‘It felt great’: Auburn’s Cord Sandberg gets his shot vs. Samford
Cord Sandberg patiently waited for his shot.
Sandberg played six seasons in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system as an outfielder, posting a .243 career batting average and rising as high as class AA.
But the 24-year-old redshirt freshman had not taken extended snaps in football since high school. He threw one pass in 2018, against Alabama state, and recorded three rushes in that game. He watched from the sideline as Jarrett Stidham, then Bo Nix led the Tigers offense.
With Stidham in the NFL and Joey Gatewood in the transfer portal, Sandberg slid into the No. 2 spot on Auburn coach Gus Malzahn’s quarterback depth chart. That meant more reps in practice, more chances to better his connection with Auburn’s receivers and more opportunities to play in simulated game speed situations in practice.
“It felt great,” Sandberg said of the snaps he took during Auburn’s 52-0 win Saturday. “Really, the past two weeks, getting a chance to get some snaps in practice, trying to get the timing and confidence, it was great to go out there and really give the two’s (backups) the chance to have some success.”
So Saturday, with the Tigers in cruise control against an outmatched Samford team, Sandberg got his shot.
That confidence showed from the get-go.
Sandberg’s first carry of the day, on his first snap of the afternoon, went for more than 20 yards (it was called back due to a hold). He finished with 31 rushing yards and 84 passing yards. He also threw a dime of a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, on fourth-and-8, and added a second touchdown pass with 9:23 left.
“The last four weeks, (Cord) got the No. 2 reps,” Malzahn said. “What we try to do is go with the ones and twos for equal reps and try to accelerate him. But there’s nothing like the real thing.”
The dual-threat recruit in him showed on his second score (Sandberg was a four-star dual-threat prospect out of high school, according to 247Sports.), a run-pass option similar to Nick Marshall’s roll-out pop pass late in the game against Alabama in 2013.
Sandberg said the offense emphasized getting the ball to receivers in one-on-one situations during pre-game talks. That was evident in Nix’s play, and continued when Sandberg entered.
Football is not a new concept for Sandberg. He was the 2012 HTPreps Football Player of the Year and 7A State Player of the Year at Manatee High, Bradenton, Fl. He passed for 2,735 yards and 35 touchdowns with 1 interception at Manatee. He held 13 offers from schools like Clemson, LSU and West Virginia.
Saturday could well be the last time Sandberg plays this season. The Tigers face Alabama in next week’s Iron Bowl (3:30 EST, CBS), a game that could go down to the wire. Auburn’s bowl projections include New Year’s Day games against teams like Minnesota or Wisconsin.
For now, though, it appears as if the Tigers have a more-than-serviceable backup quarterback. Not bad for a former minor league baseball player.
“Obviously, the new role, I’m trying to go out there and have the confidence to, if for some reason something happens, to do some things,” Sandberg said. “So, it was awesome to go in there, and actually attempt passes, try and get a feel for the game, and not only give myself confidence, but give the players around me confidence for that ‘what if’ situation.”
