GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — If the Dallas Cowboys want to make a serious run at another Super Bowl, they will need Dak Prescott to lead the way. Sunday’s showing against the Lions fell well short.
In fact, it was a Michigan native that took over in The Big D when the game got out of hand.
Charlotte native and former Central Michigan Chippewa Cooper Rush took over for Prescott early in the fourth quarter. To that point, Prescott had gone 17 for 33 for 178 yards and two interceptions. He was benched with 8:02 to play in the game after Detroit punched in another touchdown to take a 47-9 lead.
Rush came in and put together one of the Cowboys’ best drives of the game — against a bevy of Lions backups. Dallas went 54 yards but stalled out at the Lions’ 5-yard-line. Kerby Joseph intercepted Rush’s pass in the end zone on a desperate fourth-and-goal heave. He finished the game 8 for 11 for 46 yards.
Rush is in his seventh NFL season, almost exclusively with Dallas. He signed with the Cowboys after going undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft and served as a backup for three seasons before being waived in May 2020 in favor of Andy Dalton. He was claimed off of waivers by the New York Giants and spent several weeks on the practice squad before being cut.
That October, he signed with Dallas’ practice squad once again to provide depth after Prescott suffered a season-ending injury. He has been bumped down to the practice squad and promoted again several times. Prior to the 2023 season, Rush signed a 2-year deal worth $5 million, including a $1,250,000 signing bonus.
In all, he has appeared in 28 games and started six. He is now 152 for 250 in his career with 1,671 yards and eight interceptions.
The Charlotte native played high school football at Lansing Catholic, leading his team to two state runner-up finishes. Rush redshirted his first year in Mount Pleasant before taking over as the starter in Week 3 of the 2013 season. He played in 50 games for CMU, racking up 12,894 passing yards and 90 touchdowns.