Dantonio Says O'Connor Is Michigan State's No. 1 QB
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Tyler O'Connor is officially Michigan State's No. 1 quarterback.
Coach Mark Dantonio made that clear Monday.
"I think Tyler O'Connor is our starting quarterback right now, he's the No. 1 guy," Dantonio said. "He's had a good enough camp to say that right now, but will the other guys play? Possibly, but he's our No. 1 guy."
Dantonio's declaration wasn't a surprise. O'Connor had been the favorite throughout fall camp to succeed Connor Cook as the starter, but the coach had held off on saying anything definitive.
He said Monday that O'Connor will start the season opener Sept. 2 against Furman. He said he was less certain about who is next on the depth chart.
"That remains to be seen right now as we move forward, but I think Damion (Terry) right now," Dantonio said. "But it remains to be seen a little bit. We want to try to figure that one out as we go."
O'Connor has made only one career start, but it was a big one. He helped Michigan State to an upset win at Ohio State last year while Cook was out injured. The Spartans went on to a Big Ten title and national playoff appearance.
O'Connor has attempted only 54 passes as a Spartan.
(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
