Michigan State University Athletics
Stanton Tries To Stay Healthy For Spartans
8/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 21, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Drew Stanton's natural instinct for self-preservation seemed to disappear when he was on the football field last season.
Michigan State's quarterback would run into hostile defenders when a comforting, empty patch of turf awaited his safe landing. He would dive into a pile downfield rather than detour toward the sidelines.
Stanton had the rushing yardage -- and the injuries -- to show for it. He missed two games completely and parts of three others with damage done by his somewhat reckless style.
But the leader of the Michigan State offense said he will do more to protect himself and his team in 2005.
"Just being smarter ... that's the key," Stanton said. "With the schedule we play, you will always be banged up a little. But I definitely need to be smarter knowing when to get down."
The Farmington Hills native runs the Spartans' potent spread offense. Michigan State ranked 10th in the nation in total offense last season and averaged 29.4 points per game in large part due to the scrambling, 6-foot-3, 222-pound quarterback.
Stanton ran for 687 yards and five touchdowns on 96 carries. He completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,601 yards, eight TDs and six interceptions.
But he missed the first game of last season and parts of the next two recovering from surgery on his right knee. He was injured covering a punt in the 2003 Alamo Bowl against Nebraska.
Stanton separated his right shoulder on a scramble last season against archrival Michigan during a dominant first half. That hit caused him to miss the Ohio State game and he again had offseason surgery.
Michigan State coach John L. Smith appreciates Stanton's swashbuckling attitude, but wants his prize quarterback to stay in one piece.
"We're going to be conscious of that and he's going to be conscious of that," Smith said. "When we do ask you to put your body on the line, understand the situation, and he will. It's OK to avoid a hit. When you have to take a hit, make sure it's a crucial situation."
Part of the reason Stanton must be careful during his junior year is a lack of experience behind him. Would-be backup Stephen Reaves transferred to Southern Mississippi, leaving two untested quarterbacks -- redshirt freshman Brian Hoyer and true freshman Domenic Natale -- to battle for second string.
The situation leaves Smith unsettled.
"We'll have to get a lot of snaps in to figure out who'll be backing up Drew," said Smith, who is in his third season at Michigan State. "Ideally you like to have a backup with a couple years' experience in the system. But we don't have that."
Both Hoyer and Natale will look to learn from Stanton, who has won over teammates and coaches with his style. Stanton has roomed with offensive linemen and his credentials as a team-oriented player were solidified with his punt coverage exploits as a freshman. He led the coverage team with 13 tackles.
Stanton played special teams as a freshman because Jeff Smoker was entrenched at quarterback.
Though he's not sprinting downfield to tackle punt returners anymore, he has continued to put his body on the line as the quarterback.
"It takes a special person to make the reads and take the punishment in this offense, and that's what Drew does," offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin said. "He has a presence in the huddle. He has great leadership."
Baldwin has called Stanton's running style "coyote ugly." Teammates tease him about his graceless gallops toward the goal line.
Fans and the media also tend to focus on Stanton's scrambling ability, overlooking his passing efficiency.
Stanton's career completion percentage -- 64.1 percent -- ranks first all-time among Michigan State quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts. Jim Miller, who played at Michigan State from 1990-93, ranks second at 62.9 percent. Miller played more than a decade in the NFL, primarily with Pittsburgh and Chicago.
Only Dave Yarema's 67.3 percent completion record set in 1986 surpasses Stanton's single season accuracy mark of 64.1 percent.
Stanton said his passing accuracy was helped during last spring's practice sessions because, while protecting his shoulder, he threw more than he scrambled.
"He had to throw and that helped," Baldwin said. "In his mind now, he knows he can make things happen by throwing the ball."
Stanton says he also knows he can help his team by avoiding big hits rather than taking them. He has watched film and talked to coaches, hoping to make better decisions between being aggressive and smart.
"It's a matter of learning from those situations, and not putting yourself in those situations anymore," Stanton said. "I'll get what I can get, and when the situation calls for it, avoid the unnecessary hits."
By TIM MARTIN, The Associated Press
