Sanders' injury simply a waiting game
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State coach Mike Gun dy didn't make any declarations about his quarterback position when he last spoke to the media, only to say that injured starter Spencer Sanders was practicing at full speed and splitting first-team reps with his replacement, Shane Illingworth.
“We' re keeping the routine the same, rep-wise at quarterback,” Gundy said. “Those guys are splitting it and (Ethan) Bullock has the (third-team) reps. I don't see any reason to change what we're doing at this time.”
If you try to read between the lines too much, you might see something that isn't there: a quarterback battle.
As reliable as Illingworth has been — particularly as a true freshman thrown into action unexpectedly — he's only keeping Sanders' seat warm until that injured right ankle is good to go.
Illingworth's numbers are indicative of the job he's done, first as a third-team fill-in who saved the day against Tulsa, then as a starter in the two victories that followed against West Virginia and Kansas.
He has completed 73.5% of his passes (36-of-49) for 483 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He's been cool in the pocket and kept mistakes to a minimum, showing flashes of the qualities that made him a four-star recruit to begin with.
But Sanders still has the edge on experience and overall comfort in the offense. He looked smooth in moving the offense down the field in his only full drive of the season before injuring his ankle.
“We could've played him in the last game,” Gundy said. “If we needed to play him, he could've played and played really close to full speed. We know exactly where we're at with him.”
The decision, instead, came down to making sure Sanders got healthy for the long run, especially now that the Cowboys are sitting at No. 7 in the AP top 25.
“When you have an ankle injury, you're always better letting it get 100 percent,” Gundy said. “You go back on it at 85 percent, you take a chance on setting it back, and then those things can become chronic for six weeks.
“For that reason, we just held him out. There wasn't any reason to put him in the game. He practiced (last Wednesday) and looked just like he did the first week in August.”