It feels like he’s been a part of OSU football for a long time. Long before he became the starting quarterback last season, he was a fascination with Cowboy fans.First, it was as a top rookie, then as the third string red shirt that people demanded to see whenever Taylor Cornelius struggled
On the day Sanders is expected to return after missing more than a month with an ankle injury, he will only play his 13th game for the Cowboys and only make his 12th start It’s not a trivial amount, but it’s also approaching a full season of games
Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy, who will be on the other side on Saturday, played 27 games for the Cyclones and started 25 It doesn’t seem like Purdy has been around that long, but he almost doubled Sanders’ playing experience
And if you take a closer look at the math, Sanders really only played about 10 full games Last season he injured his thumb in the first half of the Kansas game, came out early in the second half and only played a few shots the rest of the season, limited to a few racing games in the bowl game Then earlier this season he injured his ankle in the first quarter against Tulsa and didn’t has not played since
« He’s still a young football player, » OSU coach Mike Gundy said « He hasn’t played a lot of games »
No one is at fault for this Not Sanders Not his teammates Not his coaches Injuries do happen, after all And yet it can’t be denied that Sanders isn’t as good a quarterback today as he is. would have been if even one of his injuries hadn’t happened
The Cowboys coach was talking about Sanders’ development as a leader there, but in reality his overall development has also been delayed
His first three Big 12 games were tough The opening in Texas, one loss, had two interceptions The following week against Kansas State was better because OSU won, but Sanders still threw a few interceptions A week later, in a nasty loss to Texas Tech, he threw three and had two fumbles
But after that, Sanders had just three interceptions the rest of the season He took much better care of the ball while throwing it better His completion percentages rose steadily
No one knows what Sanders could have done if he had played the last two games of the regular season against West Virginia and the UO and the bowl game against Texas A&M There could have been steps backwards, of course But there could also be steps forward Anyway, there certainly would have been some learning
Tulsa, West Virginia and Kansas aren’t the best opponents OSU will face this season, but each could have been a learning opportunity for Sanders
Take, for example, Sanders’ emotions during games Gundy says the quarterback mentality is similar to a lot of defensive players, always excited, almost ready to break through a wall
This is part of the reason why Sanders is widely regarded as the heart and soul of the offense
« It’s not a negative and disrespectful emotion, » Gundy said, « but he’s so caught up in the moment that he wants to win so much that sometimes he has to settle down a bit »
Gundy and Co worked on this with Sanders, but there isn’t much they can do in practice Most of the learning moments are in games
In a team that aspires to the championship, both conference and national, a more seasoned quarterback would be ideal This is not mandatory, of course Young quarterbacks have taken their teams to great heights in recent years
Spencer Sanders is somewhere in the middle, no longer the green starter he was at the start of last season but not yet the warned veteran he could have been now if injuries hadn’t been in the way
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at 405-475-4125 or jcarlson @ oklahomancom Like her on facebookcom / JenniCarlsonOK or follow her on twittercom / jennicarlson_ok
Spencer Sanders’ Development Has Been Delayed It’s not the OSU quarterback’s fault, but there’s no doubt that injuries have delayed his learning curve [Jessica Morrey / OSU Athletics]
Jenni Carlson, sports columnist at The Oklahoman since 1999, came honestly through her love of the sport She grew up in a sports family in Kansas Her father coached baseball and did color commentary on the radio for high school football
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Oklahoma State Cowboys football, Quarterback, Big 12 Conference, Iowa State Cyclones football
World News – US – Carlson: Why OSU Quarterback Growth Spencer Sanders has been slowed down (Spoiler: it’s nobody’s fault)
