Marcus Rush: Iron Man

Sept. 3, 2014

By Steve Grinczel, MSUSpartans.com Online Columnist | @GrinzOnGreen

Marcus Rush owes it all to his big brothers.

Like a lion cub taught to pursue prey by roughhousing with its older siblings, the Michigan State defensive end with the self-explanatory last name had no choice but to compete at a very young age. Dan and Chris took him to task while playing unpadded tackle football on lawn of his Cincinnati home. And, they ran him ragged with keep-away games of Pickle in the Middle, passing the tennis ball back and forth over his head until one of them botched a throw or he wore them down.

"They taught me to be relentless," Rush said. "They were always pushing me and gave me the attitude to never give up. Whenever we were doing whatever it was, fighting or wrestling, it was always to the point where I had to quit or I got hurt because they would always pin me. But they always meant for the best - typical brother stuff."

It's highly unlikely Dan and Chris will be agreeing to a rematch anytime soon.

With appearances in 42 consecutive games, the 6-foot-3, 251-pound pass-rushing Rush has been a mainstay on the defensive line since 2011 when he earned first-team Freshman All-American honors after recording four quarterback sacks and a career-high 12 tackles for loss. His start in the season opener against Jacksonville State was his 41st, putting him within nine of breaking Eric Gordon and Joel Foreman's school record (both with 49).

Moreover, the understated, if not underrated, Rush is the counterweight on MSU's defensive line that without him might tilt precariously to one side with junior Shilique Calhoun's outsized personality.

"He's very quiet, but he gets the job done," said Calhoun, the preseason Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and All-American. "He's efficient and he'll speak up when he feels like you need to hear it. He's the more mellow one of us linemen which is good because I talk too much.

"We need that one guy to be like, Shhh, calm down."

If it weren't for the swashbuckling Calhoun sucking all the photons out of the spotlight, Rush, a preseason All-Big Ten selection, might be the face of the Spartan defense. Calhoun debuted with 7.5 sacks last season, but Rush wasn't far behind with five. Calhoun did have 14 tackles behind the line to Rush's 7.5, but Rush had three breakups to zero for Calhoun, who's two inches taller.

"Marcus has been a great player for us from Day 1. He's the guy that nobody's talking about, but he's a four-year starter for us, quick-bodied, has a great pass-rush, knows our defense inside and out...He's a great football player."

-MSU head coach Mark Dantonio

Of course, there is the matter of Calhoun's three touchdowns on one interception and two fumble returns, and a 37-30 edge in total tackles last season. However, Rush's 58 tackles in '11 lift his average dramatically to 42 per season, and with 13 career pass-breakups, he is superior to Calhoun in that department - not that you'll ever hear him blowing his own horn.

"I'm not much of a media-type of guy," Rush said. "I just like to come out here and play football just like grade-school times, go back home to eat and relax and not have to do so much media stuff. It only bothers me if the coaches tell me I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing. I don't care what the media has to say about me."

A perfect off-season day for Rush is getting away from it all with MSU backup offensive guard Zach Higgins.

"I love fishing," Rush said. "Zach is a big outdoorsman and we'll go out, find a lake and go for catfish and bass. You cast out there, and I really enjoy doing that. I try to get out there as much as possible if I'm not too tired or whatever. During the season I'm usually sitting on the couch playing video games with my roommates and hanging out and getting my feet off the ground."

Rush's contentment with operating in relative obscurity shouldn't be mistaken for a concession to Calhoun in the friendly rivalry category.

"I don't really care about talking about it to the media because that's not a big deal to me," Rush said. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to make big plays. The competition goes on every day between us whether it's in the film room or having nothing to do with football. It's just natural for us. We're always messing around, seeing how many times you can poke the other guy before he can poke you back, or block his pokes.

"But when the time comes to be serious, we're serious and talking about football. We're competing against each other for more tackles and more sacks. But it's all for the good of the team because we're making plays and if he gets a sack, I'm just as happy if I get one. But then, I want to get one."

Rush and Calhoun form a formidable set of bookends for what coach Mark Dantonio has called "the best defensive line group we've recruited." Although they couldn't be more different from a personality standpoint, his appreciation for each is indistinguishable.

"Marcus has been a great player for us from Day 1," Dantonio said. "He's the guy that nobody's talking about, but he's a four-year starter for us, quick-bodied, has a great pass-rush, knows our defense inside and out. Last year, he was extremely solid. He's not as tall as Shilique, but he's a very, very powerful guy.

"He's a great football player."

Jack Conklin, who is set to begin his second season as the starting left offensive tackle, learns something new every time he practices against Rush.

"He's one of the most technically sound guys I've played," Conklin said. "He's not the tallest guy or the fastest guy, but if you mess up even a little bit, he's going to beat you. Going against Shilique and (redshirt freshman defensive end) Demetrius Cooper every day, you get the speed type, but Marcus is going to beat you with an inside move. It helps me because it shows you a whole different player and that's helped my game a lot.

"He goes about his business a little quieter than most, but if somebody cheap-shots him, he gets angry and he's going to come back harder and harder. They're saying he's about to have the most starts in Michigan State history, and that alone goes to show all the hard work he's done."

As to be expected, Rush is levelheaded about the record, though he wouldn't be totally against receiving a little more attention this season.

"It would mean quite an accomplishment," he said. "I've always focused on being a tough guy, mentally and physically. I've been fortunate enough that I've been able to play well enough to keep my spot and my position and still be able to be healthy through every season, knock on wood.

"I definitely want to have 10-12 sacks this year and if that happens that's probably going to bring out the media. I guess it's a good thing because it means you're making plays."

As the defensive line's elder statesman, Rush will also fill a role that rings familiar.

"We play on the same team, but we're very crazy competitive," Calhoun said. "If he gets a sack then I'm like, `All right, I have to get two.' And if I get two, he's like `All right, I need to get three.' That's what I love about Marcus. We commend each other for what we do, but we're so competitive against each other it makes our football team better.

"Being brothers with him brings out the best in me."

This feature was originally published in the Aug. 29 edition of Michigan State Football Gameday Magazine.