Michigan State University Athletics
MSU's Stanton, Teammates Focused On Winning
8/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 19, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton has sizzling statistics, rock star status on his college campus and even a little bit of Heisman hype.
But what the standout senior really wants is more victories.
Stanton, one of the top QBs in the nation, said stats and personal accolades don't mean much without wins. He wants to compete for a Big Ten title, make a top flight bowl trip and dramatically improve on his 8-10 career record as a starter.
"You work for four years and you hope you are in a position to do some big things, not only as an individual but as a team," Stanton said. "That's what I'm focused on more this year -- having a successful season as a team. Individual stats come within this offense. But it's something that doesn't necessarily mean anything when you're losing football games."
Teammates say Stanton is more focused than ever as the Sept. 2 season opener against Idaho approaches.
The native of Farmington Hills worked as a counselor at Peyton Manning's offseason quarterback camp and talked to the Indianapolis Colts star about developing a system to better read defensive coverages. He plans to be more active helping assistant coaches cook up game plans. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Stanton is practicing yoga to improve his flexibility, hoping to avoid the injuries that have slowed the swashbuckling QB down during his career.
"He is approaching each day with more confidence, more than I've seen him before," running back Jehuu Caulcrick said. "He knows this is his team. We look to him to be the leader."
Stanton could be the school's best Heisman Trophy candidate since running back Lorenzo White finished fourth in the balloting in 1985 and 1987 -- if the Spartans have a successful season.
He already is prominent in Michigan State and Big Ten record books.
Stanton has completed 65.7 percent of his career pass attempts, tops in Big Ten history ahead of Iowa's Chuck Long and Michigan's Todd Collins. Stanton ranks third among returning NCAA Division I-A quarterbacks in career completion percentage.
His 22 touchdown passes in 2005 broke a Michigan State single-season record. He ranks fifth in career TDs (30), sixth in passing yards (4,717) and sixth in completions (379).
But Stanton's accuracy and decision-making sometimes wavered in the second half of last season, in part because field goal kicking woes and occasional defensive struggles put extra pressure on the offense.
It didn't help that Stanton hurt the thumb on his throwing hand in a November game against Purdue, an injury that may have affected his accuracy in the last three games.
Stanton is a fiery competitor who has roomed with offensive linemen and sometimes plays with a similar in-the-trenches mentality.
As a freshman, while waiting for his chance to play, Stanton played on the Spartans' special teams. He injured his right knee while covering a punt in the 2003 Alamo Bowl against Nebraska.
The next season, Stanton separated his shoulder on a scramble against Michigan.
That hasn't stopped him from being an effective runner. Stanton has gained more than 1,000 yards in his career. How much he runs this year will depend on schemes against Michigan State's single-back, spread offense.
"We have a two-back system," Michigan State offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin said. "Drew is the second back."
Armed with the knowledge that he is a possible first-round NFL draft pick, Stanton took out an insurance policy in the offseason to protect his potential future earnings. It has become a fairly common practice for potential high draft picks to take out policies that provide a payout if the athlete is injured before arriving in the NFL.
Former USC players Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush had such policies, as did former Utah quarterback Alex Smith -- the nephew of Michigan State coach John L. Smith.
"We would encourage anybody in the position he is in to do that," Smith said. "It's only being intelligent."
Stanton received a bachelor's degree in kinesiology last spring and now is working on a master's degree. But for all his future promise, Stanton said his focus is solely on the season ahead.
The Spartans may have gotten carried away last season after a 4-0 start left them ranked No. 11 in The Associated Press poll and talking about possible bowl destinations, he said. After heartbreaking losses to Michigan and Ohio State, the Spartans struggled and finished with a 5-6 record.
"We're not gonna hear any of that talk in the locker room this year," Stanton said. "We have to just tell everybody to shut up and worry about the next game ahead."
By TIM MARTIN, The Associated Press
