Kirby Smart didn’t know much about Nick Fitzgerald four years ago. At that time, Fitzgerald was wrapping up his senior season at Richmond Hill High School in Richmond Hill, Ga., just south of Savannah. Smart, on the other hand, was in the midst of yet another successful season as Alabama’s defensive coordinator in 2013, as the Crimson Tide was in search of its third consecutive national championship.

The fact Smart wasn’t all that aware of Fitzgerald was a credit to Dan Mullen, the coach at Mississippi State, where Fitzgerald eventually signed as part of the team’s 2014 class.

“Just goes again to show what Dan has been able to do with quarterbacks,” Smart, now in his second season as Georgia’s coach, said Monday. “He saw something in the kid. He’s unbelievably competitive, physical, big. I mean, he did it with Dak Prescott. Dak was not a highly recruited guy. A guy with good size, dimensions, has the ability to throw the ball, but can run.”

Saturday, Smart will see what his team can do to slow down Fitzgerald, who has developed into one of the nation’s most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks. And it will be the marquee matchup in the SEC, as No. 11 Georgia and No. 17 Mississippi State will both enter Sanford Stadium with a 3-0 record.

What has impressed Smart the most about Fitzgerald since taking over for Prescott is the gains he has made as a passer.

Fitzgerald already has thrown for 7 TDs against just 1 INT and rushed for 5 more TDs.

“Nick played in a little bit of a different offense at high school. He’s developed as a quarterback,” Smart said. “To see him this year compared to all the games we watched last year in the offseason, he’s one of the most vastly improved players because he’s not one-dimensional any more. He was really a runner last year. That’s not the case (anymore). I saw that same growth with Dak Prescott during his time at Mississippi State.”

In Week 2, Georgia went on the road and faced another dual-threat quarterback in Notre Dame’s Brandon Wimbush. The Bulldogs held him in check and forced him to pass, as Wimbush managed just 1 rushing yard on 16 carries.

But Smart doesn’t believe that will mean much Saturday.

“I think Wimbush and Nick are very different type guys,” Smart said. “Nick is a unique quarterback with his length, ability to see over. He’s a lot faster than you think, deceptively. He doesn’t look as if, when you talk to people that played him, he’s running real fast, but he is. I think that’s different. Wimbush had a little bit more quick twitch. This kid is long and fast. When you get loose on him, you see him running away from SEC defenses.”

Like Smart, Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith didn’t think Fitzgerald and Wimbush were all that similar.

“They are definitely both dual threats but they are two different style of runners as well,” said Smith, who leads the Bulldogs with 19 tackles. “Nick is a bigger guy … (But) it is all just form tackle technique at the end of the day so the bigger you are, the harder you fall.”

Bottom line: Smith is eager for Saturday to arrive.

“They pride themselves on running the ball and we pride ourselves in stopping the run. So with them coming into Sanford, I’m looking forward to it and it is a great opportunity.

“He can throw it and run the ball so he is an awesome guy, an awesome athlete.”

One thing Georgia doesn’t expect Fitzgerald to do Saturday is shy away from contact. On the contrary. At 6-5 and 230 pounds, Fitzgerald welcomes it, regularly ending his runs by punishing tacklers.

Beyond that, the simple fact defenders have to be aware Fitzgerald can tuck it and run at a moment’s notice adds an extra, worrisome dimension.

But, third-year sophomore defensive back J.R. Reed said, that is just the world in which we live.

“That’s what quarterbacks are coming to. You’ve got to be QB 2.0,” Reed said. “You’ve got to use your feet and run the ball. So it’s a different thing, and it puts a lot of stress on the defense. Defense has to adapt to that. I think we’ll be able to do that.”