has a good idea of who will start, the role of the backup and the allocation of practice snaps.

It's still an interesting call. Duffey has the most upside as a dual threat and started three games last season but has turnover issues. He relieved an injured Bowman last season at halftime against Oklahoma, accounting for 186 yards and three touchdowns in a 51-46 loss.

Tyner started three games at Rice, most recently in 2017. As a freshman in 2016, he threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns against Stanford.

"He is elusive. He's got some athletic ability when he does pull it down and run," Wells said of Duffey. "Jackson has done a really nice job of coming in and learning our offense really quickly, and kind of just going through it for the first time in training camp."

Tech went through a series of quarterback injuries last season, losing Bowman to a collapsed lung for the final 41/2 games.

Players say they understand the situation.

"We've been down this road before," receiver Donta Thompson said. "It's nothing new to us. We played without the starter a few times last year. It's something that had happened and we just gotta work on it, work on being better."