The Mississippi State Bulldogs continued their winning ways on Saturday night as they absolutely crushed Louisiana (formerly UL-Lafayette) 56-10 before a raucous crowd filling Davis Wade Stadium.

Just as they did in their previous two games, the Dogs looked very sharp offensively and dominant defensively, with first-year head coach Joe Moorhead continuing to show more and more command of the team and its personnel. You can only learn so much about a roster and its personality in spring ball – you really learn about them during the season.

Next up will be the Dogs’ first conference game of the season, on the road against an undefeated Kentucky squad, but before we turn the page, let’s take a look at five things I liked in the win over the Ragin’ Cajuns and three things I didn’t like.

What I liked

5. Winning on third down: State was fantastic on third downs, both on offense and defense. Offensively they were 8 of 11 on third down, and defensively they limited the Ragin’ Cajuns to 4 of 13. Also, the Bulldogs converted their one and only fourth down attempt while stifling Louisiana on 3 of 4 fourth downs. This may not seem like a big deal to the average fan, but this is a quality possessed by championship-caliber teams. If they’re this good on third downs against the big boys of the SEC West, they’re really going to make some noise in the standings.

4. Cutting back on penalties: One of the few negatives the Bulldogs had in the first two weeks of the season was penalties. They committed 7 for 80 yards against Stephen F. Austin in Week 1 and regressed in Week 2 against Kansas State, committing 11 for 84 yards. This week they really cleaned things up and were more disciplined, with only 3 penalties for 15 yards. You can’t beat yourself in this league and expect to win big games, and the game Saturday night was a big step in the right direction, especially with league play starting next week.

3. Aeris Williams getting back in the mix: Williams, who rushed for more than 1,100 yards last year, curiously didn’t play last week due to what Moorhead labeled as poor preparation leading up to the game. After a good week of practice, he was expected to jump back into the mix for carries, and he came back with a vengeance, rushing the ball 11 times for 101 yards and a TD. He’ll be asked to take on an even bigger role in the offense if Kylin Hill (lower body injury) misses extended time. The Bulldogs need a healthy and hungry Williams, especially during the upcoming stretch.

2. Fitzgerald continuing to dominate on the ground: After running for 211 yards against the Wildcats last week, QB Nick Fitzgerald continued his devastating rushing assault, as he carried the ball 15 times for 107 yards, including 4 TDs. After the horrible ankle injury he suffered at the end of last year, many wondered if he’d ever be able to run the ball as effectively as he had prior to the injury. Well, I think we can put those concerns to bed, because he looks nimble and powerful and displays no hesitation whatsoever.

Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

1. Fitzgerald improving completion percentage: Much was made about Fitzgerald’s accuracy after last season, and it was exacerbated after his Week 1 performance, when he completed just 40 percent of his passes (11 of 27 with an INT). He made some improvements this week, completing 14 of 21 passes for 243 yards with 2 TDs and no INTs. More importantly than numbers (which don’t always tell the complete story), he showed better timing and touch with improved ball placement. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still very much a work in progress, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction from last week. By the way, 6 total TDs from Fitzgerald? Good grief. The numbers are starting to look like he could be in store for another season like 2016, when he had a combined 37 TDs.

What I didn’t like

3. Pass defense: It was a bit of a bend-but-don’t-break type of pass defense for the Bulldogs against the Ragin’ Cajuns, as starting QB Andre Nunez completed 21 of 29 passes for 224 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. They didn’t give up any long TD passes, but they did give up a lot of completions, including a couple for decent gains of 41, 30 and 24 yards. Against a better QB and a better crop of receivers, the score of this game could’ve been far different, and not in a good way.

2. Defensive line didn’t make big plays: The vaunted Bulldogs defensive line was only able to tally one sack on the night, shared by DT Braxton Hoyett and DE Gerri Green (the other sack came courtesy of LB Willie Gay), which was also the only tackle for loss by the starting line. The LBs cleaned up in the backfield, but the line struggled to consistently make plays behind the line of scrimmage.  I’m nitpicking here, I know. I need three things, so cut me some slack, okay?

1. Kylin Hill and Jamal Peters injury status: This is potentially troublesome, to say the least, considering how important each of these players is to the team. Both went down Saturday night with what Moorhead called “lower body injuries,” and he indicated they’ll be looked at Sunday. Hopefully neither injury is serious, but the team could better absorb Hill’s injury than Peters’, if both are expected to be out for an extended period. In this offense, especially with the presence of Fitzgerald and Williams behind a powerful offensive line, the Bulldogs will be able to effectively run the ball without Hill, though of course they’d be without a very explosive element. Losing a big and physical CB like Peters, though, with the heft of the schedule looming, would be an enormous loss to the defense.