Michigan State WR Burbridge nets career highs in 35-21 win over Air Force

EAST LANSING, Mich. Go ahead and scratch this one off the official Michigan State Preseason Questions List: Who will replace Tony Lippett as Connor Cook’s go-to receiver?

If it wasn’t apparent already, Saturday made it abundantly clear to Air Force and anyone else watching that Cook will be looking at No. 16 this season. A lot.

That’s senior receiver Aaron Burbridge, and he’s got three 100-yard receiving games for the No. 4 Spartans after collecting one in his first three seasons. Saturday’s performance, in a 35-21 win over the Falcons at Spartan Stadium, was his best yet.

Burbridge grabbed a career-high-tying eight passes for a career-high 156 yards and a career-high and MSU record-tying three touchdowns. That puts him on pace for 80 catches, 1,496 yards and 16 touchdowns in the regular season, all beyond Lippett’s Big Ten Receiver of the Year numbers last season.

Burbridge also had the catch of the day, a leaping 28-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter in which he somehow tapped his left foot in-bounds before falling out-of-bounds. The catch was initially called incomplete on the field, but officials reviewed the play and reversed the call, giving the Spartans a 21-7 lead.

The Cook-Burbridge connection was the best thing to emerge from Saturday for the 3-0 Spartans. Cook had his best performance in three games, finishing 15-for-23 for 247 yards and career-high-tying four touchdowns.

There were other, less-enjoyable, sights for the Spartans in front of an impressive crowd of 74,211, which followed up last week’s epic night atmosphere for a win over Oregon.

Air Force’s option-heavy offense, tricky as expected, managed more rushing yards against MSU (279) than anyone gained on the Spartans last season. If not for three turnovers with MSU senior safety RJ Williamson returning a fumble for a touchdown and getting a pick and a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter, the game could have been interesting.

Air Force also stacked the line and did a terrific job of stuffing MSU’s running game and blitzing Cook. He responded with big shots downfield to keep the afternoon comfortable for the Spartans.

Air Force had to have a fast start and didn’t get it. The Falcons went backward on the opening possession thanks to a bad option pitch, and MSU’s offense came right out and marched 59 yards for a touchdown, a 15-yard pass from Cook to tight end Josiah Price giving Price 13 touchdown catches, tied with Chris Baker for the most by an MSU tight end.

Then MSU backup middle linebacker Shane Jones forced a fumble that Williamson returned 64 yards for a touchdown, and the hole the Falcons badly needed to avoid was their reality.

The Falcons managed one vintage drive when the game was in doubt, 75 yards on 11 runs for a touchdown to make it 14-7. But they wouldn’t make another offensive peep until it was 35-7 Spartans in the third quarter.

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