Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/145879
Tyler O'Connor Player Development Tyler O'Connor, the redshirt freshman QB from Lima, Ohio, had a chance to make a run at Connor Cook and Andrew Maxwell, the two QBs ahead of him on the depth chart this spring. Maxwell has held off the competition and is the clear No. 1 in the minds of the coaches heading into this week's Green-White Game. He has avoided mistakes. Maxwell has played with improved poise and confidence and decisiveness - although that's merely in a practice setting against teammates. You know enough about Maxwell. We'll see more of him on Saturday. It will be interesting to see if there is any discernible progress. Playing out in front of his critics, I think Maxwell needs a strong spring game more so than any incumbent QB I can think of in a long time at MSU. As for Cook, he seems to be the more frustrated of the three. He had a legitimate chance to unseat Maxwell as the man this spring, but instead has lost ground on the senior. Just a few weeks ago, Cook looked like he had a bright future ahead of him at MSU, having came on for the win in relief vs TCU in the bowl game, heading into the spring at something close to a 50-50 threat of winning the QB job. Cook's numbers have not been real strong in the two scrimmages. Coaches made scrimmaging live virtually every day in practice. That was expected to be an area in which Cook would have a decided edge over Maxwell. Cook has done okay in loose-play situations, but not to the point of outshining Maxwell. Maxwell has made a concerted effort to become more of a threat in loose plays, freelance plays. No one is going to compare Maxwell to Doug Flutie, but word is that he has worked out some of the pocket stiffness that has hampered him in the past. Dantonio says there is separation between Maxwell and the other QBs, but there "is not as much separation" on live-scramble plays. As for O'Connor, he had three run plays for 15 yards in last week's scrimmage. This is noteworthy. As we have said in the podcast, and as has been reported via ESPN film, Michigan State has worked on some zone read spread packages, with the QB as a run threat. O'Connor reportedly carried the ball out of these looks a time or two on Saturday. Is there an O'Connor "package"? Will we see it on Saturday? Probably not. Dantonio has said that the offense won't show a whole lot on Saturday, but in past years I have been surprised at the wrinkles and trick plays that DO make it into the script sheet for the GreenWhite Game. For instance, in the 2011 Green-White Game, the team that was overseen by then-coordinator Dan Roushar ran some Wildcat offense out of wildly unbalanced sets. Those plays didn't go for much yardage in the spring game.