QB Comparison: How Spencer Sanders, McNeese State’s Cody Orgeron Match Up

On Saturday, Oklahoma State’s home crowd will get its first look at new starting quarterback Spencer Sanders and the freshman passer did plenty to drum up hype with his 312-total yard, three-touchdown debut.

On the opposite sideline, Sanders’ counterpart is also coming off a Week 1 win, though with slightly less dramatic numbers. McNeese State’s Cody Orgeron, son of LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, led his team to a 34-28 win over fellow FCS school Southern University.

Let’s take a look at the other Cowboy QB and what he brings to the matchup in Stillwater.

First off, here are the two passer’s stats through one week of play.

QB2B	Sanders	Orgeron
Att.	24	22
Comp.	19	15
Pct.	79.2	68.2
Yds	203	147
Yds/Att	8.5	6.7
TD	3	2
INT	0	0
Rating	203	154.3
QBR	93.5 (7th)	n/a
Rushing Yds	109	33
Rushing TDs	0	0

 

Recruiting Matchup

One QB in this matchup was a four-star record-setter who won Gatorade State Player of the Year and Mr. Texas Football. The other was unranked by major recruiting services and only played one year of high school football.

Cody and his twin brother Parker both played their prep ball at Mandeville High (Louisiana). Parker was the higher-rated recruit, a three-star receiver per 247Sports, but both signed with McNeese in 2016.

Cody redshirted in 2016, while his brother saw an immediate role on the offense. Parker’s career ended following a rash of concussions and he has taken a role as a student coach for 2019.

Cody Orgeron worked his way up the ranks, playing in 11 games at and starting three in 2018 behind senior James Tabary, while compiling 406 yards and two touchdowns.

A Coach’s Son

In his weekly press conference, Mike Gundy was asked about what it’s like having a son who plays (speaking of LSU’s head coach missing out on watching his son at McNeese). He drew comparisons to watching his own kids play, namely Stillwater High starting QB, Gunnar Gundy.

“It’s a cool situation,” said Gundy. “I don’t know Ed (Orgeron) real well. I know him a little bit, but he seems like he’s a pretty emotional guy so I’m sure that he enjoys that side of it. I can only speak for me. I just enjoy watching my kids play and I hope that they play with enthusiasm and good attitude, and compete and they’re tough. If they have success, they have success. That’s based on what they put into it. That’s the fun part for me to watch when my boys play and I’m sure he’s excited.

“The difficult part is he doesn’t get to see him play. You can watch tape and replays and all that, but it’s not the same.”

Dru Brown’s Debut?

After the Cowboys’ win over Oregon State, Gundy admitted that he had planned to get Dru Brown into the game but that Sanders’ play kept that from happening. If the hometown Cowboys can build a big lead on the visiting Cowboys, it’s possible that we could get a look at OSU’s QB2.

“I felt bad toward the end that Dru didn’t get in,” said Gundy. “Spencer was playing so good, we couldn’t take him out. (Dru) has done very well. He’s gonna get on the field. At the end (of the Oregon State game), it doesn’t count.

“His attitude’s been good, and I told him if he doesn’t want to go in at the end of the game, I understand. But he wanted in. They’ve done well, and it’s not easy for him to swallow. He’s got pride. He’s a competitive young man. The other guy was playing good. We just couldn’t take him out.”