Auburn hosts Mississippi State on Saturday for a 6 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN.

Tigers’ head coach Gus Malzahn knows his team will face a difficult challenge when the Bulldogs roll into town — especially in the form of opposing quarterback Nick Fitzgerald.

Malzahn referred to Fitzgerald as a “true dual-threat guy” during his Tuesday press conference. He added that he has been “very impressed” with Fitzgerald through four games.

“He’s really like a running back back there,” Malzahn said. “He has been extremely accurate when he has time to throw.”

The head coach noted that State has an adequate front seven. As he put it — “good up front” on the defensive line and at linebacker. He described the Bulldogs’ secondary as “sound.”

Malzahn emphasized his respect for MSU defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, as well.

“We have a lot of respect for him [Grantham],” Malzahn said. “We went against him numerous times when he was at Georgia and Louisville.”

“This has been a good rivalry,” he noted. “Dan Mullen does a super job and always has his teams prepared.”