Cook, who has been starting for the Spartans (7-0) since his sophomore season in 2013, has a 31-3 career record as a starter, which includes two bowl victories.
“It’s a function of Coach (Mark) Dantonio and their program because he’s effective because of all the players around him,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said about Cook’s success. “Tremendous in defense, mature offensive line. He’s got a really good running game. He’s a very, very good player, and he’s going to be a pro.”
While Cook is playing on the opposite side of the ninth-best defense in the Big Ten, which surrenders 372.2 yards per game, he has also been sacked just seven times in seven games.
Cook also plays with the ninth-best rushing offense in the conference, as the Spartans average 175.0 yards per game.
The similarities between the Rutgers’ and Michigan State’s passing offenses are there though despite Michigan State’s top-10 ranking, which may prove to be an issue for IU.
Rutgers receiver Leonte Carroo averages 118.0 yards as Rutgers’ leading receiver, while Michigan State’s Aaron Burbridge averages 100.3 yards. No other receiver on either team averages more than 50.
If success from the key receiver continues against the Hoosiers’ secondary, Carroo’s 157 yards and three touchdowns could be a telling sign as to who Cook may be targeting Saturday.
“He’s a big quarterback back there that makes great decisions,” IU defensive coordinator Brian Knorr said about Cook. “We’ve been very impressed with his receiving corps. They’re big guys that make big catches, and he’s got a lot of confidence in his receivers.”
A lot of Rutgers’ success against the IU secondary is credited to the lack of pass rush from the Hoosier defense, as it was only able to bring Laviano down one time.
The lack of a pass rush was unusual for IU, as Rutgers is ranked eighth in the conference in preventing sacks and IU seniors defensive end Nick Mangieri and bandit Zack Shaw have combined for 10 sacks on the season, with Mangieri ranked third in the Big Ten at seven tackles.
Michigan State gives up the fewest sacks in the conference, which could give Cook more time to make his throws if IU doesn’t speed up the pressure.
“A lot of pressure has come out of the four-man rush,” Knorr said about IU’s pass rush in the Rutgers loss. “They were getting the ball out pretty quick. We didn’t get (Laviano) in any situations where he had to get the ball out on third down, so we have to get (Cook) in situations where he has to hold the ball longer.”
Because Cook has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 13-to-2 and completes 57.4 percent of his passes, IU will need to get the pressure that Big Ten-best Michigan got on Cook last week, when he completed just 46.2 percent of his passes and nearly lost the game.
“Ultimately, we’re getting better,” Wilson said about the Hoosiers. “We like the direction we’re going, but you need to win. And this is a winning football team that needs to win. We got to work hard and try and get one against a great team this weekend.”
