With the steady diet of college football bowls over the last month, one game that held our interest from start to finish was the Outback Bowl a week ago between Michigan State and Georgia.

Local football fans watching the network coverage may have recognized that the man wearing the headset and relaying plays into the Michigan State huddle was Dave Warner, the former Lehighton High School and Syracuse University standout. Dave has been an integral part of Coach Mark Dantonio's staff, helping build the Spartans into a Top 20 program in college football.With its impressive bowl win over a very good Southeastern Conference team, the Spartans took another step forward toward the elite Top 10 class. The way the Spartans claimed the victory a come-from-behind effort in triple overtime made it especially sweet.Warner, who coaches the quarterbacks, got some television exposure himself as he relayed plays to quarterback Kirk Cousins. During time outs, Cousins always went directly to Warner to discuss strategy. When the game ended on a blocked Georgia field goal attempt, Cousins immediately embraced Warner, the one who helped mold his record-setting career in East Lansing over the past five years.On the way to the Spartans 11-win season, Warner described Cousins to the media as a rock in the program, one who shunned individual statistics for team results. During the Big Ten Kickoff luncheon last August, Cousins gave a remarkable speech. Never highly recruited in high school, he had received only two other scholarship offers from Mid-American Conference schools until Coach Dantonio called. Cousins joked that he immediately committed before the coach changed his mind.Cousins then told how much of a privilege it was to play college football."While many children dream of playing college football, relatively few have the opportunity. To be living that dream is a privilege," he said.Cousins said that its human nature to feel that a place of privilege most naturally leads to "a sense of entitlement" ... a notion that "I deserve to be treated as special, because I am privileged.""The truth is ... privilege should never lead to entitlement," Cousins said. "I've been raised and taught to believe that privilege should lead to responsibility; in fact, to greater responsibility."He said that being a college football player in today's culture is a privilege, and a privilege that brings much responsibility."We, as players, have a responsibility to give our all for fans who spend hard earned money to watch us play," he explained.Cousins said players have a responsibility to develop and use their God-given talents to their fullest potential and to do so in a way that honors God and benefits others."I don't believe it's too far-fetched to think that we as college football players could make a significant positive difference in the youth culture of America, simply by embracing the responsibilities that accompany our place of privilege. We could redefine 'what is cool' for young people. We could set a new standard for how to treat others. We could embody what it means to be a person of integrity. We could show to young people that excellence in the classroom is a worthy pursuit. We could show that it's more important to do what is right, than to do what feels right."What a great message. Cousins is a refreshing change from some of the pompous older professional players we see doing their self-inflating end zone dances, which degrades team play.There's a good chance we haven't heard the last of Kirk Cousins, whether it's on professional football stage or more importantly, in the arena of life.Jim Zbickjzbick@tnonline.com