All eyes on QB Sanders in Cowboys’ spring game
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State will hold its spring game at noon Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium, with the team set to split and face off for two 20minute halves.
In anticipation of the spring game, The Oklahoman’s Scott Wright, Jenni Carlson and Berry Tramel broke down some of the things they’ll be looking for on Saturday in the spring game roundtable:
Which offensive player are you most excited to see?
Wright: I could go five different ways with this answer. I want to see how the receivers are developing, what the offensive line looks like, and on and on. But pinpointing one guy, I’m intrigued by the Utah State transfer running back Jaylen Warren. The buzz
about the running backs has been hot all spring, and we’ve already seen what the other three — LD Brown, Dezmon Jackson and Dominic Richardson — can do. But Warren sounds like a guy who can really shake things up, and I want to see what he looks like in live action.
Carlson: The offensive line will be paramount to the Cowboys’ success in the fall, but it’s so hard to just watch line units — offensive or defensive — in spring games. So, I’ll stick with skill guys. And frankly, I’ll go with Spencer Sanders. Yes, he’s a known commodity, but I want to see how much he’s improved. Has he taken significant steps forward as a thrower since this is his first full spring with Tim Rattay? I am really curious about that.
Tramel: Put me down for Shane Illingworth. He was solid as an emergency true freshman starter last season. How has he progressed? Is he a legitimate heir to the throne? Is he a competitor for Sanders’ job, if Sanders doesn’t eliminate his turnover tendency? Illingworth will quarterback the Black team, and he doesn’t have a ton of weapons. Of the three veteran receivers in this game, only Braydon Johnson is with Illingworth. Tay Martin and Brennan Presley are with Sanders on the Orange team. So I’ll be interested to see how Illingworth holds up.
Which defensive player are you most excited to see?
Wright: The defense doesn’t have that many holes to fill in the starting lineup, and the returning guys have all been around for a couple years, but I’m going to go with defensive end Nathan Latu, the junior-college transfer from Snow College in Utah. His brother, Cameron Latu, is playing tight end at Alabama, so the genetics are there for Nathan to be an impact player. He’s at a position hit hard by injury, with Trace Ford and Tyren Irby both suffering knee injuries last season and sitting out the spring. So Latu should get his chance to show off his abilities playing with the first-team defensive line on the Orange team.
Tramel: How about linebacker Lamont Bishop? We’ve been hearing good things about him. Signed a year ago out of Iowa Central Community College and didn’t make much of a dent his first year on campus. But there could be some playing time available with Amen Ogbongbemiga’s departure to the NFL. Outside of Malcolm Rodriguez and Devin Harper, OSU has little experience available at linebacker. Bishop could be ready for a big role.
Carlson: Can I go with a lineman? I know I said earlier that it’s tough to judge linemen in the spring, but Collin Oliver intrigues me. He’s an early-entry freshman from Edmond Santa Fe who lots of people believe could be in the same mold as Calvin Bundage and Trace Ford. Now, that might be because they were Santa Fe products, too, but if Oliver is anywhere close to as versatile as they are, that will be big for OSU. Plus, we may well be able to see just how dynamic he is, even in the spring game.
Tramel: Linemen who are on the edge can be fun to watch. Nose guards and defensive tackles and the people trying to block them, not so much. We don’t know what’s happening and sometimes can’t even see what’s happening.
Carlson: Agree. So, let’s see what Oliver can do.
What does Spencer Sanders need to do to show he has improved this spring?
Carlson: Sanders has had a tendency to throw several balls every game that are interceptable. None of those Saturday would be big. Now, if a defender makes a great play or a pass catcher flubs up and it becomes an interception, that’s different. But bad passes that get intercepted or that should be intercepted? I’d love to see none of those.
Tramel: I don’t know that Sanders can do anything Saturday to change my opinion of him. When he’s been at his best, it’s because he makes plays in traffic. When he’s become turnoverprone, it’s because he lets the pressure get to him. Mike Gundy will have a battalion of whistle-blowers standing sentry, keeping black jerseys away from Sanders. It’s a spring necessity, making quarterbacks off limits. Necessary, but unfortunate. I think we’ll have to wait until Tulsa on September 11 to find out what kind of steps Sanders has taken.
Carlson: I still think we might get a glimpse at his decision making. He won’t be as under duress as he will be this fall, but that makes me want to see near perfection even more.
Wright: Sanders is in a tough situation, considering he just finished 14 practices against the same defense, which happens to be one of the best in the Big 12, based on who’s returning. They know the offense’s signals and calls by now, so Sanders will have to be extremely careful but quick in his decision making to be on point against a defense that knows what’s coming. But to answer the question, Sanders needs to complete passes, operate the offense and avoid dangerous throws, because the defense will be in position for takeaways if he gives them the opportunity.