Dave Warner Position: Quarterbacks Experience: Fifth Year

Under the direction of Dave Warner the last five seasons, Spartan quarterbacks have been posting record numbers.

Fifth-year senior Kirk Cousins, who is the winningest quarterback in school history with 26 victories as a starter the past three seasons, is MSU's career record holder for touchdowns passes (65), pass completions (696), completion percentage (.646), passing efficiency (148.3 rating) and 200-yard passing games (25). He also ranks among MSU's career leaders in passing yards (second with 8,932), pass attempts (second with 1,078) and total offense (second with 8,681 yards). Cousins' numbers are some of the best in Big Ten history, as he enters the Outback Bowl third in completion percentage, fourth in passing efficiency and 10th in touchdown passes in the conference's all-time record book.

In his final season wearing the Green and White, Cousins is having his best year as a Spartan, setting an MSU record with 24 passing TDs while throwing for a career-high 3,016 yards. One of three finalists for the Chicago Tribune Silver Football Award, which is presented to the top player in the Big Ten, Cousins ranks second in the conference in TD passes, third in passing (232.0 ypg.), third in passing efficiency (151.4 rating) and sixth in total offense (227.2 ypg.).

Cousins earned second-team All-Big Ten accolades from the coaches and was an honorable mention All-American by SI.com. He was also named one of 10 finalists for the Manning Award and one of 16 semifinalists for the Davey O'Brien Award.

As a team, the Spartans have thrown for 25 touchdown passes and 3,217 yards, numbers which rank third and fifth most in school history, respectively.

In his second year as the starter in 2010, Cousins blossomed his junior season and helped lead Michigan State to a share of the Big Ten Championship. He completed a career-high 67 percent of his passes for 2,825 yards and 20 touchdowns and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection. Cousins tied a Michigan State record by throwing a touchdown pass in 16 consecutive games (spanning from 2009 to 2010), and also had one stretch of six consecutive 200-yard passing games.

In Cousins' first year as a starter, the sophomore finished the 2009 season completing 60 percent of his passes for 2,680 yards and 19 touchdowns. His pass efficiency rating of 142.6 ranked third in the Big Ten and 25th nationally. Warner also tutored Keith Nichol in 2009, who threw for 764 yards and seven touchdowns while compiling a 143.2 quarterback rating.

Warner mentored Brian Hoyer in 2007 and 2008, and Hoyer responded by becoming one of the most productive quarterbacks in Spartan history. Hoyer ranks among MSU's career leaders in pass attempts (No. 3 at 896), passing yards (No. 4 with 6,159), pass completions (No. 4 at 500) and TD passes (No. 7 with 35). Warner also developed Hoyer's game management skills, as the senior captain accumulated a 16-11 record and led the Spartans to back-to-back bowl appearances. After signing a free agent contract in April 2009, Hoyer has worked his way into the back-up quarterback role for the New England Patriots the past three seasons.

Warner has been a quarterbacks coach and/or offensive coordinator or passing game coordinator for 22 of his previous 27 seasons as a college assistant.

In his only season at Cincinnati with Coach Dantonio, Warner mentored two starting quarterbacks, in Dustin Grutza and Nick Davila. During the 2006 regular season, Grutza ranked fifth in the BIG EAST in both passing efficiency (123.9 rating) and total offense (168.1), while Davila orchestrated the offense in Cincinnati's 30-11 upset over then-No. 7 Rutgers on Nov. 18 as he completed 11-of-15 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown.

Before coaching at Cincinnati, Warner coached wide receivers at Southern Miss in 2003 and 2004. He has also made stops as the passing game coordinator at Houston (2001-02), offensive coordinator at Connecticut (1999-2000), passing game coordinator at Wyoming (1998) and quarterbacks coach at Bucknell (1997). Warner and Dantonio also coached together for four seasons at Kansas, when Dantonio was the secondary coach for the Jayhawks from 1991-94. Warner spent nine total seasons as quarterbacks coach for Kansas (1988-96). Prior to KU, Warner spent four years on the staff at Kent State (1984-87), including the last two as quarterbacks coach.

A three-year letterwinner as a quarterback at Syracuse, Warner finished his playing career ranked seventh in career passing yards (2,593) and was a member of the 1979 team that won the Independence Bowl. After graduating in 1982, he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Orange, working with the quarterbacks and offensive backs.

Warner coached in his eighth bowl game when the Spartans faced Alabama in the 2011 Capital One Bowl. Warner has also coached in the 2004 New Orleans and 2003 Liberty Bowls while at Southern Miss, the 1992 and 1995 Aloha Bowls while at Kansas, and the 2007 Champs Sports, 2009 Capital One Bowl and 2010 Alamo Bowls at Michigan State.

Among Warner's top products was Kansas' Chip Hilleary, who became only the second player in Big Eight Conference history to rush for over 1,000 yards and pass for more than 4,000 yards. At Wyoming, he developed a passing attack that was ranked third in the Western Athletic Conference.

Warner earned a bachelor's degree in speech communications from Syracuse in 1982 and received a master's degree in physical education from the school in 1984.

Warner and his wife Leigh Ann have a son, Jackson (7). Warner also has a daughter, Alexandra (20).

THE WARNER FILE

YEARS AT MICHIGAN STATE: Fifth. Joined the staff on Dec. 1, 2006, from Cincinnati.

PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE: College - Graduate assistant at Syracuse (1982-83); running backs coach (1984-85) and quarterbacks coach (1986-87) at Kent State; quarterbacks coach at Kansas (1988-96); quarterbacks coach at Bucknell (1997); passing game coordinator at Wyoming (1998); offensive coordinator at Connecticut (1999-2000); passing game coordinator at Houston (2001-02); wide receivers coach at Southern Miss (2003-04); quarterbacks coach at Cincinnati (2006).

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in speech communications from Syracuse in 1982; master's degree in physical education from Syracuse in 1984.

PLAYING EXPERIENCE: College - Three-year letterwinner as a quarterback at Syracuse (1979-81).

POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE: Player - 1979 Independence Bowl. Coach - 1992 Aloha Bowl, 1995 Aloha Bowl, 2003 Liberty Bowl, 2004 New Orleans Bowl, 2007 Champs Sports Bowl, 2009 Capital One Bowl, 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl, 2011 Capital One Bowl, 2012 Outback Bowl.