Mike Carter – USA Today Sports
With Big Ten play looming on the horizon, the Michigan State Spartans need to make a decision as to who their starting quarterback will be.
Their bye week this week should give them plenty of time to decide before they travel to Iowa City to play the Iowa Hawkeyes on October 5. A decision needs to be made by then if the Spartans want get a win over the Hawkeyes and keep their Big Ten Championship hopes alive.
Quarterback Connor Cook had his offense on a roll in Saturday’s loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. That is, until a play call came in for a pitch pass for running back R.J. Shelton to throw downfield on first and 10 with the score tied. He threw into double coverage, had it intercepted by Notre Dame, who then returned it to their own 48.
Cook was not happy about it, but head coach Mark Dantonio took the blame for it, saying that he felt they needed a big play at that point in the game. Cook was replaced again later in the game by fifth-year senior quarterback Andrew Maxwell with 2:11 left in the game, another move by Dantonio that Cook was not happy about and did not understand.
Because of the frustration from Cook regarding these moves, Dantonio has said that the quarterback position will continue to be evaluated.
Dantonio has also indicated that they need a quarterback that can do something with the football and is able to be effective and reliable when it comes to scoring. He wants to do what’s fair for all of his quarterbacks, saying that they will always play the best player and the one that will give them the best opportunity in different situations.
It sounds like Dantonio and the Spartans need to be thinking long and hard during this bye week about who their quarterback will be, or they will struggle for the rest of the season, and their hopes of a Big Ten Championship will be no more.
Jenna Aquino is a Big Ten Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow her on Twitter, “Like” her on Facebook or add her to your network on Google.
