After a few rough weeks on the field, it’s beginning to look like Nick Fitzgerald and Joe Moorhead are on the same page offensively. Mississippi State racked up 418 yards of total offense last week on one of the best defenses in the nation, led by Fitzgerald’s 195 rushing yards against Auburn’s touted front seven in the 23-9 win in Starkville.

The Bulldogs coaching staff stopped forcing things through the air and played to the team’s strength — the ground game, led by the SEC’s all-time leading rusher from the QB position — and the results speak for themselves. MSU had three rushers average at least 5.5 yards per carry on Saturday: Fitzgerald (7 ypc), Aeries Williams (6.4 ypc) and Kylin Hill (5.5 ypc) in the game on Saturday. The trio racked up 349 yards on 57 attempts.

During his most recent media availability, Moorhead was asked about Fitzgerald’s development in the offense and what the next phase of development the senior needs to take as the team works during the bye week.

“I would say the next step would be incremental improvement in his ability to read defenses, know where to go with the ball, and why standing in the pocket with confidence and delivering the ball accurately,” Moorhead said. “I wouldn’t say it is one specific thing or a couple of things. It would be coming together and a general progression in those areas.”

The first-year Mississippi State coach was also asked about coaching Fitzgerald. Keep in mind the senior team leader missed all of spring practice and spent years in a different offensive system before being asked to try a new offense after having much success in the previous system he played in under Dan Mullen.

“I think he is a very apt pupil. He is competitive and wants to know all the subtleties and nuances of the game, including the passing game,” Moorhead continued. “I know a lot of our attention was devoted to his development as a drop-back passer. I think he will continue to make improvements there. I think I’ve grown a lot in six games this year, learning about the players and what they can do and obviously learning about us as well. In times of adversity, you look in the mirror not out the window. One thing we have to make sure is that it isn’t about what we know it’s about what they can execute.”

Following the disastrous Kentucky and Florida performances, one unit that was called into question by many in the fan base was the offensive line. Moorhead shared his thoughts on the confidence his unit gained by running all over Auburn’s defensive front, which contains several linemen likely to play in the NFL in the near future.

“[It instilled confidence in] the offensive line and for everyone,” he said. “You look back at the first three games. You look at Kansas State. They are normally regarded as a pretty good defense and a pretty good front. We had a lot of success moving the ball there. Obviously the next two we struggled. We didn’t run it a ton, and when we did it wasn’t incredibly successful. Then to come out against, and I’ll say it again, a defensive front of that caliber with the players they have, how hard they play and how well they are coached and have so much success, I think they got their stinger back a little bit.”

Finally, the noted offensive-minded coach expressed his appreciation for one of his star defensive players. Mississippi State currently leads the nation in points allowed this season and a big part of that is the play of defensive end Montez Sweat. Moorhead believes going up against a player of his caliber on a daily basis helps the offensive line develop.

“It’s awesome. Sometimes it can be a little bit of a pain. You can have a hard time getting a pass off sometimes,” Moorhead joked. “I think iron sharpens irons, and when you have the opportunity to go against Montez, Jeffery [Simmons] and those other guys, it is sink or swim. The guys, they have to get better or they are going to get embarrassed. Going against quality players like Montez and those guys really help develop us up front.”