Spencer Sanders turning Pokes’ offense up a notch
Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders drops back to attempt a pass against Kansas State Saturday September 25, 2021 at Boone Pickens Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State’s junior quarterback is coming off his best performance of the season and is riding a wave of momentum towards game five.
Spencer Sanders made Kansas State’s defense look silly with his arm and legs. He torched the Wildcats’ secondary for 344 yards through the air and scored three total touchdowns. Now he believes the Cowboys’ offense is starting to take flight and click at the right time.
The double-digit victory last Saturday was enough for Oklahoma State to crash the AP top-25 at No. 19. For a second-straight week the Cowboys will be squaring off with an undefeated and ranked opponent. Baylor has been the biggest surprise in the Big 12, sitting at 4-0 and ranked 21st in the country, but Sanders has the Cowboys’ offense playing with confidence.
Every game the Cowboys have answered the bell with a win and they continue to play with passion. The close victories have made the players more battle-tested. That should benefit as the team navigates through the Big 12 meat grinder. Most importantly, everyone is striving to improve everyday in practice and that impresses Sanders.
“The key to a good team is that you always keep learning, and that’s the thing, you always compete,” Sanders said. “We emphasize that every week, we compete, we compete, so I feel like we got a really competitive offense and that’s why sometimes we get emotional.”
The Texas native believes his surge in leadership and production has made everyone around him better. The Wildcats’ defense was no slouch, but the Cowboys played stronger and faster. Mike Gundy has fielded one of the youngest teams in the league this season, and so far a lot of players are blossoming.
It’s all about accountability in Sanders’ eyes and he’s not afraid to take chances in the clutch because he trusts his receivers. Plenty of players have stepped their game up and the signal-caller has a plethora of weapons to operate with. However, Sanders don’t want any of his teammates being complacent with where the offense is at.
Sanders plans on keeping up the intensity and hopes the offense continues to build off his energy. The six-foot-one, 210-pounder is going through his progressions, locating his receivers and calling out the defense at the line of scrimmage.
Still, Sanders doesn’t want the offense to overreact after the win. Instead he hopes the unit uses the success as a reminder that they could do some damage this fall.
“It felt good honestly, we got a lot of young guys out there, they just execute and that’s great,” he said. “I’m putting the ball where they’re at and they’re catching it and doing what we do.”
That’s the right attitude to have, considering the Bears’ offense has been humming over their past three games. Sanders is gearing up for a potential shootout this weekend, and the matchup might come down to which offense has the ball last.
Just like last week in preparation for Kansas State, Sanders plans on watching extra film on Baylor. Last week’s win is in the rearview mirror, but the Cowboys will still be correcting the mistakes and adding a few wrinkles to keep the opposition guessing.
Sanders know it’s going to be a battle and he’s ready to rise to the occasion again.
“I’m happy we won, I’m happy we’re playing this good and I’m just excited to see how much more we can progress.”
