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Dan Mullen discusses Nick Fitzgerald and preparing a young team for trip to LSU
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Mississippi State rebounded after a befuddling loss to South Alabama with a 27-14 victory against South Carolina. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald looked much more comfortable as the team’s starter, but will face a bigger challenge when the Bulldogs travel to LSU.
At his weekly press conference on Monday, Dan Mullen covered a variety of topics but focused on the importance of preparing a young team – Fitzgerald included – for the rigors of an SEC road game.
“We have to coach them up and get them ready for it,” Mullen said, according to a school press release. “Again, you would not be able to simulate a game for players. You have to try to simulate some of the adverse situations as best as possible. It’s on the coaches that we put guys in situations and positons so that they can succeed.”
The offensive coaching staff did a good job putting Fitzgerald in a position to succeed as he continues to usher in the post-Dak Prescott era. The sophomore completed 19 passes for 178 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception but also set a single-game school record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 195 yards on 17 carries.
“You look at what he did, he set a school record for rushing by a quarterback but it wasn’t like he was making dynamic runs and making seven people miss,” Mullen said. “He made good reads and the line blocked well. If you execute well, I think you can see that he will have success. Hopefully, he just looks at the things he did well and continues to do those things well.”
Prescott was an effective runner for the Bulldogs, but Fitzgerald showed he’s capable of gaining yards on the ground as well. In fact, Mullen thinks Fitzgerald is better than his predecessor in some aspects, but acknowledges that they have two different styles.
“Nick is a different style of runner than Dak was. He’s faster than Dak and a little bit more explosive than Dak with the ball in his hands,” he said. “I don’t know if he’s as physical as Dak was. It’s a little different style of running.”
