Spartans QB Connor Cook shines in the spotlight
 

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/spo...ight/74024162/

East Lansing — Connor Cook relishes the big stage.

The fifth-year senior quarterback has made his name in the spotlight, and he’ll have a chance to do that again Saturday when No. 7 Michigan State travels to Ann Arbor to take on No. 12 Michigan.

“Connor Cook does a great job,” Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. “He’s been in big games before, he’s excelled in big games before.”

It’s something that has been in the works since Cook set foot on the field for the Spartans. The first signal of his flair for the dramatic came in the 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl when, as a redshirt freshman, he took over for junior Andrew Maxwell and led the Spartans on the winning drive.

It was a sign of things to come as Cook wrestled the starting job from Maxwell the next fall and carried the Spartans on a journey that continues today.


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The past couple seasons, Cook has led Michigan State to two straight bowl victories as a starter — beating Stanford in the 2014 Rose Bowl and Baylor in last season’s Cotton Bowl.

In 2013 alone, a season he started as Maxwell’s backup, Cook was at his best in Michigan State’s biggest games. He was named MVP of the Big Ten championship game when Michigan State handed Ohio State coach Urban Meyer his only loss to a conference opponent, and was Offensive MVP of the Rose Bowl.

He continued that success last season as Michigan State had its most prolific offensive run in history. Cook threw for 3,214 yards and 24 touchdowns while the Spartans set records for points (559), total offense (6,510) offensive touchdowns (70) and scoring average (43 points).

His best games came in Michigan State’s losses — 343 yards and two touchdowns against Oregon and 358 yards and two touchdowns against Ohio State.

But, he closed with another classic.

Michigan State trailed Baylor, 41-21, in the fourth quarter of the Cotton Bowl, only to come storming back with three unanswered touchdowns, the last a 10-yard strike from Cook to Keith Mumphery with 17 seconds left. It left Cook in tears on the sidelines as he overcame two interceptions to throw for 314 yards and two touchdowns.

Now the winningest quarterback in Michigan State history at 29-3, Cook is looking forward to that next big game, and loves the idea of playing in front of a hostile crowd.

“In an environment like that as soon as Michigan makes one big play, the stadium is going to erupt,” Cook said. “But we’ve just got to continue to fight forward and fight to the end.”

Back in rhythm

It’s something Cook and the Spartans have grown accustomed to the past two seasons. Cook’s numbers prove that, as does the fact Michigan State has won 32 of its last 35 games, including 10 straight Big Ten road games.

That seasoning in difficult environments is something Cook believes will pay off at Michigan Stadium, the only Big Ten venue where the senior class has not won.


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“Playing in stadiums like Iowa, in stadiums like Nebraska, playing at the Rose Bowl and playing Ohio State at Indianapolis when 75-80 percent of the people there were rooting for Ohio State (prepares you),” Cook said. “We’ve played in loud environments before, playing at Oregon, so obviously playing in those type of venues will have me ready for a venue like this.”

And it doesn’t hurt that Cook appears to be finding his rhythm after a bit of a sluggish start.

Cook had a career-high 367 yards in last week’s victory over Rutgers. But it was the way he threw the ball under pressure that was impressive. With the game on the line, he threaded a pass to R.J. Shelton for 29 yards on third down as the Spartans marched for the winning score.

It certainly drew the attention of the Wolverines.

“Outstanding quarterback,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. “The record speaks for itself: 29-3. ... And the most outstanding wide receivers that we’ve played against, or may ever. This is an explosive, talented group of eligible receivers.”

Cook spread the ball around last week as Aaron Burbridge had 10 catches for 156 yards and Macgarrett Kings Jr. and DeAnthony Arnett had touchdown receptions. It was the type of play many expected when Cook’s name was mentioned in the Heisman race before the season. And it was one his coaches knew was possible if they opened up the offense.

“He’s performed real well,” co-offensive coordinator Dave Warner said before last week’s game. “He’s thrown the ball well, higher percentage, which is one thing we talked about going into this season.

“At the same time we need to start expanding his role a little bit maybe and throw it around a little bit more.”

Stiff test anticipated

Cook’s 39 attempts last week were a season high, and that could continue this week against Michigan’s defense, which is allowing fewer points (6.3) than any team in the nation.

The Wolverines also are coming off three straight shutouts and have the No. 2 total defense in the country, but that won’t force Cook to shy away.

In fact, he’s embracing another opportunity to shine in a big game.

“For them to pitch three straight shutouts, that’s hard to do in college football, doesn’t matter who you are, doesn’t matter who you are playing,” Cook said. “To shut out the opponent, that’s hard to do, and they have a great defense.

“So me as a quarterback, us as an offense, and us as a team, we’re looking forward to going into there and playing against a defense like that because you want to play against the best, and you want to play against the top-ranked teams, top-ranked defenses.”


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I don't know why the media is hyping goff for the 1st QB picked and not this guy.

Yes please. No doubt better than anyone we have. He would be my choice and he could be ours if we can just loose out.

Doesn't look like a 1st round QB imo. He didn't even complete 50% of his passes last night and is a career sub 60% passer. His highlights has some nice throws and some really ugly ones too. He's far from a clean prospect. He's big and Mobile....so that's nice.


Not that it matters. He won't be a Chief.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...qb-connor-cook

Ask 5: What's best player comp for MSU QB Connor Cook?

Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook is generating plenty of buzz within scouting circles as he prepares for a big test against Oregon this week. The Spartans' signal-caller has even drawn a comparison to Patriots QB Tom Brady (from a Ducks assistant coach). I asked five NFL personnel executives to give me the best player comparison for Cook. Here are their answers.


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Executive 1: Chad Pennington
"I see similarities to Pennington. He's smooth and has a good-not-great arm. He shows poise in the pocket and makes good decisions."

Executive 2: Nick Foles
"I still need to do a lot of work on him, but if I had to make a call now, I'd say Nick Foles. They both have good size. Smart, average athletes with good-not-great arm strength."

Executive 3: Blake Bortles
"Based on what I've seen so far, I'll go with Bortles. Talented guy with inconsistent arm strength and inconsistent decision making. They each have great size and sneaky athleticism."

Executive 4: Andy Dalton
"I think he's Andy Dalton with a stronger arm."

Executive 5: Carson Palmer
"Maybe Carson Palmer in some ways. Tons of arm talent, real good size, a good athlete, but moments of inconsistency that give you pause."

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Verdict: It's a mixed bag, with five different players receiving a vote.

Conclusion: Cook is one of the most intriguing players to monitor during the college season. He has a lot of tools to work with, but it's tough to find a clear-cut comparison for him at the NFL level. The executives I surveyed offered a broad range of comps. Personally, I see him as Carson Palmer without the top-shelf arm strength. He is similar to Palmer in size, athletic ability and demeanor. This week's game against Oregon will be heavily attended by NFL scouts and I'm anxious to see how Cook performs on that stage.


I think he look's a'lot like Dalton as well.

He is definitely raw but I think a year on the bench and he could really be something special he doesn't panic when behind.

One play will be a nice throw, the next one looks like a pop-gun wobble launcher. These problems generally get worse in the pros, not better.

I liked the Bortles/Foley comparisons in your post.

Dalton? Brady? Pfffff.....i don't see that at all.

I'm not sure if Connor Cook is the right choice, but I do know that forums poster stevieray can suck my dick.

No, no time on the bench.

Play, play, play.

BTW, Cook's my guy at this point. I think he's a cross between Dalton and Palmer.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Connor Cook kinda reminds me of Andy Dalton with better size and a touch better arm. Right now I don&#39;t see top QB potential.</p>&mdash; Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) <a href="https://twitter.com/nfldraftscout/status/642442955995877378">September 11, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I liked Dalton a lot, but I also learned a lot about evaluating QBs from that class. As far as Cook goes, he&#39;s the girlfriend not the wife.</p>&mdash; Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) <a href="https://twitter.com/nfldraftscout/status/642443722882465794">September 11, 2015</a></blockquote>
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At this point I would rather have a raw Andy Dalton to build on then Goff.

I agree with you 100% comparison on the Dalton/Palmer I just think he might be a bit raw if he starts day one.

From Peter King's SI column today:

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/10/19/n...olts-fake-punt

Seems to be making an issue out of nothing IMO.

Maybe they all avoided his 21st birthday celebration as well

:p

Too risky

Boykin is better.