ATLANTA — Mississippi State fans watched star QB Nick Fitzgerald go down awkwardly in last year’s Egg Bowl game against Ole Miss and, immediately, it looked bad.

However, the first thought going through Fitzgerald’s mind wasn’t about his dislocated ankle at all. No, he was mentally criticizing himself.

“For starters, I think I made the wrong read,” Fitzgerald said with a smile while speaking at SEC Media Days on Wednesday. “I probably should have handed the ball off in the first place. That’s kind of where my downfall began.”

Soon, though, the pain set in, and he realized his season was probably over. It was the sort of injury that you don’t show replays of on TV because no one likes to see a player’s foot pointing the wrong way.

“I just planted my foot, getting hit and falling, I just felt something pop and knew something wasn’t right,” he said. “It felt numb and then I heard everyone start screaming around me and that’s when the pain set in. It was pretty excruciating.”

Fitzgerald probably should have gone to the hospital, but instead, he sent a message by staying on the sideline and watching as backup QB Keytaon Thompson took over.

“It’s really tough to be the quarterback and go down and have to watch everyone else play, especially the circumstances which it happened, but I knew as a leader, I couldn’t leave my team behind. I was going to stay there and I was going to make sure I supported my teammates.”

Thompson played well, but the Bulldogs still fell to the rival Rebels. After some time to practice, though, Thompson was even better in the TaxSlayer Bowl, leading Mississippi State to a victory over Louisville.

That month in between the Egg Bowl and the bowl game was the most difficult part of the rehab process, Fitzgerald said. For a guy who loves the game as much as he does, not being able to move around was something that took some getting used to.

“The toughest part was the week or two after the surgery in which I couldn’t really do anything but lay down on my couch and try to take some pain meds and fall asleep,” he said. “It was definitely the downtime.”

Still, Fitzgerald hasn’t shied away from what happened to him. He has maintained a positive attitude, even jokingly making assistants (especially QB coach Andrew Breiner) and trainers watch video of the injury over and over again, according to a Sports Illustrated profile.

Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

New Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead wasn’t with the Bulldogs when the injury happened, and he didn’t see it live (though he has seen the play since). Fortunately, he said, he has avoided having the play forced upon him by Fitzgerald.

“It was Thanksgiving Day and I was running out to get my son a birthday gift at Target, so I missed it on TV,” he said. “I’ve seen it, but he hasn’t tried to force feed it to me. I know he’s made Coach Breiner watch it.”

Making the most of rehab

Now, the focus has shifted to 2018, as Fitzgerald and the Bulldogs have lofty expectations. The Bulldogs followed Moorhead’s mantra of elevating the program from good to great. Fitzgerald said he’s recovered and ready to roll for Week 1.

“As of right now, I am 100 percent,” he said. “I’m doing everything the team does — running, agilities, strength, weight room stuff.”

Moorhead has been impressed with the way the senior quarterback has attacked his rehab, bringing his competitive nature to his sessions with head trainer Thomas Callans and turning his recovery into a game.

“I think the thing with Nick’s recovery, Thomas Callans, our head trainer, and his staff have done a phenomenal job,” he said. “It’s kind of been representative of his mindset as a whole. He’s turned it into a competitive thing, like, ‘How quickly can I get healthy without setting myself back?’

“There were times in spring ball where he’d be in 7-on-7s and people were covered and he’d tuck in and start to run. I thought maybe we should put him in team drills, but I understand you don’t want to get too far out in front of your skis. He’s really attacked (his rehab) on a day-to-day basis.”

Moorhead hasn’t shied away from giving his players big goals, and Fitzgerald said Moorhead told him to make some space in his trophy collection this year:

How can Fitzgerald take that next step? We already know he’s a talented runner, but improving his passing abilities will be key. Moorhead said improving Fitzgerald’s completion percentage will be a big goal this fall.

“Nick’s right around 55-percent career completion percentage,” Moorhead said. “Our standard in this offensive system going back is 65 percent. Getting pre-snap tips and post-snap confirmation, being able to read coverages, not just know where to go with the ball, but why.”

Mississippi State opens the season on Sept. 1, against Stephen F. Austin. All eyes will be on Fitzgerald when he takes the field, and the first game will set the tone for what could be a big year for the Bulldogs’ senior leader.