Shane Illingworth to Start at Quarterback, Sanders Still Dressed

The Cowboys will start Big 12 play without their starting quarterback.

True freshman Shane Illingworth will get the start at quarterback for the Cowboys in their conference opener against West Virginia. Spencer Sanders is dressed, so it looks as if he could play if needed.

Sanders played just two series in OSU’s season-opener last weekend against Tulsa before leaving the game with a lower body injury.

Illingworth led Oklahoma State to a fourth quarter comeback win against Tulsa after replacing junior college transfer Ethan Bullock. Bullock played for eight drives where the Cowboys scored no points before Illingworth, who hadn’t practiced much the week prior because of contact tracing, got the call.

Illingworth finished his first college game 4-for-5 with 79 yards. He entered OSU as the No. 164 play in the 2020 recruiting class, a four-star recruit.

Sanders threw for 2,065 yards and 16 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2019 before a thumb injury essentially ended his season (he returned in the Texas Bowl but didn’t throw a pass).