From Leading the Spartan Nation to a Bowl Game Triumph to Battling for the Leading Role in 2013, QB Connor Cook Likes the Fight!

The last time Spartan Nation saw Connor Cook he was leading the Spartans to a Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl victory. Today he finds himself in a heated battle to

The last time Spartan Nation saw Connor Cook he was leading the Spartans to a Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl victory.

Today he finds himself in a heated battle to lead the Spartasn in 2013. He talked about that battle.

Q: How’s spring practice going?

A: Spring practice is going great. A lot of fun. Guys are making plays. Team’s looking great.

Q: You’re making plays though, and you gotta be very happy with your performance.

A: Uh yes, anytime I’m out there just gotta... If the play breaks down you just gotta make the play on your feet. And just be calm.

Q: How are the reps being split up right now?

A: Everyone’s getting an equal opportunity to work with the 1’s, 2’s and 3’s. I’m with the 1’s one period, Maxwell’s with the 2’s. Tyler’s with the 3’s. And then just like evenly dispersed.

Q: What’s it like to be practicing broken plays. Have you ever done that?

A: No, because we’ve never been live. So every time we’ve been scrambling, really, no one’s been in our face. So since he’s made us live it’s really bringing out the best in all the quarterbacks.

Q: Have you been hit hard?

A: I have.

Q: What’s that? Is that a knot on the head?

A: Uh-huh. Yeah, I got hit pretty hard today by Day-Day actually.

Q: Is that something you guys embrace as quarterbacks or are you a little insecure about that?

A: I don’t mind getting hit. It just makes everything more realistic, more game-like. So if you’re out here every single day in practices like a game, it can only make you better.

Q: Connor, does being able to be hit allow you to maybe show your skill set more? T hose of us that saw you in high school know exactly what skill set you have. But when you’re not being able to get hit you don’t get to show maybe what you do best.

A: Yes, it doesn’t simulate like a game. It’s not like a game. Coach D is big on the quarterbacks making plays, and if the play breaks down, scramble. He’s really big on trying to make the practices as game-like as possible. And I think that’s the best thing to do.

Q: Do you think this will transfer onto the field, you have to flip that switch where if something happens you’ll to react to it?

A: Most definitely. I mean, if you’re coming out here…if you’re live every single day in practice. It’s basically like you’re coming out every single day it’s like a game. So as soon as you step foot out there on Saturday, 12:00, 3:30, whatever, you’ll be prepared no matter what.

Q: It’s an open competition and that creates a different dynamic.

A: Um, yeah. I mean, everyone still has a good relationship. Everyone’s still good with each other.

Q: Who’s Day-Day?

A: Demetrius Cox. It’s a nickname. Thought you guys knew that.

Q: You guys have a lot of confidence heading into last year’s bowl camp practice. Now that there is an open competition do you feel even more buoyed by that just being able to compete…

A: I just go out every single day and I just try to win the day. That’s how you have to look at it being a quarterback in an open competition. Every single day the job’s open and you just have to go out there and you have to win every single day, every single rep, every single practice. That’s the way I look at it.

Q: Do you guys get feedback that way? Do you know if you won the day? I mean do you come back talk to coach and say, Okay well you were a little better this day, he was a little better on this day. How much are you getting?

A: The only thing they do with that is in Skelly, whoever has the highest completion percentage starts out with the 1’s, every single day. But that’s the only thing they’ve ever really done with that.

Q: There’s been some problems with the center quarterback exchange that Mark talked about. How was it today? Give us your thoughts on that and how do you think you’re doing?

A: I don’t believe any other quarterbacks fumbled today underneath the center. The only problems that we had was in shotgun. Just knock on wood, everyone’s been doing fine since our last practice on Thursday.

Q: With the running backs struggling a little bit in maybe not being able to be settled until the fall when the freshman get here, is even you guys being able to run even more important now?

A: For sure. You just gotta be versatile and you can’t solely put your eggs in one basket. It’s a tailback position, it always helps if you have a tailback that can run, a quarterback can run. It only makes It harder for the defense. So with us being live, with us being able to run along with the tailbacks, can only make us better.

Q: Have any wide receivers stood out?

A: Pretty much every single one. The older guys, they’ve made impacts. They’ve really stepped up. But some of the younger guys like Monty Madaris, Tres Barksdale, Macgarrett Kings. Those guys have really stepped up in my eyes.

Q: Do you feel like there are even amounts of reps? I mean maybe ends are getting a little bit more but Coach Dantonio said he really wants to get everybody to feel like they have a shot to start.

A: Yeah, everyone really gets an equal amount of reps, whether it’s a Skelly, whether it’s 7 on 7, team period, team run, team pass. Everyone pretty much gets an equal opportunity to compete for that #1 spot.

Q: Is there a skill set that you bring to the quarterback position that maybe separates you from Maxwell and O’Connor?

A: I just try to be my own quarterback. I try and be different. Making plays on my feet, being athletic, scrambling. I’d say that’s the only thing that really separates me. I mean, I can throw the ball just as well as anyone.

Q: Have you noticed a real step up being talked about going live and trying to make more explosive plays? Is that just what he’s really hammering home in this spring session?

A: Yeah, Coach D’s main thing is just trying to free the playmakers, trying to find the playmakers and trying to see what quarterback can be the playmaker and he’s doing that by making us live.

Q: Connor, what is the biggest difference between Brad Salem as a quarterback coach and Dave Warner as a quarterback coach?

A: I would say Coach Salem is a little more relaxed. Coach Warner, even though he was pretty chill, pretty relaxed most of the time, he would kind of scream a little bit here and there. But it was all constructive criticism. But Coach Salem really just walks us through every single play you come off, just like an in depth analysis, you know your read progression, stuff like that, the defense. And I just feel like he’s more relaxed, more calm than Coach Warner.

Q: How has he helped you become a better quarterback, Connor?

A: Just breaking down every single play I come off, after every series, after every play. And he’s coaching me on what I did right, what I did wrong, giving some really good in depth analysis of every single play that I’ve done.