Michigan State’s “Captain Kirk” Is Exactly Who the Spartans Need

March 13th, 2010 by Sean Gagnier Leave a reply »

As Michigan State looks forward to the 2010 season, there is at least one position on the team that they need not worry about: quarterback.

Last season, the Spartans alternated between two quarterbacks for the majority of the season, sophomore Kirk Cousins and red shirt sophomore Keith Nichol.

Nichol transferred to Michigan State from Oklahoma for the prospect of more playing time. The ironic thing is that after transferring out of Oklahoma to avoid being Sam Bradford's backup, Bradford was injured and his backup, Landry Jones, was given significant playing time.

After a season of flip-flopping at the quarterback position, it looks like Kirk Cousins is the solid starter for the Spartans. And in one sportswriters opinion, he is the perfect choice.

Cousins is going into his junior year at Michigan State and may be available for an extra year of eligibility on the team, as he is following the five year graduation plan. Cousins is a pre-med student, and football may be the easiest part of his college career.

He is taking summer classes to maintain his graduation plan; last summer he took organic chemistry while trying to bulk up for the football team and cut time off of his 40 yard dash.

It has been said that a quarterback is the field general, but how about a field surgeon?

Cousins is half surgeon, half quarterback, a sort of "Arnold Palmer Ice Tea" football player. The surgeon in him allows him to scan the field and identify problems before they happen, which is something that all great quarterbacks do as well.

Captain Kirk stands 6'3" and 200 pounds, and with his summer regimen, it's very likely he could show up next fall as a stronger, heavier quarterback. 

Dantonio commented on Cousins, saying, "He's a perfectionist, he wants to do everything very, very well. That's a good thing, but you also have to realize as you go through things that life's not perfect and there are going to be times where you're going to have to adjust. He understands that." 

And Kirk has drawn the attention of former Michigan State quarterback, Jeff Smoker. Smoker said of Cousins, "He sure didn't play like a sophomore. You could have fooled me. I can just tell by watching him, he's such a leader on the field. It's not only what he says. It's his body language, the way he doesn't get down when things go wrong. You can tell guys really look up to him."

Last season, in Cousins first year as the starter (for the most part), he posted 2680 yards through the air, 19 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. His completion percentage was just a hair over 60 percent, and his quarterback rating was 142.6.

In the coming season, things look to only improve for Cousins, as he won't have to alternate with backup Nichol and will be able to live up to his full potential of becoming a field surgeon for the Spartans.

Watch Captain Kirk closely next season as he is primed to have an explosive year and take Michigan State to the final frontier, a BCS Bowl.




This story was originally syndicated from Bleacher Report - Front Page.
Read the original Article Here

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Posted in College Football, Kirk Cousins, Michigan State Football, NCAA, Opinion

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