Illingworth Has Up-and-Down Start in Sanders’ Absence
For the second year in a row, Cowboy fans got to see Shane Illingworth earlier than expected.
In the 2020 opener against Tulsa, Illingworth was whisked into a 7-3 deficit late in the third quarter after a Spencer Sanders injury and ill-advised play from backup Ethan Bullock. A somewhat similar story unfolded in the 2021 opener.
With the pokes facing Missouri State, it was expected that Illingworth would get in on the action at some point. But it was a surprise to many when he trotted out on the opening drive. A few hours before kickoff, it was announced that Sanders wouldn’t be able to play because of COVID protocols, making Illingworth the starter.
“Last year was more like being thrown into the fire,” Illingworth said. “This year, I’ve gotten more time to prepare, so it was nice being able to go with the ones and know this moment was about to happen.”
To expand on that, internally it wasn’t a last-minute switch. Sanders entered COVID protocols over a week ago, so Illingworth had the entirety of game week to prepare. That was different from last season, when Illingworth couldn’t even practice for two weeks leading up to Tulsa after he tested positive for COVID.
Illingworth was prepared this time, and his first half numbers proved that.
The sophomore QB led the offense right down the field on the opening drive, capping it off with a touchdown pass to Tay Martin. He showed off the arm strength, making some impressive throws down the field, which we saw doses of last year. Illingworth went 15/23 for 205 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the first half.
Illingworth’s performance in the opening half might have for just a moment re-opened the QB debate across the fanbase and applied some pressure to Sanders’ starting spot.
But then the second half came along, and it wasn’t nearly as kind as the first.
The passes that Illingworth was dotting in the first half were a bit off-target in the second. The things that were coming easy in the first weren’t nearly as easy in the second. The Cowboy offense looked completely different. But that wasn’t necessarily all Illingworth’s fault.
“The issue was we couldn’t rush the football,” Gundy said. “They ended up defending us a little more difficult in the pass game because we couldn’t rush the ball.”
It was a bit of a cause-and-effect situation. The run game wasn’t working so OSU had to rely on the pass game, which gave MSU an advantage in the second half. The Cowboys averaged 1.9 yards per carry. In turn, Illingworth had to throw the ball 40 times.
“We ended up throwing a little bit more than we wanted to today, especially with some of the young receivers playing,” offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn.
It was a bipolar day for the offense, and Illingworth’s final stat line was 22/40, 315 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. So, we can take away two things from his start today:
1. Shane has the talent to one day be the starter, but a steady run game makes a huge difference.
2. That day is still probably a little ways away, pending what we see from Spencer Sanders when he returns next week.
Altogether, Gundy was content with his quarterback’s performance, considering Illingworth is just starting his second season.
“I thought he played pretty well,” coach Mike Gundy said. “He doesn’t have a lot of experience. He made some throws and missed a few, but with where he is at in his career with experience, he played fine.”