Following his final appearance in Davis Wade Stadium, senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald gave the Hail State faithful one last performance to remember him by putting up a five-touchdown performance during Mississippi State’s Senior Day.

Mississippi State was never challenged Saturday on Senior Day, putting away Arkansas early and finishing off the Razorbacks with a resounding 52-6 win to close out the home season from Starkville.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say Mississippi State may never sign another unheralded recruit that produces on the level of Fitzgerald as the Hail State quarterback broke the school’s all-time rushing mark for a career by scoring the 43rd rushing touchdown of his career in the second quarter. Fitzgerald also registered four scores through the air along with 127 passing yards against the Razorbacks’ defense.

Fitzgerald’s rushing score also put him in historic class, as he joined Tim Tebow and Dak Prescott as the only other player in SEC history to register 10 or more passing touchdowns and 10 or more rushing touchdowns for three consecutive seasons.

The Hail State senior QB deserves a ton of praise for Mississippi State’s big home win but the performance of Bob Shoop’s defense cannot be overlooked. The Razorbacks failed to score a single touchdown in the game and managed only two field goals on Saturday thanks to MSU’s outstanding unit. Arkansas QB Ty Storey struggled mightily in this one, completing only 16 of 28 passes for 137 yards and one interception.

The Bulldogs forced three Razorback turnovers, held them to only five of 17 on third-down conversions and only one fourth down conversion on four attempts. After intercepting Storey in the game, Mississippi State’s defense has now forced a turnover in 14 consecutive games. The MSU defense also held Arkansas to a total of 69 rushing yards in this contest.

Once the game was decided, Arkansas managed to get freshmen John Stephen Jones and Connor Noland on the field for the final drive of the game.

Each team had a strong showing from a running back, as MSU’s Aeris Williams had 104 rushing yards on only 15 carries and Razorback rusher Rakeem Boyd went for 84 yards on 14 carries.

Mississippi State now ends the season 6-1 in front of the Hail State faithful of Davis Wade Stadium, with the lone loss coming at the hands of Florida back on Sept. 29. Arkansas has yet to win a game on the road this year.

Following this performance, Mississippi State improves to 7-4 on the season with a 3-4 mark in conference play. Arkansas falls to 2-9 on the season, with a 0-7 SEC record. Mississippi State travels to Oxford for a Thursday showdown against Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl. Arkansas next plays on Friday, at Missouri.