We won’t know how valuable Florida’s knowledge of the Mississippi State roster will truly be until Saturday night’s game from Starkville but during the Gators’ week of preparation, the majority of Dan Mullen’s staff has an outstanding understanding of what their players will be facing this weekend.

That’s something defensive coordinator Todd Grantham touched on recently as he discussed the challenge of facing Nick Fitzgerald and the Mississippi State offense. It’s a unit he saw all last season in practice and one he should know the strengths and weaknesses better than any defensive coordinator in the country outside of Starkville.

“Being around Fitz, he’s an NFL guy. He can run it and throw it,” Grantham said during his recent media availability, in a video uploaded to YouTube by FightinGators.com.

Grantham was asked a follow-up on Fitzgerald and the specific challenges Florida will have come Saturday night with the cowbells ringing from the Hail State crowd that should be incredibly fired up for this matchup.

“Nick, like I said, is an NFL quarterback. He’s tall, he’s really fast and he can make guys miss. He can take it to the house, he has homerun speed when he runs the ball,” Grantham continued. “When you look at this arm strength, he’s got a really strong arm. If he’s on the hash, you can throw it to the numbers on the far field. So he’s obviously a dual-threat guy can make plays with his feet, he’s got really good arm strength to make plays down the field and they got guys that can protect so we understand we have a challenge on that front.”

Mississippi State’s offense is scoring an average of just over 39 points per game, although that number took a big hit last weekend following the Bulldogs’ seven-point outing against Kentucky. On the season, Fitzgerald has thrown for 542 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. He’s also added another 286 yards on the ground and another five scores.

Adding to Grantham’s concerns, Mississippi State currently has the SEC’s No. 2-ranked offense on third downs. The Bulldogs are converting over 54 percent of their third downs, thanks in part to Fitzgerald’s ability to pick up yards on the ground if plays break down.

This weekend looks to be the toughest test of the season to date for the Gators and limiting Fitzgerald to another disappointing performance will be key if Florida hopes to return home with another road conference victory.