Connor Cook Showcases Elite Arm Talent Against Porous Indiana Secondary

Connor Cook has been regarded as one of the top NFL prospects in the country since last season and when he decided to return for his senior year at Michigan State, the Spartans began preparing for a championship campaign. It hasn’t always been easy, but Mark Dantonio‘s group is 8-0 heading into a bye week.

Cook, a senior from Hinckley, Ohio is a three-year starter for the Spartans and has been phenomenal. He’s your typical pro-style quarterback with great accuracy and a strong arm, and has been brought up in a system that’s grooming him for the next level. But in the meantime, he’s trying to lead his team to a conference championship — a tall order considering they’ll have to go through the defending national champions in the process.

You wouldn’t think they would have many problems before they meet Ohio State on Nov. 21, but the Spartans have struggled at times this season against weaker competition. In back-to-back weeks, they narrowly escaped Purdue and Rutgers, winning by seven points or less in both games. Indiana had the potential to be a let down game for Michigan State following a shocking win over Michigan last weekend.

It was a back-and-forth affair through most of the game until the Spartans pulled away in the second half. The defense was good but not great, giving up 26 points on the afternoon. The running game registered over 100 yards between multiple backs, but it was Cook’s right shoulder that Dantonio put his faith in. Cook completed 30-of-52 passes for 398 yards and four touchdowns.

We can speculate all we want about Cook’s professional future, but he has his team in a position to overtake the Buckeyes if they can win the head-to-head matchup next month. The Spartans have had their problems with lesser competition, but have taken care of business in big-time matchups. There’s no reason to believe they won’t give Ohio State all they can handle, with Cook leading the charge.

Jason Shawley is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering Big Ten football. Follow him on Twitter @jshawls.