Cobb, Stanton Selected Big Ten Players Of The Week
12/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 6, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State senior running back DeAndra Cobb and sophomore quarterback Drew Stanton have earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for their performances in the Spartans' 41-38 loss at Hawaii in the 2004 season finale. Cobb is the Big Ten's Special Teams Player of the Week, while Stanton shares Offensive Player of the Week honors with Northwestern quarterback Brett Basanez, who accounted for 379 total yards and three scores in the Wildcats' 49-41 setback in Hawaii on Nov. 27.
The Big Ten communications staff made the Player of the Week selections from games played on Nov. 27 and Dec. 4.
The 5-foot-10, 197-pound Cobb returned three kickoffs for 111 yards (37.0 avg.) against the Warriors. A penalty wiped out Cobb's 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that would have given the Spartans a 38-34 lead with 9:22 remaining in the game. His 41-yard runback with 3:43 left in the fourth quarter set up Jason Teague's 1-yard TD run as MSU pulled to within 41-38.
Cobb accounted for 249 yards against Hawaii, including 128 yards rushing on 16 attempts. It marked Cobb's second career 100-yard rushing game. He had a 75-yard TD run in the second quarter called back because of a holding penalty.
"DeAndra Cobb had a remarkable all-around game against Hawaii," Spartan head coach John L. Smith said. "He should have been credited with over 360 all-purpose yards, but he had two long scoring plays called back because of penalties.
"It's really a shame that DeAndra had his 98-yard kickoff return called back because he deserves to have his named in the Big Ten record book. (It would have been Cobb's fifth career kickoff return for a score.)"
 Drew Stanton, who completed 22-of-32 passes for a career-best 330 yards against Hawaii, has been selected Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week.  | |
The 6-3, 225-pound Stanton accounted for 406 total yards against Hawaii - the second-best single-game total in Spartan history. He completed 22-of-32 throws (.688) for a career-best 330 yards and rushed for 76 yards on 12 carries. Stanton completed passes to 10 different receivers. He capped a four-play, 59-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown strike to Eric Knott with 8:21 left in the first quarter as Michigan State took a 7-0 lead. After misfiring on his first pass attempt, Stanton completed his next 10 attempts for 181 yards as the Spartans jumped out to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.
"Drew Stanton played a great ball game against Hawaii," Smith said. "We have a chance to win whenever Drew's in the lineup because he's such a great competitor.
"With the way Drew played in the season finale, we're really excited about our chances for success in 2005 and 2006. He's a great competitor and a tough guy, so his teammates love to follow him."
The Spartans concluded the 2004 campaign with a 5-7 record overall.
