By Jordan Hansen
One of the marquee matchups for Saturday’s Big Ten Championship will be Spartan quarterback Connor Cook against the Hawkeyes passing defense.
During its last three games, Iowa has given up an average of 288 yards through the air. While some of that has been due to teams having to play from behind, it still has to be a tad disconcerting for the Hawkeyes.
Despite missing Michigan State’s Nov. 21 win over Ohio State with a shoulder injury, Cook played last week against Penn State and looked competent in a big win.
In Indianapolis on Saturday, Iowa’s defense will be lining up against a first-team all-conference player, the Big Ten’s Quarterback of the Year, and a likely future first-round draft pick.
Passing touchdowns — 24, (tied for first in the conference)
Perhaps more impressively, Cook’s 24 touchdowns have gone against just four interceptions.
Those four picks are the second fewest in the conference among quarterbacks that have played in 11 or more games. The player with the second-fewest interceptions in that category? You guessed it, Iowa’s C.J. Beathard.
However, Cook has 34 fewer attempts than Beathard in one less game. Michigan State relies much more heavily on the passing game than the Hawks, but with a quarterback of Cook’s caliber at the helm, that trust makes sense.
Percentage of passes caught by wide receivers — 75-percent
Cook loves throwing to his wide receivers — especially senior Aaron Burbridge, who has been en fuego this season.
Burbridge has amassed 1,158 yards on 75 catches (marks good for the Big Ten lead) and has scored seven touchdowns (tied-fourth in the league). He had only 916 yards over the previous three seasons, making his numbers this year all the more impressive.
Outside of Burbridge, Cook also finds wide outs Macgarrett Kings Jr. and R.J. Shelton regularly. Kings has 34 receptions on the season, while Shelton has 38.
Even more, Michigan State likes to use tight end Josiah Price, who is second only to Burbridge in touchdown receptions with six.
Quarterback rating on third down: 149.51
Another thing that makes Cook so dangerous is his affinity for picking up third downs.
The senior has thrown for 49 of the Spartans’ 85 third down conversions this year and picked up another five with his feet.
Head coach Mark Dantonio’s crew is the best third down team in the Big Ten and the seventh-best in the nation, converting 50.6-percent of the time. This should provide an interesting matchup with Iowa, which is allowing opponents to convert 35.56-percent of the time.
The Hawkeyes need to get the Spartan offense off the field, which means stopping them on third down and keeping control of the ball.
Second-half interceptions: 0
Cook is the only player in the Big Ten conference who has played in more than eight games and hasn’t thrown an interception in the second half.
He’s also thrown 9 of his 24 touchdowns in the third quarter, a mark that ranks fourth most in the nation. It also means that the Michigan State coaching staff — especially Dantonio — is good a making adjustments during halftime.
Regardless, Cook doesn’t make a lot of mistakes and especially doesn’t make many when it matters most. Iowa is in for a tough matchup against a bonafide star.