There was no drama in Mississippi State’s 49-0 decimation of Charleston Southern on Saturday.

And that’s a good thing for the Bulldogs. Recall that in last season’s opener, Mississippi State fell to South Alabama 21-20 on a last-second field goal. So even if it was an FCS team it throttled Saturday — and a respectable one at that, as the Buccaneers went 7-4 last season — a stress-free win is exactly what you want if you’re the Bulldogs. And that’s exactly what they got.

Now, on to a few takeaways from the game:

The defense played otherworldy

I know, I know: Charleston Southern is an FCS team. SEC teams pay schools like this to be sacrificial lambs.

And the Bulldogs certainly were ruthless Saturday. Forget the shutout. The Buccaneers had their hands full merely getting first downs. They ended with two, going 2-for-14 on third-down conversions.

In sum, Mississippi State allowed just 33 yards (18 rushing, 15 passing) of total offense.

Oh, and they also had a pair of safeties — in the first half.

Not a bad way to start off the season.

Nick Fitzgerald picked up right where he left off

The expectations for Fitzgerald, a fourth-year junior, are off the charts. And that’s to be expected when you have the type of season he did in 2016, leading the SEC in total offensive yardage, rushing touchdowns and 100-yard rushing games. We could go on and on with the eye-popping numbers he put up last season.

But the pressing question is, what could he do for an encore?

If Saturday is any indication, it doesn’t appear there will be much drop off.

Fitzgerald played roughly two and a half quarters. But he made his time on the field count.

He completed 16 of his 29 attempts for 239 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, he had seven carries for 41 yards and another score.

Just another day at the office for one of the most explosive quarterbacks in the country.

In case you forgot, Dan Mullen can coach some offense

Sure, Mullen seems to be a love-or-hate figure. But never doubt his bona fides when it comes to offensive production.

The Bulldogs ended Saturday with 555 yards of total offense, almost perfectly balanced between the run (281 yards) and the pass (274 yards). It marked the 19th time since 2014 the Bulldogs had 500 or more yards of total offense in a game, most in the SEC.

That’s consistent excellence, which the Bulldogs hope translates to a stellar 2017 campaign.