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Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen trying to find playing time for backup QB Nick Tiano
By Adam Spencer
Published:
After taking over in the second game of the season, Mississippi State sophomore Nick Fitzgerald has looked good at the quarterback position, with redshirt junior Damian Williams serving as the backup.
However, redshirt freshman Nick Tiano is waiting in the wings, looking for a chance to get his first on-field action.
Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen said he’d like to get Tiano some playing time, but that’s not easy when every week is a battle:
“It’s always huge because you don’t want to be (like 2013),” Mullen said. “I go back a couple of years ago. We were playing Alabama. It was really a tight game and we had to roll out a true freshman quarterback into the game in some of his first action. Obviously not an ideal situation.”
It’s unlikely Tiano will see the field this weekend when Auburn visits Starkville, but Mullen said a plan to get the quarterback some playing time is something he and his staff must look at moving forward:
“We don’t have a specific plan to get him in,” Mullen said. “I’d love to have him get in a game but we don’t have a specific plan on how to do that right now because we’re just trying to find ways to win.”
Mississippi State has a home game against Samford on Oct. 29 before a brutal four-game stretch to end the season.
It might be a good idea to let Tiano see the field against Samford so he’s a little more comfortable if he has to step in against Texas A&M, Alabama, Arkansas or Ole Miss.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
