What does it take to be a special quarterback? The football gods have bestowed unthinkable physical gifts on many young men, but history has shown it takes much more.

A cannon for an arm and the athleticism of an Olympian can only get you so far. In the end, being a quarterback is about one thing: Winning football games.

Sophomore quarterback Drew Stanton is only one start into his college career, but his coaches and teammates already see in him something immeasurable, something every team hopes for in its quarterback.

"He's got a way of making it happen and that's something special about the young man," offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin said. "That's why I think we thought he was going to be our leader to begin with. Nothing's pretty coming out of his runs, his hands, his throws, whatever he does. But it works."

It certainly worked last week at Indiana. Stanton's passing was average (15-of-23 for 172 yards and two interceptions) but his running ability was exceptional. He rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.

MSU's win against Indiana marked Stanton's arrival as MSU's quarterback.

Head coach John L. Smith had been tinkering with the quarterback position for weeks. Senior Damon Dowdell got his shot in the season opener but failed to win. Redshirt freshman Stephen Reaves started the next two games but was pulled at halftime against Notre Dame in favor of Stanton.

In that time, Stanton's knee was a constant unknown for Smith. At some point after the Notre Dame game, everyone agreed the knee was healthy enough for a full game and beyond.

Following MSU's win at Indiana, Stanton will be under center this weekend at Iowa. But his ascension has been peppered with hardship and questions about his talent.

Entering the 2003 season, he was the almost-certain successor to Jeff Smoker, MSU's all-time leading passer. While Smoker enjoyed his comeback season from the depths of substance abuse, Stanton quietly found his role on special teams.

"The other quarterbacks would just kind of laugh when I'd be doing stuff," Stanton said. "They'd be working on throwing during practice and I'd go over and work on tackling people. It was just something that I was able to do, it was fun."

The fun ended when Stanton suffered a devastating injury to his right knee playing special teams in the Alamo Bowl last season, which required surgery to fix.

As a result, Stanton wasn't ready to compete in the spring. Otherwise, Smith has said he could have named Stanton the starting quarterback months ago.

While Stanton rehabilitated his knee, Reaves entered the equation. Smith praised the lefty's arm strength and natural talent, leaving observers wondering which quarterback best fit the Spartans' spread, pass-first offense.

"It's not something that I really let bother me," Stanton said. "Stephen is a talented quarterback, or else he wouldn't be here. I don't know how you can say he's the most talented just because it's different from being on the practice field than a game.

"I feel like I can make any throw with my arm."

MSU's coaches haven't backed off their assertion that Reaves has a huge upside, but Stanton's leadership and hybrid quarterbacking style fit the team now.

"What this offense needed was the leadership and some stability," Baldwin said. "And unfortunately, the young freshman couldn't give us that at the time, where Drew could."

Though his stint on special teams ended tragically, Stanton's willingness to put his body on the line for the good of the team earned him the respect of coaches and teammates, Smith said.

That respect is part of the leadership Stanton's brings to the huddle.

"The most important part of being a leader is knowing when to lead and how to lead," Stanton said. "When to lead by example, when to get in people's face and when to just kind of let it slide."

Only a sophomore, Stanton appears to be ahead of schedule as a team leader.

But he needs to improve quickly as a passer, Baldwin said. A number of Stanton's passes last week were off target, which could be a lingering effect of his knee injury.

Smith and Baldwin agree that Stanton isn't pushing off his right leg enough, which is affecting the ball's velocity. Stanton has no problem running and making cuts on his knee but he didn't show the same confidence throwing the ball.

"It's kind of from the knee injury a little bit," Stanton said of his spotty throwing mechanics. "It's kind of unconscious right now in the game."

Stanton is still getting comfortable with his surgically-repaired knee. He is more settled in his role on the team.

"I have no problem trying to take this team where it needs to go," he said. "If I'm the person in the offense that needs to step up and get people going, then I have no problem with that."