True freshman quarterback Shane Illingworth performed admirably in relief of injured starter Spencer Sanders on Saturday, completing four of his five passing attempts for 74 yards and leading Oklahoma State’s offense — which was anemic for two quarters under Ethan Bullock — to a critical scoring drive that culminated with a 3-yard touchdown rush from Chuba Hubbard to start the fourth quarter.
Illingworth missed some practice time in recent weeks because of contract tracing protocols related to COVID-19, but he looks to have secured the backup job with his performance on Saturday ahead of Bullock. And should Sanders miss time, either because of his current lower body injury or because of any potential future ailment, he’ll presumably be the guy moving forward.