STILLWATER – Oklahoma State officials called Saturday’s crowd for the Orange vs. Black spring football game at 17,000. I think it is safe to say close to 16,000 of those are in tune enough as Cowboy football fans that they were there to judge for themselves how much the quarterbacks have improved this spring. The popular opinion is that Oklahoma State returns enough of a solid defense that they will be fine. The judges in the stands should now feel comfortable, if they weren’t already from the reports of us proclaimed know-it-alls, that there are enough weapons at running back and receiver. The offensive line has improved, and that project is ongoing. The defining position for fans to scrutinize was quarterback.
The top two had these numbers as Spencer Sanders was 22-of-30 passing for 154-yards and a touchdown on the jet flip to Brennan Presley. Shane Illingworth was 11-of-16 for 236-yards and two touchdowns. The only other passing touchdown was thrown by third-team quarterback Ethan Bullock.
“I thought both of them were good,” Gundy said of Sanders and Illingworth. “We opened it up a little more at the end and allowed them to fling it around a little bit. There were times we wanted to work on the running game. We feel like we have guys that can throw it down the field and guys that run and catch it. Based on how people play us sometimes we have to run it and sometimes we have to throw it based on how they play it.”
The emphasis all spring was on minimizing the negative plays. Obviously, they want the quarterbacks to increase their knowledge of the offense and the ability to do great things within the comcept of the offense. Sanders and Illingworth had shown that ability anyway. All through the spring both quarterbacks had done that. Sure, there were interceptions, but the majority were earned by good plays and not “unforced errors.”
“I don’t think we threw an interception today and we might have had two fumbles, one by each team,” analyzed Gundy. “You have about 150-plays and you have a fumble by each side and don’t throw any interceptions, the quarterbacks played pretty good.”
You did have the explosive plays. Sanders starting with his first drive had more sustained drives in his playing time, but with the 25-yard toss to new freshman Jaden Bray and the 61-yard strike with the finger tip catch in stride by red-shirt freshman Rashod Owens it was Illingworth with the more explosive plays.
Sanders told me for the second time this spring during a radio interview on the game broadcast that his improvement in positioning his feet has been a key. He credits Cowboys quarterback coach Tim Rattay. Rattay confirmed that Sanders footwork has improved greatly. Illingworth said his improvement has come from Rattay as well.
“He’s helped me out a lot. Coach Rattay has been coaching his butt off for us. He’s helped all the quarterbacks, honestly. I feel more confident in my progressions. We’re going way more quicker. I feel more confident. It’s a whole other level and I feel like it’s really coming on for all of us.”
The scrutiny of the head coach is part of it as well. Gundy is a quarterback, a former quarterback coach, a former offensive coordinator and all of that is part of his persona as a head coach.
“The difficult thing for quarterbacks here is that is what I watch on an offensive set because that is my life. I admit that. I don’t watch the big guys up front. I watch them on tape, but I don’t watch them during the game because that’s not my life. I watch everything Shane does, everything Spencer does, Peyton, Gunnar, Bullock. I want the ball to be distributed. I don’t want them holding onto the ball, and want them to get it into somebody’s hands that can make a play.”
While I’m sure some fans left Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday feeling Illingworth is the better quarterback, it is Sanders that will go to the fall on the first line of the depth chart and based on practice that is what the coaching staff feels is accurate. The talk is Sanders has really improved in the spring and Saturday showed it.
The defining difference between the two is as Illingworth suggested by saying he was going to work on his speed and escapability this summer, is the ability to run when needed.
“Spencer is a freak athlete and the guy’s amazing,” Illingworth said of his quarterback teammate. “He’s so fast, 200’s in the winter and I’m trying so hard and he’s like jogging. He’s blazing. He’s helped me so much and I try to learn from him as much as I can. He’s a veteran in this game. He’s a really good guy and I appreciate what he has done for me. I think he is going to have a crazy year this season. He has been good for me. He finds little holes in gaps and closes them. I can’t close them as fast as he can. I’m working on it.”
The gap is not wide and the best news of all is Oklahoma State has two quarterbacks that are more than capable.
