STILLWATER, OKLA. ? Oklahoma State coach Les Miles has a vision of a balanced offense that throws the ball just as much as it grinds out yardage.

So far this season, his Cowboys haven’t achieved that balance. They haven’t needed to.

While completing only five passes, OSU is 2-0 and sitting just outside the Top 25.

Through two games, Vernand Morency has rushed for 445 yards and ranks second in the country. The Cowboys are fourth in the nation in rushing as a team.

“It’s working,” Morency said. “If it’s not broke, why fix it? We’re winning ballgames.”

But despite the success, Miles said he’s looking forward to days when the Cowboys are a real threat in the air as well as on the ground.

“As a coach, you want to find out what your players can do and ask them to do those things, avoid asking them to do things they can’t do and try to maximize your advantages and minimize those things you can’t do well,” Miles said. “But as a basic general rule, we’d like to be 50/50. We’d like to run and pass.”

Miles said it will become more important for Oklahoma State to mix in a passing game as the season progresses. The Cowboys take on SMU (0-2) on today in their final game before Big 12 play begins.

“I think when you play better teams, the running game will slow and the passing game, by necessity, will have to pick up,” Miles said.

Last season, SMU was determined to stop the run. After averaging nearly 300 rushing yards in their previous two games, the Cowboys had 125 against SMU. But with the Mustangs concentrating on the run game, Rashaun Woods caught an NCAA-record seven touchdown passes in a 52-9 OSU win.

Oklahoma State running back Vernand Morency (33) stiff arms Tulsa linebacker Michael LeDet. Morency ranks second in the nation in rushing after two games.

“They played an aggressive style. Last year, we were able to take advantage of it,” quarterback Donovan Woods said. “As well as we run the ball this year, I don’t know how they’re going to play us.”

With Rashaun Woods gone to the NFL and the Cowboys’ passing game unproven, SMU could try a similar approach today.

But if SMU tries to load extra defenders at the line, Morency said it’s only common sense that the Cowboys would again turn to the passing game.

“It’s not an ego thing. We want to win. We don’t care how we win,” Morency said.