And while freshman running back Le’Veon Bell and sophomore running back Edwin Baker, who have combined for 694 yards and eight touchdowns in three games, are getting the credit for the dominant run game, interim head coach Don Treadwell said the rushing attack wouldn’t be nearly as effective without Cousins at signal caller.

“I know many times it’s always construed the quarterback affects the passing game, but he also affects the run game,” Treadwell said. “(Cousins) has put us in tremendous situations where we’re like, ‘Oh, we don’t really want to throw the ball there,’ and he checks to the right run at the right time.”

Coming to MSU four years ago, Cousins became a Spartan at the same time head coach Mark Dantonio and his staff were leaving Cincinnati for East Lansing. After redshirting his first year on campus, Cousins played backup duty behind Brian Hoyer in 2008 before splitting time with junior Keith Nichol — who now plays receiver — last season.

From his days as a young freshman to now, Cousins said he feels he has made his biggest improvements when it comes to his understanding of the offense rather than his passing ability. And although he admits fans and others watching him might not see that progression, he said it is more important than anything when it comes to leading the MSU attack on gameday.

“The more experience a quarterback has, the longer he’s been there, the more he’s played, the more you can put on him as far as checking into the right play and getting out of the wrong ones,” Cousins said. “I never did that as a redshirt freshman as much, but now I’m much more prepared to do that, and I think it helps our offense.”

Bell said he and his running mates agree.

As a true freshman not entirely familiar with the entire offense, Bell, who has rushed for more than 100 yards in two of his first three games, said having a quarterback like Cousins has been very beneficial.

“Kirk definitely helps us out,” Bell said. “He can make any throw just about, but he can make all the reads, too. He knows what the defense is doing and where the blitz is coming from, and then he knows this offense like the back of his hand.”

In the second half of last week’s game against Notre Dame, Cousins’ passing prowess that fans have been waiting to see began to show, adding to the game-management skills coaches and players already have noticed.

Going 12-for-12 in the second half, including a 24-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver B.J. Cunningham that tied the game at 28, Cousins and the offense used a balanced attack to come from behind and beat the Fighting Irish in overtime.

Cousins, who said he typically plays better in the second half of games, said he’s more concerned with winning as opposed to his passing statistics. But after a crisp performance in the clutch against Notre Dame, he said he expects to be the total package at quarterback for the rest of the season.

“Any time you can finish a game strong and get the win, it helps going into the next week and beyond,” Cousins said. “We did what we needed to do to win, the offense played well and I can’t wait to keep it going.”