Gundy Says As of Now Both Quarterbacks Would Play to Start Season

STILLWATER — If the Cowboys’ season-opening game against Oregon State was tomorrow, Mike Gundy said Spencer Sanders and Dru Brown would play.

The team is only three practices into its fall camp (only one of which involved shoulder pads), and as of now, neither has set himself apart from the other. Gundy said it isn’t locked that it’ll be a two-quarterback system moving forward, but if a choice had to be made now, that would be what it is.

“We might not (make a decision),” Gundy said at his OSU Media Day news conference. “We might play two. If you were at practice today, you’d say play two. They were both pretty good. I know people say sometimes, ‘Well if you can’t name one, you don’t have any.’ I don’t see that as the situation here.

“… I’m not saying we’re gonna play two. All I’m saying is, as of today, that’s what would happen. We have however many days until we play a game, so it could change. But, they’re both working hard. It’s not disruptive to the team. That’s something that I look for, and the guys are handing it really well.”

Gundy again referenced his track record of naming starting quarterback, bringing up examples of Wes Lunt and Taylor Cornelius. He said if the coaching staff knew who the guy was, they’d name him the starter because it would help in terms of getting that guy more reps in practice.

Gundy said he hasn’t had a discussion with Sanders and Brown about a two-quarterback system yet. He also said he still isn’t entirely sure how it would work. The two have similar skills sets, so it would be unlike the most recent time the Cowboys used two quarterbacks: Mason Rudolph and JW Walsh in 2015. Walsh was essentially a red zone quarterback that season, as he was more of a runner than the strong-armed Rudolph.

“That’s one thing I don’t have a good answer to,” Gundy said. “You know how you avoid things like with your wife. You’re like, ‘Eh, I don’t want to get into that unless I absolutely have to get into that.’ That’s kinda what I’m doing right now.”

Here are some questions that Gundy said run through his head, keeping him up at night.

“If you put one in and you’re playing two, when do you alternate them?” Gundy said. “If he makes a mistake, does he get to go back in? One guy might play good for two quarters, the other guy plays good, who goes in in the fourth quarter? There’s so many different scenarios. I don’t have an answer for that right now, we have a plan, but we don’t have the answer. Fortunately, we don’t really need to worry about it for another couple weeks. Then we really have to start to make a decision on what we’re gonna do, and if it is two, how we’re gonna do it.”

Gundy said he wants to be fair to both guys. He said despite the competition, he doesn’t want either guy playing scared to make a mistake. He said he wants “gunslingers.”

There is also a popular thought that since Sanders is the younger guy, he should play because he can gain experience throughout his four seasons of eligibility remaining, whereas Brown only has one year left. Gundy said he doesn’t follow that. He wants the guy who gives OSU the best chance to beat the Beavers on Aug. 30.

“We have to play the best player,” Gundy said. “There’s so many ways to look at this. There’s so many different opinions on this. And I’m not saying that most of them probably aren’t correct, but for me and (offensive coordinator) Sean (Gleeson), we have to play the guy that we think gives us the best chance to score points and win the first game, whoever that may be — not necessarily worry about the future.

“People say, ‘If everything’s close, play the younger player. You can build on it.’ That doesn’t always mean he gives us the best chance to win the next game. Age is really out at this point. It’s who gives us the best chance to be successful at Oregon State. That’s really what we’re concerned with at this time.”