'Let it go and move on': Oklahoma State's Spencer Sanders won't be haunted by Baylor struggles
Scott WrightOklahoman
STILLWATER — Ten weeks ago, Spencer Sanders sat about 15 yards away from the playing field at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, answering questions about the past, present and future of Oklahoma State football.
Considering what had happened on that turf seven months earlier, and this was Sanders’ first time back in that stadium, the past was particularly front of mind.
Last December, with his team on the verge of a potential College Football Playoff berth, Sanders threw four interceptions in the Cowboys’ 21-16 loss to Baylor.
As he reflected on it in July, the 22-year-old quarterback offered wisdom.
“You kind of carry the chip on your shoulder for motivation, but you can't have any regrets,” Sanders said. “You can't hold yourself to that. You've just gotta let it go and move on. There's nothing we can do about it now. I'm glad that we can respond in the right way.”
On Saturday, the ninth-ranked Cowboys will face No. 16 Baylor for the first time since that fateful trip to JerryWorld, and depending on how well he follows his own advice, Sanders likely will be confronted with the fact that the Bears intercepted him seven times in two games last season.
Baylor hosts the Pokes at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas, and OSU’s hopes of continuing its unbeaten start to the season will rest heavily in Sanders’ ability to turn his Baylor trend.
Of course, it’s not all on Sanders. Quick film review shows that on four of those interceptions, a Baylor defender was hitting, about to hit, or in the face of Sanders when he let the ball go, altering his motion or disrupting the throw all together. Two of them were catchable by receivers, but bounced out of their hands and into the air to be picked off.
“And then one he threw off his back foot on a crossing route, overthrew a guy and hit the safety in the stomach,” head coach Mike Gundy added. “So, we certainly want to be more protective with the ball against them. I’m not really concerned about it based on the number of turnovers that he had. He was being hit when he threw the ball.”
And Sanders’ Baylor struggles were an anomaly in what has been his most consistent season of his career. Though Baylor intercepted him seven times in two games, Sanders threw just five picks in the other 11 games he played.
A fifth-year senior and fourth-year starter, Sanders wasn’t among the players OSU sent to speak to the media after the Big 12 title game last December, nor was he among those who answered questions in Tuesday’s post-practice interviews.
But in between, he has spoken plenty, exuding nothing but confidence in this year’s offense, which has been operating faster and more efficiently than last season.
Through three nonconference games, the offense is averaging 51.7 points and has 13 touchdown drives that have lasted less than two minutes, though the level of competition doesn’t simulate Big 12 play. But still, in the two non-conference games Sanders played last season — against Tulsa and Boise State — the offense scored 49 total points.
So it’s clear the Cowboys have found a new gear, and Sanders’ elevated confidence is a prime reason. He’s always been highly confident, but something else has clicked.
“I think he’s comfortable,” sophomore receiver John Paul Richardson said. “He knows exactly where everybody’s gonna be. He has a feel that’s hard to grasp. He’s been here for a long time. He just knows the offense like the back of his hand, so that’s good to have in a quarterback.”
With that, Gundy doesn’t worry about his quarterback letting last year linger in his mind this weekend.
“Spencer is highly intelligent and he knows,” Gundy said. “He gets hit, the ball goes a different direction. He can’t control it. He’s not gonna tell you guys that because he’s not going to push the blame on anybody else.
“When he watches it, he knows. I’m not concerned at all about it, because I think he realizes what took place.”
Particularly in the Big 12 title game, Baylor played deep in the secondary to limit Sanders’ passing options, while often committing just six defenders to the run. That’s the style of attack Gundy anticipates from the Bears again this week.
“Their defense is set up to not give up big plays,” Gundy said. “They’re gonna force you to rush the ball and be a successful intermediate passing team. We understand that. It’s no secret. So, I would say those guys are probably going to be back there pretty far in trying to defend downfield throws.”
Entering Big 12 play, Sanders’ quarterback rating of 178.89 is wildly higher than his 133.54 of last year. He’s completing 65.3% of his passes with 10 touchdowns and one interception, operating more efficiently than he ever has.
And he has the full trust of Gundy and offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn.
“We let him do whatever he wants to do,” Gundy said. “He goes at it, has fun. He still does some things. He’s a risk-taker. He’ll run more, take more hits than he should. He’ll throw into coverage some, but it’s kind of the way it is. We have a lot of confidence in him, allow him to go out and make his plays.”
