A rapid reaction to Mississippi State’s 45-17 beatdown of Troy on Saturday in Starkville.
What it means: Not much honestly. Mississippi State is in the same position as Ole Miss as both schools from the Magnolia State were coming off rough losses. However, both the Bulldogs and the Rebels play out of conference this week and the next before returning to SEC play three weeks from now. Mississippi State could’ve beaten Troy 100-0, and it wouldn’t take the sting away from losing a close one at home to LSU and a tough road game at Texas A&M. Hail State has a chance to start getting that taste out of its mouth on Oct. 24 against Kentucky.
What I liked: Backup freshman QB Nick Fitzgerald got some playing time under center, and he was solid. He made the most of his opportunities to pass, finishing 6-for-7, 141 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran 8 times for 29 yards and a score. The highlight of his day came in the fourth quarter when he scrambled to buy himself some time before throwing it only where receiver Donald Gray could come down with it on an amazing 49-yard touchdown throw.
What I didn’t like: The second-half performance from Mississippi State. After taking a 38-0 lead and holding Troy to just 31 yards of total offense in the first half, the Bulldogs let the Trojans score 14 unanswered points to make the game somewhat interesting in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs failed to build on their solid rushing performance against Texas A&M from last week. Mississippi State ran it 33 times for 125 yards, an average of just 3.8 per carry. The team entered the week 11th in the SEC with an average of 155 rushing yards per game, but the ground game seemed to be headed in the right direction after the 34 carries, 196 rushing yards and 2 TDs it racked up against a solid Aggies defense last week.
Who’s the man?: Nick Fitzgerald. With senior QB Dak Prescott’s career quickly coming to a close — and coming off a stomach virus close to game time — Fitzgerald showed some promise. He also showed some dual-threat ability, which is crucial for Dan Mullen’s offensive system.
Key play: It may not have made a difference, but if there was a key play, it had to be Troy’s fake field goal attempt early in the fourth quarter. The Trojans had a little momentum on their side behind 14 unanswered points and an onside kick recovery, then Troy set up for a 51-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 21 points. However, the Bulldogs sniffed it out and tackled the holder John Johnson for a 17-yard loss. It didn’t help that Troy tipped its hand a little bit by calling a timeout prior to the kick. On the ensuing play, Fitzgerald hooked up with Gray, who won a jump ball on the aforementioned 49-yard TD catch. That put Mississippi State up 45-14 and ended any sliver of hope Troy had for a miraculous comeback.
Who’s next?: Mississippi State has another non-conference game at home, but this one might be a little tougher. The Bulldogs face former Florida QB Jeff Driskel and Louisiana Tech, which entered Week 6 averaging more than 40 points per game.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
