Oklahoma State football: How to move forward without Spencer Sanders

Oklahoma State football will be without Spencer Sanders after a thumb surgery. What’s next for the Cowboys after losing their starting quarterback?

According to what sources are telling ESPN’s Dusty Dvoracek, Oklahoma State (7-3, 3-3) will be moving on without starting quarterback Spencer Sanders for the remainder of the 2019 regular season.

Sanders, who suffered an apparent thumb injury in the third quarter of last week’s win against Kansas, will undergo thumb surgery, according to Dvoracek. The timetable is uncertain, leaving the possibility that the redshirt freshman would be able to return for a bowl game.

If the initial reports prove true, OSU’s prospects for the season will now hinge on Dru Brown. The transfer quarterback from Hawaii has seen little action this year, though his credentials are quite impressive. Through two seasons at Hawaii, Brown threw for 5,273 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. In 2016, his sophomore year, he also rushed for more than 300 yards.

Hyped freshman quarterback Brendan Costello, who attended the same high school in San Clemente, Calif., as Sam Darnold, would most likely become the backup quarterback.

In the little action that Brown has seen this year, he has completed 13-of-18 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns. He’s only appeared in four games: against Oregon State, McNeese, Baylor, and Kansas.

Brown’s fortune in stepping in as OSU’s starting quarterback is that opposing defenses will surely be keying in on star running back Chuba Hubbard. The Alberta native continues to lead the FBS in rushing, having gained 1,726 yards and having scored 20 touchdowns this season. He averages 6.7 yards per carry and is capable of breaking a big play at any moment.

OSU faces West Virginia on the road this upcoming Saturday. Its Week 13 matchup will be followed by a Bedlam date with the Sooners two days after Thanksgiving.

As of now, the Cowboys are 5.5-point favorites against the Mountaineers, though the Sanders injury might influence that line.

Though Brown has played sparingly this season, his track record from Hawaii should give Cowboy fans some cautious optimism just a week and a half away from facing their in-state rival. With the nation’s leading rusher there to attract most of the attention, Brown may be given the opportunity to shine for the Pokes in Week 13 against West Virginia.