Connor Cook is the better QB, but he hasn’t seen a defense like Alabama’s

If the College Football Playoff semifinal Thursday between Michigan State and Alabama comes down to a battle of quarterbacks, then the underdog Spartans have to like their chances.

Connor Cook has the edge on the Crimson Tide’s Jake Coker in almost every category, as he has racked up more passing yards (2,921 to 2,489) and more touchdown passes (24 to 17) while throwing fewer interceptions (5 to 8) and being sacked less often (14 to 18) — and he missed the Ohio State contest with a shoulder injury. While Cook is a probable first-round pick, Coker is more than likely an undrafted free agent at the next level.

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But this is ‘Bama, where coach Nick Saban has proven time after time that he doesn’t need an NFL talent under center to field the most dominant program in the land.

The Tide are led offensively by Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry, who pulled off the running back equivalent of the Triple Crown — he led the nation in rushing attempts (339), rushing yards (1,986) and rushing touchdowns (23) — and topped the 200-yard plateau four times. Coker may not be the passer that Cook is, but he has enviable weapons at his disposal and is protected by a line anchored by Rimington Award-winning center Ryan Kelly.

And then there’s the defense. Oh, that defense. Saban and Co. know how to play defense in Tuscaloosa.

Reggie Ragland is the No. 1 draft-eligible inside linebacker prospect, according to Rob Rang and his team at CBSSports.com. A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed are the No. 2 and No. 5 defensive tackles, respectively. Jonathan Allen is the No. 5 defensive end — he’s not even listed on the depth chart as a starter, by the way. All four could be first-rounders this spring. Yes, Alabama’s front seven alone could have four selections in Round 1.

A Salute to the 2015 Alabama Seniors: Reggie Ragland: Join us in recogniaing a player who will go down as one of… https://t.co/nIvATP4gux

— Bham Daily News (@bhamdailynews) December 19, 2015

Statistically, Michigan is the best defense Cook has faced this year, yet the Wolverines don’t have a single defender among the top 20 prospects at his position for the upcoming draft.

bigger, faster, stronger … better

Throw out scheme. This has nothing to do with three-man fronts or four-man fronts. This has nothing to do with man-to-man or zone coverage. Line stunts, corner blitzes, how aggressive the safeties are in run support — that’s not what we’re talking about here. What we’re talking about is the indisputable fact that the Crimson Tide will be bigger, faster and stronger than anything Cook has seen from the Big Ten.

Fortunately for Coker, he only has to face this Alabama D on the practice field.

Michigan State is merely average offensively, ranking 80th nationally in rushing yards, 53rd in passing yards and 68th in total yards. Even with Cook at the helm, Sparty tends to revolve its game plan around ball control — ninth in the country in time of possession (33:19), fourth in third-down conversions (50.5 percent) — and playing its own brand of tough defense.

Unlike Alabama, which has handed the ball to Henry almost exclusively down the stretch, Michigan State features a three-headed rushing attack.

Tailbacks LJ Scott, Gerald Holmes and Madre London have each gotten between 108 and 140 carries, totaling 1,714 yards on the ground as a group — the trio averages 4.7 yards per carry and has scored 22 touchdowns. But catching passes out of the backfield is not really a part of their repertoire, as they have combined for only 13 receptions, 110 yards and no scores.

In other words, they could be taken out of the Cotton Bowl completely since the Crimson Tide are tops in the country defending the run at just 74 yards allowed per game.

All the more impressive, ‘Bama achieved this feat despite facing the likes of Georgia’s Sony Michel, Arkansas’ Alex Collins, Texas A&M’s Tra Carson, Tennessee’s Jalen Hurd and LSU’s Leonard Fournette, all of whom were 1,000-yard rushers. That list doesn’t include Michel’s running mate with the Bulldogs, Nick Chubb, who was a Heisman candidate — he did rush for 146 yards against the Tide — before a season-ending knee injury.

Alabama held Collins to 26 yards. Carson had only 46. Fournette, the Heisman front-runner at the time, recorded just 31.

long drives? good luck

The Spartans stamped their ticket to Texas with an epic 22-play, 82-yard drive that took 9:04 in the Big Ten Championship Game victory over Iowa, as Scott scored the game-winning TD on a 1-yard plunge with 27 seconds left.

The odds of reproducing such a march against the Crimson Tide are slim to none — much closer to none, actually — as they allowed a grand total of one touchdown trek all season longer than nine plays.

https://twitter.com/GRUNTFORD13/status/673498201723392000

Therefore, Michigan State must find a way to get chunk yards downfield and perhaps a few quick-strike scores in the passing game.

Cook’s primary target is 6-foot-1, 208-pound receiver Aaron Burbridge, who has 80 catches for 1,219 yards and 7 touchdowns through the air. Fellow wideouts Macgarrett Kings Jr. and R.J. Shelton have caught another 79 passes for 976 yards and 9 TDs between them, but no other Spartan has more than 19 receptions — the backs and tight ends simply don’t get the ball thrown their way that often.

According to Teddy Greenstein, who covers the Big Ten for the Chicago Tribune and will be in attendance at AT&T Stadium, he believes Cook has enough ammunition at the skill positions to move the ball against the Alabama secondary.

“I think so,” he said. “Burbridge is outstanding. Kings gets open but has suspect hands. No way Michigan State will beat ‘Bama rushing the ball, so the Spartans must fire it early and often to win.”

Of course, that won’t matter much if the aforementioned Alabama front seven tears Cook’s offensive line to shreds. Not only do the Tide make a habit of shutting down the run, but they also lead the country with 46 sacks — an amazing nine ‘Bama players have at least two QB takedowns this season.

Cook may be the far superior signal caller in this matchup, but there are more than enough elite defenders in crimson and white to all but make it a moot point.

John Crist

John Crist is an award-winning contributor to Saturday Down South.