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Oklahoma State Football

Sanders Is the Starter, but Spring Is for Competition

March 22, 2021
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STILLWATER – Earlier on Monday (March 22) and the day after Oklahoma State began spring football, I had one of my regular callers on my radio show call in and ask about the competition at quarterback and was he really to understand from listening to another reporter talk about the Oklahoma State situation that Spencer Sanders was the starting quarterback and that is all there is to it. I was calling baseball in Lubbock with the Cowboys and Red Raiders, so I missed the first spring football practice. That hasn’t happened in many years, but it was okay.

However, not knowing what had been said, I kind of fudged my way through the call. Later having a chance to listen to and decipher the post-practice interviews I realized what was going on.

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Sanders has mastered the run game and the zone read.

“As far as what Spencer is working on, he’s working on it all and competition is number one,” offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn said with his voice rising. “To get this spring for him is huge and he had a good fall. He came a long way in making decisions and keeping his emotions in check. For him to back it up with a solid spring goes a long way for him moving into next football season.”

Sanders did improve. He was injured on the first series of the season with Tulsa but came back and engineered the win over Iowa State. He had some ups and downs, but mostly ups and the bowl win over Miami, Fla. and his MVP Award in the Cheez-It Bowl was outstanding. Sanders finished completing 155-of-247 passes with eight interceptions and 2007-yards and 14 touchdowns. He ran for 269-yards after sacks and two touchdowns. Honestly, I never thought he was completely healthy.

“I told you guys a year ago that Spencer needed to calm down and let the game come to him – relax,” said head coach Mike Gundy. “He did on the sideline as this season we didn’t have a single issue and last season we had an issue nearly every game because he was over competitive and he let his emotions get caught up in the game and then, all of a sudden, you don’t think as well. In his situation he conquered that a year ago. That helped him play better as the year went on.”

Now, Gundy and Dunn both point to execution in the throwing game, reading defenses better, becoming more cerebral as a quarterback.

“His improvement in the throwing game will be important this spring and in August,” Gundy added. “People know he can pull it down, keep it, run and take off and score. Make big plays, but as he learns to understand and take what the defense gives him it will make him a better player at this level.”

As for the starting designation, my sources told me that yes, Sanders is the starter, but the spring is for, as Dunn said, competition.

This spring we have the chance to see a couple of two, three, four quarterbacks that we know something about, Dunn said. “Last year we didn’t have that luxury and we do now.”

Spring is not about just one quarterback, but at least the four Dunn hinted at.

“They all are for quarterbacks, they all develop differently,” explained Gundy, a former quarterback, quarterback coach, offensive coordinator, and now the father of a college quarterback. “Some of them are talented in one area and some are talented in the others.”

Gundy and Dunn did not label the foursome, but we believe it is Spencer Sanders, second-year freshman Shane Illingworth, junior college transfer Ethan Bullock, and new freshman Gunnar Gundy.

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Illingworth was impressive in the win over West Virginia.

Illingworth came in for Bullock after Sanders was hurt against Tulsa and the strong-armed Californian saved the day helping the Cowboys to the win. He then engineered wins over West Virginia and Kansas before Sanders returned. He completed 58.5 percent of his passes for 554-yards and four touchdowns with only one interception. My radio listener wants him to be able to compete.

“The big thing we’re trying to say now in spring football is competition – at every position,” Dunn said after the first practice on Sunday. “So, when you bring up Spencer and his thing, he’s trying to battle his ass off for that job. We want Shane battling and feeling like he can win that job too. We want Spencer feeling like that. We want every receiver feeling the pressure of the number two guy and all the running backs feeling the pressure of the two, the three, and the four. We’re really deep at that position.”

There you go, let’s call it designation with competition. I believe everybody is competing. Now, a worthwhile question is how will the reps, the spring chances to impress be divided. That is a big question.

“For me to tell you what our roster is going to look like when we roll out our starting 11, I couldn’t tell you. I couldn’t pinpoint it,” Dunn said of looking into a crystal ball for the fall. “I want it that way. I want it ultra-competitive.”

There you go, I shouldn’t have fudged. I should have listened earlier.

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