Connor Cook Takes Control In Leading Spartans Past Rutgers

Oct. 11, 2015

By Steve Grinczel, MSUSpartans.com Online Columnist

In a game during which Michigan State played every card in a deck that's being constantly shuffled because of mounting injuries, quarterback Connor Cook once again proved to be the Spartans' ace in the hole.

Playing behind a banged-up offensive line, Cook did what he does best while leading No. 4 MSU to a 31-24 victory over Rutgers at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jeresey: he again rose to the occasion when the moment couldn't have been bigger and pressure to deliver more intense.

Maybe the stage wasn't as prominent as those in the Big Ten Championship Game, the Rose Bowl or the Cotton Bowl, but the stakes â€" keeping the 6-0 Spartans' lofty goals intact midway through the season â€" were arguably higher.

"He made some big plays throughout the course of the game," said co-offensive coordinator Dave Warner. "He had some help with some great catches from the wide receivers, but I thought Connor made some key throws in critical situation and guys came through for him on the receiving end.

"It's who Connor is. That's sort of been his M.O. and we're glad he held true to it again this evening." Late in the fourth quarter, the Scarlet Knights tied the score with a 22-yard field goal that came at the end of a 16-play, 91-yard drive.

Cook had guided a pair of third-quarter drives to wipe out a 14-10 halftime deficit, but the outcome of the game came to rest squarely on his shoulders with just over four minutes remaining.

The drive didn't start off well from MSU's 24-yard line. Freshman running back LJ Scott was held to 1 yard on first down and Cook's second-down pass to wideout Aaron Burbridge fell incomplete.

But on third-and-9, Cook stood up to the Rutgers pass and found wide receiver R.J. Shelton for a 29-yard pickup. Two more runs by Scott, Burbridge's jet sweep for a 10-yard gain and a first down, and Scott's 9-yard run moved the ball to the Rutgers 19-yard line.

Scott was stopped for no gain on second-and-1, and to make matters worse, All-American center Jack Allen had to be helped off the field with a lower leg injury. But on third down Scott swept around left end for 16 yards to set up his game-winning 3-yard touchdown run.

Within minutes of the final whistle, Cook's pass to Shelton was being lauded as the play of not only the game for MSU, but the season, so far.

After throwing for 357 yards, one shy of matching his career-high and equal to the sixth-most in school history, even Cook had to admit his performance was "very vintage" in the context of his career as a three-year starter.

"He just took control. The quarterback is supposed to lead the team and he did that. We needed to go down and score to seal the game, and with him controlling what we do and believing in us to make plays, that's what we did."

-R.J. Shelton

Of his 28 passes, 23 were completed including two for touchdowns. He even had to overcome a costly interception, at the end of the first half, just as he did while leading Michigan State to come-from-behind victories against Ohio State in the 2013 Big Ten title game, Stanford a few weeks later in Pasadena and Baylor in last season's Cotton Bowl.

"When you're put in a situation like that, you just have to remain calm, go through your reads, just be disciplined, try to not do anything extra and just trust yourself," Cook said. "That's what I did. They were in the right coverage for that play to R.J. on the sideline, man-to-man, and I just put it up there for him to make a play.

"To be the quarterback, when it is tied like that and you need a game-winning drive, that's the stuff you dream about. You've got to embrace it and not shy away from it. That's what makes a true gunslinger quarterback, coming up clutch in situations like that."

It's not like Cook didn't have some splendid moments while helping MSU win the first five games. But for whatever reasons, the spotlight that shone so brightly on him in the preseason was diverted elsewhere.

Rutgers was intent on taking advantage of the Spartans' issue with their offensive line. Kodi Kieler, the No. 1 right tackle until he injured his leg in the second game, returned after a three-game hiatus to start at left tackle in place of Jack Conklin, who missed his second game in a row with an injury. Kieler was in and out throughout the game and the Knights ganged up against the run and harassed Cook relentlessly when he went back to pass.

Although Cook was sacked only once, he was probably hit more times than in any other game of his career.

"Most definitely," Cook said. "Obviously, some guys were out and we were rotating in different offensive linemen, guys who aren't as experienced, and Rutgers knew that. They brought the house a lot of times and we couldn't really pick it up. Guys couldn't communicate that well with the noise and there were some blown protections.

"They were bringing two, three guys at once more than they usually do, but I had to stand in there tall and deliver."

On MSU's first scoring drive, he converted on fourth-and-9 with a 25-yard pass to Burbridge, who made another highlight-film catch. Two downs later, Cook kept the play alive by rolling right before finding Macgarrett Kings Jr. for an 8-yard touchdown. In the third quarter, Michigan State regained the lead after Cook completed an 11-yard pass to Kings on third-and-5. And he made it 24-14 with a 25-yard touchdown pass to senior DeAnthony Arnett, whose first of two catches in the game, and fourth of the season, produced his second score of the season.

Receivers were instructed to be looking back for the ball as soon as possible because Cook wasn't going to be holding onto the ball for very long.

"The decision-making had to be extra-quick, and that comes from experience, knowing your playbook, where to go to get rid of it and where the weaknesses are in the defense," Cook said. "I was getting rid of the ball extremely quick because I had to."

The Spartans were very effective on third down, converting 11 of 17 situations, including three on the final drive when Shelton said Cook was in command.

"He just took control," said Shelton, who had five catches for 55 yards. "The quarterback is supposed to lead the team and he did that. We needed to go down and score to seal the game, and with him controlling what we do and believing in us to make plays, that's what we did.

"Obviously, the guys around him, the offensive line, the running backs and the wide receivers doing what they had to do to, it wasn't anything new with Connor Cook. He always steps up in those big situations in key games."

Cook's breakout game from a career standpoint came a few years ago, but this may have marked a turning point for him in this season.

"I thought it was a game he needed to push through and take hits and make plays and he did that," head coach Mark Dantonio said. "He made some things happen.

"He's had a tremendous career up to this point thus far. He's used to playing in big games and he has the experience. He knows what to do with the football and he has a quick release. He made some great throws out there. Big-time throws for big-time yardage. So, he did a great job."

Burbridge finished with a career-high nine catches for 146 yards and was pleased with the way MSU responded to the Knights' challenge to beat them through the air. The Spartans were held to 132 yards on the ground, 135 fewer than they had a week earlier in their win over Purdue.

"We knew they were trying to stop the running game, so we were looking to the wideouts to make plays downfield," Burbridge said. "It feels good to get the running game and passing game both effective. We were never tense out there. We were confident in what we could and that we would come out with the win.

"We didn't play the best first half, but we scored three touchdowns in the second half to get the win and that's all that matters."