Mississippi State’s offense has rebounded in recent weeks since its sub-par outing against LSU, but now it faces its stiffest test of the season at Alabama.

Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy understands what’s at stake, and said this week that Alabama is another tough defense in the SEC, but is great at all three levels of the defense.

“We have to make sure our execution is at a high rate this week, the margin for error is small,” he said. “Those guys play fast, they play hard and it’s obvious that they’re well coached. So we need to make sure that we have a great week of preparation.”

Getsy didn’t see it being easier to run or pass against Alabama, but he focused on staying true to what the Bulldogs already do well.

“The opponent is going to present challenges for us and we need to make sure that we create opportunities for ourselves, both run and pass, if we want to have success, we cannot lean one way or the other,” he said.

Getsy said his offense had fewer missed assignments last week against Louisiana Tech, and Fitzgerald has thrown the ball well the last two weeks. Fitzgerald against Louisiana Tech and Texas A&M has six touchdowns and no interceptions with 484 passing yards after the LSU game when he threw four interceptions and just 59 yards.

It’s not a long-term strategy to plan for long, successful drives against Alabama. So creating big plays comes down to a combination of strategy and situation, and having the confidence in believing it’s going to work, be it trick plays or otherwise. But he agreed that the Bulldogs would need one or two of those plays each game.

But Mississippi State could deliver a long, sustained drive.

“I think we’ve proven that we can do that against any competition,” he said. “I think the one thing we’ve got to improve on is finishing those drives.”