Michigan State Football: 5 reasons Brian Lewerke could be Dantonio’s best QB ever

3. First-year starter numbers comparable to Cook, Cousins

When you look at the careers of Mark Dantonio’s best quarterbacks, Connor Cook and Kirk Cousins, they started full-time as sophomores, but got some playing time as freshmen. The same goes for Brian Lewerke who appeared in four games, passing for 381 yards and two touchdowns. Cousins had 310 yards and two touchdowns and Cook accounted for just 94 yards and a score, but led the Spartans to their Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl win over TCU.

Just like Cook and Cousins did, Lewerke took over as a sophomore and became one of the best passers in the Big Ten. All three of their sophomore year numbers are eerily similar.

Lewerke’s numbers are comparable, if not favorable, to Cook and Cousins. Let’s just take a look at the stats:

• Cousins: 2,680 yards, 19 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 60.4% completion rate (2990)
• Cook: 2,755 yards, 22 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 58.7% completion rate (2849)
• Lewerke: 2,793 yards, 20 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 59% completion rate

As you can see, Lewerke is the best of the trio in some categories and smack-dab in the middle in others, but never the lowest of the group. He’s on pace to put up the best numbers — he already has over 3,000 yards in his first two seasons, which is more than Cook and Cousins had at that point.

Moreover, he accounted for 10 wins in his first season as the full-time starter, comparable to Cook who accounted for 13.

Lewerke is a winner with the skill set of Mark Dantonio’s best quarterback yet and if he passes for about 3,000 yards in each of his next two seasons, he will become the Spartans’ all-time passing leader.