“All in all, I think our football team played hard,” head coach Mark Dantonio said. “I did think our defense played well (and we) rushed the passer significantly.”

Gholston finished with two tackles for loss and was the first player to put points on the board for either team when he stuffed sophomore running back Nick Hill in the endzone for a safety, giving the Green team a 2-0 lead.

With less than a minute and a half to go, sophomore punter Mike Sadler drilled a punt to the three yard-line, forcing the White team to drive from deep inside its own territory. But with the help of a 45-yard reception by senior cornerback Johnny Adams, Cook was able to put together a 97-yard drive, ending with a three-yard touchdown strike to redshirt freshman wide receiver Andre Sims Jr.

“I’m keeping that in my back pocket,” wide receivers coach Terrence Samuel said about the decision to have Adams get some reps in on offense. “He’s one of our smarter players, one of our most athletic players and it was just an opportunity for the Spring Game to throw some extra (reads) to make other people think.”

The white team extended its lead at the end of the third quarter when Hill broke off a 32-yard run, eluding several defenders before strolling into the endzone, putting his team up 14-2. The 5-foot-8 tailback said he was able to use his small stature to his advantage, sliding under the arm of Gholston — who suffered a minor injury on the play — to advance the ball.

“I just kept my feet moving and I felt like something was happening,” Hill said. “I wasn’t going down, I could feel guys sliding off of me so I peeked to the outside and saw there was a huge hole.”

Hill finished with 19 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown on the day and served as the spark for the White team’s offense.

After a shaky start in which Cook overthrew several receivers, he finally settled down and finished the day with 20 completions on 45 attempts for 294 yards and a touchdown.

“My first initial couple throws got away from me,” Cook said. “And then later on down the stretch, that one two-minute drill that I had, that’s where I felt really comfortable and got in my groove.”
While some of his throws were off, Cook showed good mobility and awareness in the pocket, several times stepping up to avoid being sacked before getting rid of the ball.

Although Dantonio was pleased in the way his players performed during the game, the Spartans did leave the field completely unscathed. In addition to Gholston’s injury, senior running back Larry Caper left the game early with a reported concussion and junior tight end Denzel Drone also suffered an injury.

MSU’s kicking game also struggled as senior kicker Dan Conroy missed two field goals — One from 47 yards out and another from 27 yards away.

“You’d like to see more success there, obviously, but Dan Conroy’s proven himself,” Dantonio said.

The Spartans will not return to practice until camp begins at the beginning of August but at least for now, Dantonio is pleased with where his team stands. He said although there were several injuries over the course of MSU’s spring practices, the Spartans were able to make those injuries a positive thing by getting some of the younger players some much needed experience — especially in Cook’s case.

“When (Maxwell) doesn’t play, Connor gets more reps.” he said. “There’s more focus put on him, there’s more pressure put on him and he grows more.”