Spender Sanders and Dru Brown on the Ongoing Quarterback Battle

STILLWATER — It might seem like the Dru Brown vs. Spencer Sanders battle to be Oklahoma State’s starting quarterback is a hostile situation from the outside, but the two say otherwise.

Sanders and Brown met with the media for the first time as Cowboys on Friday at OSU’s Media Day, and the two couldn’t stop being supportive of each other, while still recognizing the competition at hand. The redshirt senior and redshirt freshman might be at different points in their respective careers, but they said they are working toward the same goal.

“We’re both great quarterbacks,” Sanders said. “Dru is a talented quarterback, and I believe that he can get the job done if I don’t play. I’m pretty sure he believes that I can get the job done. We both believe in each other, and we both feel like we can both get the job done. I’ll be happy with whatever choice Coach (Mike) Gundy makes, and hopefully it’ll be the best for this team. I know it will be because he knows better than any of us.”

Brown’s stance fell in line with that.

“At the end of the day, the coaches are going to pick someone, and I’ll accept whatever happens,” Brown said. “Like I said many times, we’re both here to win, so whatever happens we’re gonna support each other because that’s what we came here to do is win.”

Spencer Sanders has been committed to play at OSU since Oct. 1, 2016. Sanders signed in December of 2017, but even with the highly touted recruit already coming in, it didn’t dissuade Brown from also coming to Stillwater, as he committed a few months later.

“It was kind of like, it is what it is,” Brown said. “As a quarterback, you’re going to have to compete wherever you go, so it’s not, ‘Oh, he has this many stars,’ or that. I always respect my competition, and that hasn’t changed since I got here. But that doesn’t really go into it too much. I didn’t think into it too much.”

Sanders said his reaction to seeing that Brown was also coming was similar to that of Brown’s.

“It’s just competition,” Sanders said. “That’s what this level’s about. I was never scared of a competition. My father taught me well, you never back down from a challenge.

“Just because I was a Texas All-State player doesn’t mean I’m a Heisman winner. It just means that I was a great player in high school, and I appreciate that. Now it’s on to the college level, and I’ll see what I can do.”

Brown and Sanders play a card game they call threes with each other. Sanders said it gets competitive to the point of slamming cards down. New offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson has talked about how he wants the two to compete like they’re in a dogfight, but there is still a line of respect between the two.

“We’re friends; we’re a bond,” Sanders said. “We don’t hate each other. We have nothing against each other. Whoever goes in, we’re not gonna discredit or tell him he’s not good enough or say we’re better. If the the coaches believe that’s the best decision, we’re gonna respect it, we’re gonna stand by them. When he comes off to the sideline, I’ll support him, and when I come off to the sideline, I’m pretty sure he’ll support me. We’ll support each other either way, no matter what happens or whatever the choice is.

“I’m pretty sure we both have the mentality that we want the starting job, but we both know that whoever they pick, that’ll be the right man. And that’ll be the best man for the job, and we’re gonna support each other no matter what.”

At his presser Saturday, Gundy said both quarterbacks would play if a decision had to be made now. That in itself is a scenario that would need to be worked out as far as who plays when, but if that’s what happens, the two said they’ll support it that decision.

“Whether it’s one guy or two guys, whatever we gotta do to win a Big 12 Championship,” Brown said. “That’s why we came here.”