What was left of the Mississippi State quarterback battle died on the field Saturday night as Nick Fitzgerald led MSU to a 27-14 victory over South Carolina.
Damian Williams got most of the snaps in MSU’s season opening loss to South Alabama. Even though MSU lost the game, Williams played very well and the consensus among fans was that he had taken the job from Nick Fitzgerald.
It was to many Bulldog fans’ surprise that Fitzgerald got the start against South Carolina and even more so that Mullen told ESPN2 that Fitzgerald would play the whole game before the game started, a decision Mullen said he made the day after last week’s game.
“We just made the decision to start him (Nick Fitzgerald) and let him go,” Mullen said. “I thought he came out and played fairly well, he has got a couple things here and there in the throw game with managing and learning from reps but a lot of that comes from experience.”
Fitzgerald put to rest and doubts about whether Mullen should keep him in the game or not. In the first quarter alone Fitzgerald had four rushes for 89-yards, including one that went 74-yards. He also was 4-5 passing for 32 yards and touchdown in the first quarter.
He carried that momentum throughout the game, finishing with 195 rushing yards, which broke the record for rushing yards by an MSU quarterback. He finished 19-29 passing with 178 passing yards with two touchdowns.
It was not just a dreamlike game in the stat line. It was a game that fulfilled Fitzgerald’s six-year old dream. After the game he told the media that he had dreamed about winning an SEC game since he was six.
“I’m a lot sorer than I thought I would be,” Fitzgerald said on how his six-year old self would have imagined this game. “I don’t really remember how much I imagined back then but I hope it was good.”
But stats do not tell the whole story of Fitzgerald’s play. The amount of times he moved his feet just a yard or two in the right direction in the pocket to avoid pressure is something that will not show up in the stat sheet. With everything collapsing around him he would step up and make a play over and over again. Center Jamal Clayborn said that a playmaker with his feet is what an offensive lineman wants.
“Fitz (Nick Fitzgerald) makes plays with his feet,” Clayborn said. “Fitz brought that extra threat, D-Will (Damian Williams) ran some last week but Fitz has a faster burst going down the field.”
Fitzgerald was not the only one who came out and made up for last week’s loss. After giving up 20 points in the second half, it was the MSU seniors that stepped up and made plays for the bulldogs. A.J. Jefferson lived in the Carolina backfield and got two tackles for loss and a sack for his effort.
Richie Brown also had a great game making a team-leading ten tackles along with two for loss and a sack. On offense, wide receiver Fred Ross led MSU’s receiving game with six catches, 56-yards and touchdown. He also threw a 17-yard touchdown pass on a trick play. Ross said the seniors had to set an example for the younger players.
“We had to practice much harder than we’ve been practicing,” Ross said. “We had to come out and we had to set the standard.”
The road doesn’t get easier as MSU travels to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on LSU. The game kicks off at 6:00 p.m. and will be on either ESPN or ESPN2.
