Michigan State vs Rutgers: Report card for the Spartans
Oct 10, 2015; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Connor Cook (18) hands off to running back Madre London (28) during the second quarter at High Points Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
Saturday night’s Michigan State vs Rutgers game wasn’t the prettiest win of the Mark Dantonio era, but it was just enough to give the Spartans a 6-0 record to start the year while the Scarlet Knights hung tough, but fell to 2-3.
Michigan State has a ton of work to do moving forward, but this team could potentially be on the fringe of falling apart due to injuries. Madre London, Jack Allen and Darian Hicks all went down this week against the Scarlet Knights potentially for a long time — at least the first two guys.
There’s only so much ‘next man up’ talk you can have before you run out of guys. Let’s grade Michigan State by position group after Saturday night’s game.
Quarterback: A
Oct 10, 2015; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Connor Cook (18) trows down field during the second quarter against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at High Points Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
Connor Cook proved to be the guy for the Spartans on Saturday evening in Piscataway, N.J. The senior quarterback passed for a season-high 357 yards and two touchdowns while completing 23-of-38 passes. He did throw a costly pick at the end of the first half in the end zone that costed the Spartans seven points and a lead heading into the half, but he rebounded nicely.
When it comes to breaking records, Cook has been nothing but clutch. He has now tied Drew Stanton for the second-most 300-yard passing games in MSU history — with seven. When the Spartans needed a big throw or a first down, Cook was the guy to deliver.
In fact, Michigan State was 11-for-17 on third downs and 1-for-1 on fourth downs in this one, definitely helping the cause for a road victory.
Cook also picked up a clutch 10-yard run late in the game to help the drive continue. He gets an ‘A’ for sure.
Next: Running Backs