Central Michigan starting quarterback Cooper Rush barely completed half of his 34 passes, threw no touchdowns and took five sacks in a 40-3 drubbing last season against Syracuse. Yet, Syracuse (2-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) head coach Scott Shafer praised the signal-caller during his weekly teleconference on Tuesday.

“What a great football player,” Shafer said of Rush, “All of his numbers are just extraordinary.”

Rush is starting for the third straight season for the Chippewas and despite the beating he took last year, Shafer says he poses a threat this season. During his career, Rush has racked up 6,059 yards and 45 touchdowns through the air.  

“I think we need to change things up, try to change the tempo of his mindset when he’s reading coverage, so one thing goes to another.”

Shafer said that Rush is good at being flushed from the pocket and throwing across the field to receivers that are behind the coverage and added that he can see pressure coming.

Through two games last season, Rush had completed 62 percent of his passes for 345 yards and four touchdowns when SU trounced CMU. Later in the season during the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, Rush connected for 493 yards and seven touchdowns against Western Kentucky, flashing his potential.

This season, the junior has racked up 553 yards and three touchdowns, albeit on 30 more passes than the previous season, completing 69 percent of those passes. Last week against Oklahoma State, Rush didn’t throw for a touchdown, but got it done with a lesser known part of his arsenal: his feet. Rush took eight carries for 51 yards and a touchdown, and Shafer said he’s more mobile than people give him credit for. 

“You can tell he’s a very bright young man,” Shafer said. “We’ll have our hands full with him.”

Published on September 15, 2015 at 2:44 pm

Contact Chris: cjlibona@syr.edu | @ChrisLibonati