Who is Cooper Rush?
CHARLOTTE, Mich. (BVM) — Cooper Rush is fresh off perhaps the biggest performance of his life. Finally getting a chance to start with Dak Prescott injured this past Sunday against the Vikings, Rush made the most of his opportunity, leading the Dallas Cowboys to a surprise 20-16 victory.
Rush completed 24 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner on a perfect throw in the back of the end zone to Amari Cooper in the final minute.
COOPER TO COOPER FOR THE LEAD!
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The win was a big one for the Cowboys as it improved their record to 6-1 while also allowing their starting quarterback in Prescott to rest his injury.
A member of the Cowboys since 2017, Rush finally earned his first start in the NFL. As those around him may have predicted, he flourished with the opportunity.
鈥淚 was glad everybody got to see that, because that鈥檚 Cooper Rush,鈥� . 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 the real strength of him. He plays the quarterback position like a seasoned veteran that鈥檚 played 10, 12 years in the league. That鈥檚 the guy I get to see everyday. He鈥檚 very steady, very intelligent, a great teammate. The way he conducts himself reflected the way he played.鈥�
Despite limited action in the pros thus far, Rush himself also felt confident out on the field.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 crazy, I felt like I belonged out there,鈥� . 鈥淵ou鈥檙e in the huddle, breaking the huddle, getting to the line and going through your processes. It didn鈥檛 feel overwhelming at all. I haven鈥檛 played a lot, but being around the NFL, you鈥檙e practicing against those guys everyday. It never felt too big, I felt in command.鈥�
The performance is not the first time Rush has dazzled on the field, and now thanks to the opportunity he was given, it certainly might not be the last.
Growing up in Charlotte, Michigan, Rush attended Lansing Catholic High School. There, he was a three-year starter for the Cougars, helping the team to a 25-5 record during that time — including back-to-back 9-0 regular seasons in 2010 and 2011.
The 2011 season was the highlight of his high school career, as Rush led the Cougars to a 13-1 overall record and state runner-up finish as the Gatorade Michigan Football Player of the Year. Rush threw for 4,002 yards and 48 touchdowns as a senior, while also rushing for over 700 yards and an additional 16 scores.
He finished his high school career with 7,248 yards and 80 touchdowns passing with another 1,438 yards and 27 touchdowns rushing. Rush also holds the Michigan high school records for passing touchdowns in a quarter with five, in a half with seven, in a game with eight and in a season with 48.
Despite the impressive career, Rush had little college interest. However, he ended up staying home, attending Central Michigan University. After a redshirt season in 2012 where Rush was deemed CMU鈥檚 scout team player of the year, the quarterback finally got his chance to start in 2013.
By 2014, Rush had burst onto the scene, throwing for over 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns. He led the Chippewas to an appearance in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. Rush would also lead Central Michigan to bowls in his junior and senior seasons.
Rush continued his impressive statistical performance in those two seasons as well, throwing for 3,853 yards as a junior and 3,540 yards as a senior. Overall, Rush concluded his college career with nearly 13,000 yards passing and was just shy of the school and conference marks set by Dan LeFevour. Rush also finished with 90 passing touchdowns in his career and had an impressive 139.1 career passer rating.
Coming out of college, Rush was seen as a late-draft flier in many scouts鈥� eyes. A poor combine performance didn鈥檛 help his stock, and the quarterback ended up going undrafted. However, he was picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys in May, and flashed upside in the preseason later that summer. As a result, Rush was named the team鈥檚 third-string quarterback behind Prescott and current Cowboys offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore.听
Midway through the season, Rush became the Cowboys鈥� backup, as Moore was released from the active roster. In 2018, Rush began the season as the Cowboys鈥� primary backup, beating out rookie Mike White — another player who just flourished in his first starting opportunity.听
Both seasons saw Rush appear briefly in mop-up duty, as did the 2019 season. However, the Central Michigan product was waived by his only NFL team in the 2020 offseason when the Cowboys signed Andy Dalton to backup Prescott.
Rush briefly reunited with his former head coach, Jason Garrett, in New York, but was waived and moved to the practice squad at the end of training camp. By the end of September, the Giants would release the quarterback outright, leading to a reunion with the Cowboys.
However, with McCarthy now at the helm, Rush barely suited up and watched as the likes of Dalton, Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci took the struggling Cowboys to a 6-10 record after Prescott鈥檚 season-ending ankle injury.
Rush battled back this offseason, though, winning the backup quarterback competition over some of the guys above. With Prescott鈥檚 health already in question throughout training camp, it became one of the most important roles in the NFL.
Perhaps surprisingly to some, the Cowboys decided to hold Prescott out in Week 8 despite a primetime matchup against an in-conference Vikings squad. Rush noted after the game that he began realizing towards the end of the week he was going to get his first start, something which was a long time coming for the backup.
鈥淵ou knew sometime it was coming,鈥� Rush said. 鈥淵ou wait a long time 鈥� you have to be patient. I think all that preparation really helped and came through tonight 鈥� Kellen told me today, 鈥榊ou鈥檝e been ready since 2017.鈥欌��
Despite attempting just three passes in his entire NFL career, Rush looked like a savvy veteran throughout the contest.
During the game, he had plenty of people in the crowd to support him, including his wife Lauryn, and his parents, Frances and Matthew.
"(My) support system is unbelievable. It's the reason I'm here."
Cooper Rush had nothing but love for the family and friends who came to see him Sunday night in Minnesota.
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鈥淚 knew there was a chance, so my brothers flew in, parents got here, wife flew out with the baby,鈥� Rush said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty special. The support system has been there my whole life, that鈥檚 the reason I鈥檓 here.鈥�
With Prescott likely having an opportunity to return next week, this may have been a one-week show for Rush. However, the win for the Cowboys kept them comfortably atop the NFC East, and could also go a long way when it comes down to playoff seeding in two months.
鈥淭his is definitely a gut check win for us 鈥� I can鈥檛 say enough about Cooper being ready, No. 1 to jump in there and go,鈥� McCarthy said. 鈥淗e did an excellent job commanding the offense. I can鈥檛 say enough about our football team these last two games. Excellent win for us, I鈥檓 proud of our football team.鈥�
The backup quarterback role is one of the most underappreciated and one of the more difficult in all of football, and when a guy comes in and plays the way Rush did, it’s all the more impressive. We鈥檒l see where Rush鈥檚 career ultimately goes from here, but for one night, the Michigan kid got to be on the top of the world.
