Joe Rexrode

Detroit Free Press

Connor Cook called Bryce Petty his "bro" last week. Petty opted for "my dude" when discussing Cook today.

"I love him a lot," the Baylor quarterback told reporters of the Michigan State quarterback at a news conference to preview the Cotton Bowl. "So, as soon as we found out (about the bowl pairing), we had a couple of texts back and forth. I am excited to play with him. I am excited to compete with him. He's a great quarterback. They run a great system up there. It'll be fun to see him across the sidelines and it will be great to compete, and may the best man win."

Cook and Petty both are off-season clients of quarterback guru George Whitfield, which enabled them to become friends. And each runs one of the nation's most productive offenses, making for shoot-out conditions when the No. 4 Bears (11-1) and No. 7 Spartans (10-2) meet Jan. 1 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (12:30 p.m., ESPN).

MSU coaches and players on Tuesday called Baylor's high-tempo spread offense the fastest they will have faced, with more balance than some might realize. Baylor runs for 235.2 yards per game and adjusts so effortlessly at the line that "every run is a pass and every pass is a run," MSU defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi said.

The run part of that, Petty said, will be key.

"They pride themselves on stopping the run, so we've got to establish a run and take chances when we get them," Petty said of MSU, which is sixth nationally at 97.5 rush yards allowed per game. "They are going to make you earn every inch you get. So those small successes, those first downs, you know plays of 10 yards or more are big. You've got to take them any way you can get them."

Baylor coach Art Briles said today that passing game coordinator Kendal Briles will call plays for the Bears against MSU. Offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery recently accepted the head coaching job at Tulsa and will focus on his new job.

"Kendal will call the plays in a collaborative manner that we always do," Art Briles said. "It's always a collaboration of four or five of us, but he will be the lead play caller, and we'll go on."

More honors: MSU junior cornerback Trae Waynes was named to the Sporting News All-America second team today. He also appears in the first round of ESPN analyst Todd McShay's first NFL mock draft.

Contact Joe Rexrode: jrexrode@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @joerexrode. Check out his MSU blog at freep.com/heyjoe.

Beat writer Joe Rexrode will answer your questions about MSU in a live chat at 10 a.m. Thursday at freep.com/sports. Submit early questions here..