By Michael Doutey

It is bye week in Stillwater but there is lots to talk about this off week. There are so many things wrong with Oklahoma State’s football team. For the fifth consecutive season the offensive line is bad. The defense continues to get worse no matter who is coordinating the them. Then there is the special teams failures. These issues are not new to OSU but they have been highlighted this season just like they were back in 2014.

It is no coincidence that OSU had those magnified when OSU has poor quarterback play. Yes, it all comes back to quarterback right now whether it is fair or not. A new quarterback will not fix the deep program issues OSU has battled for years now, because not even Mason Rudolph or Brandon Weeden can fix those.

However, OSU can mask those issues with above average quarterback play. It is what they did with Mason Rudolph his entire tenure. Now, do they have a talent like that on campus? I can’t be sure and neither can you.

But when you dig into Spencer Sanders profile, it is hard not to be optimistic that he is the next face of OSU football. In 2017, Sanders was named the Gatorade Texas Football Player of the Year, Mr. Texas Football by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and the 2017 Texas Associated Press Sports Editors Player of the Year. That is a mouthful.

Just to name a few previous winners of the Texas AP Sports Editors Players of the Year are, Charlie Brewer in 2016 (starter at Baylor), Sam Ehlinger in 2015 (starter at Texas), Kyler Murray in 2014 (starter at OU and Heisman contender), Patrick Mahomes in 2013 (NFL stud for the Kansas City Chiefs), Kenny Hill in 2012 (former starter for TCU and Texas A&M), Johnathan Gray in 2011 (former Texas running back) and Johnny Manziel (former Texas A&M star and Heisman Trophy winner).

That is a tremendous fraternity Sanders is apart of. Even if he is the worst of those, then he would be miles better than what is trotting out for OSU right now.   

I’m not really considering Dru Brown right now. This is more of a Spencer Sanders discussion. I’m convinced that Brown would be QB2 at Hawaii and not the starter. What Brown averaged per season as a starter for the Rainbow Warriors has nearly been surpassed by currant starter Cole McDonald and in just seven games.

But after the embarrassing loss to Kansas State, I think the fans have hit a breaking point on the season. This isn’t the OSU program Mike Gundy has built. This isn’t the type of teams he’s coached in the past. Some of the issues are the players, but Gundy and his staff are just as responsible for the direction the season has turned.

I am not apart of the crowd that blames everything on Taylor Cornelius. That is a lazy take. I think you can win games with him at quarterback. But he needs an offense that can run the ball. OSU’s can’t. That offensive line is just not good enough. If the offensive line was from the 2011 team, Corn would be in a much place and Justice Hill would be a monster.

OSU could cater their offense to Corn by adding more quarterback run or call for shorter pass routes where he is more comfortable and accurate. But the play calling refuses to do that, opting to throw deep. The issue sits here. Corn doesn’t really fit what OSU does and Mike Yurcich has struggled to adapt to what Corn does well. That is an issue and it might be one of the bigger reasons that OSU needs to make a move. 

OSU’s offense has no identity. The offense is at a crossroads. In conference play, TC hasn’t been a Big 12 caliber quarterback. He hasn’t been that guy. Last week he was missing wide open receivers in crunch time. I think the team has lost confidence in him as starting quarterback. Heck, he might not even have the confidence in himself to get the job done.

So this is what it comes down to. OSU has five games left to win two games and get bowl eligible. That is what this season has become. So, let’s take a quick look at why making a move now makes sense and also why it doesn’t.

WHY IT MAKES SENSE

The current status quo will lose OSU the remainder of their games. That is plain and simple. OSU needs a spark. We all remember what it was like the moment Mason Rudolph took over. All the sudden there was life in an otherwise dead offense. OSU has the playmakers ready to make a large jump if they had a quarterback who could make the throws this offense demands. Even with a poor offensive line, Corn had opportunities to extend drives against Texas Tech, Iowa State and Kansas State, but he couldn’t make the right throws. He’s inaccurate in general, but when he plays better competition it gets worse. He isn’t the answer but Sanders has that arm strength. He has the ability to unlock some of OSU’s skill players.

A more recent example happened inside Boone Pickens Stadium just a few weeks ago when Iowa State subbed true freshman quarterback Brock Purdy in for Zeb Noland. What happened? All the sudden life was pumped into an offense that was unexplosive. The Cyclones offense took off, beating the Cowboys in Stillwater for the first time since Bob Simmons was head coach. The next week the Cyclones dominated sixth ranked West Virginia in Ames. Iowa State started 1-3. After the move to Purdy, Iowa State has moved to 3-3 and now looks to rise in the Big 12 standings. One change and the whole team bought in and the season looks totally different. That spark was Purdy and possibly OSU’s spark could be Sanders. 

Back to 2014 to close things out. The biggest thing that Mason Rudolph did in those three games was invoke hope in the future. The fans bought into what Rudolph showed. They were willing to be patient. Rudolph wasn’t perfect. He made freshmen mistakes, but fans saw the potential and understood there would be some growing pains. OSU fans will be patient with Sanders. They understand the process and won’t expect perfection as long as they also see promise. Mike Gundy needs to trust his recruiting and let his freshman fly.

WHY IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE

OSU has given up 20 sacks in just seven games. The Cowboys are on pace to allowing 34 sacks this season. You don’t want to get a young guy in there and damage him for the rest of his career. Remember Wes Lunt? He was the big time quarterback ready to take the reigns of OSU’s prolific offense before Mason Rudolph. He was supposed to be the next Weeden.

He started as a true freshman from Day One. He showed promise. Even in a loss at Arizona, Lunt threw for 436 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. Even though he threw multiple picks, including one that killed any attempt of a comeback, fans were encouraged and were willing to be patient. But the very next game in Lunt’s third start he suffered a significant injury. He dislocated his knee and injured his ankle. After several weeks of sitting out, he returned to action just to suffer a concussion at Kansas State. He was never the same after that. He transferred to Illinois and never reached his full potential. That has to be on Gundy’s mind. He has to protect his star and make sure he is fully ready both mentally and physically.

But what if Sanders struggles? Lunt and Rudolph both were early enrollees. Sanders came in the summer. Maybe he is the best player but truly isn’t ready yet. If he goes out there and struggles then fans and the team will not feel that hope that makes it easy to feel good about the future. It could backfire and hurt Sanders confidence and his teammates confidence in him. That’s not ideal but it legitimately could happen.

Then there is the fact that OSU has five games left. Yet, the new redshirt rule allows a player to appear in four games and still redshirt. Should Gundy wait a game? They are this close to getting to that point. Is it worth losing that redshirt in what has become a lost season? It does make sense to wait till the Baylor game to fire out Sanders. But then what if OSU finds a way to beat Baylor and TCU and roll to a bowl game? That bowl game would be game five for Sanders. Do you burn the redshirt? Or do you hold him out? If you hold him out to preserve his redshirt what type of message does that send to your team? It is a mess of a decision. 

This isn’t an easy decision. But Gundy makes $5 million a season. Trust me, he wants to win. But making this decision isn’t an easy one. It’s one with a high risk but it could result a big reward. It could also destroy Sanders future and the programs. But that is the job. This is high stakes poker. It’s time for Mike Gundy to put his big boy pants on and make a big decision.