Oklahoma State University Athletics
Sanders' Maturity the Key to Another Successful Season
April 22, 2022 | Cowboy Football
Spencer Sanders has already put together one of the most successful careers by an Oklahoma State starting quarterback in program history.
A three-year starter for the Cowboys, Sanders had the best season of his career in 2021 as he was named the First Team All-Big 12 quarterback after leading the Cowboys to a 12-2 record and Big 12 Championship appearance. On top of that, Sanders led Oklahoma State back from an early 28-7 deficit against No. 5 Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl behind an Offensive MVP performance that included 371 yards and four touchdowns through the air and 125 yards on the ground.
Sanders credits his progress to the stability of the offensive staff and his relationship with quarterbacks coach Tim Rattay.
"It definitely displayed last year," Sanders said. "That was my first spring ball with the same coaches as the year before, so it was just kind of going in with the same mindset. You know you just listen, and you learn. So, you just keep hearing that repetitive, you kind of get in a rhythm and then you're learning what he wants from you on certain plays. And then every now and then he'll slide something in there a little bit more difficult for me, and we'll slowly accomplish them."
Heading into his senior season, Sanders needs eight more wins to tie Mason Rudolph for the most wins as a starting quarterback in school history.
A true-dual threat quarterback, the Cowboy signal-caller is one of two players in OSU history with more than 5,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in his career. With his physical ability being visible in his play over the past three seasons, Sanders is using this spring to continue improving the mental aspect of his game.
"That's probably the main focus right now," Sanders said. "Just getting myself to where I can see everything, know everything of what's going on in this playbook and what's going on during plays."
As an experienced quarterback with plenty of accolades under his belt, the improvement that the Cowboy coaching staff saw from Sanders a season ago makes them even more excited to see what he can do in the fall.
"I just think it's maturity," offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn said. "I just think that he's more relaxed, especially in the pocket, when we're going our drop-back stuff. He's just comfortable back there. He's comfortable in knowing where everybody is. I don't necessarily know if it's from a game or anything like that's pushing him forward. Again, I go back to that Baylor one, he came out of that one and took it hard and has been able to put it behind him. I think that was a big step in his maturation. I think as we go forward, he's going to be in good shape. There's a reason why the guy is First-Team All-Big 12, the guy can play. So, we're fortunate to have him here and ride him next year."
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A three-year starter for the Cowboys, Sanders had the best season of his career in 2021 as he was named the First Team All-Big 12 quarterback after leading the Cowboys to a 12-2 record and Big 12 Championship appearance. On top of that, Sanders led Oklahoma State back from an early 28-7 deficit against No. 5 Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl behind an Offensive MVP performance that included 371 yards and four touchdowns through the air and 125 yards on the ground.
Sanders credits his progress to the stability of the offensive staff and his relationship with quarterbacks coach Tim Rattay.
"It definitely displayed last year," Sanders said. "That was my first spring ball with the same coaches as the year before, so it was just kind of going in with the same mindset. You know you just listen, and you learn. So, you just keep hearing that repetitive, you kind of get in a rhythm and then you're learning what he wants from you on certain plays. And then every now and then he'll slide something in there a little bit more difficult for me, and we'll slowly accomplish them."
Heading into his senior season, Sanders needs eight more wins to tie Mason Rudolph for the most wins as a starting quarterback in school history.
A true-dual threat quarterback, the Cowboy signal-caller is one of two players in OSU history with more than 5,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in his career. With his physical ability being visible in his play over the past three seasons, Sanders is using this spring to continue improving the mental aspect of his game.
"That's probably the main focus right now," Sanders said. "Just getting myself to where I can see everything, know everything of what's going on in this playbook and what's going on during plays."
As an experienced quarterback with plenty of accolades under his belt, the improvement that the Cowboy coaching staff saw from Sanders a season ago makes them even more excited to see what he can do in the fall.
"I just think it's maturity," offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn said. "I just think that he's more relaxed, especially in the pocket, when we're going our drop-back stuff. He's just comfortable back there. He's comfortable in knowing where everybody is. I don't necessarily know if it's from a game or anything like that's pushing him forward. Again, I go back to that Baylor one, he came out of that one and took it hard and has been able to put it behind him. I think that was a big step in his maturation. I think as we go forward, he's going to be in good shape. There's a reason why the guy is First-Team All-Big 12, the guy can play. So, we're fortunate to have him here and ride him next year."
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