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Step in the right direction for Mississippi State with win over South Carolina
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Mississippi State had to beat South Carolina if the Bulldogs wanted to keep bowl hopes alive. It’s early, but that’s as early as it is true. In a 27-14 win against South Carolina, a quarterback stepped, ran rather, into the forefront of the position.
Here is some day-after insight from the Bulldogs’ win against the Gamecocks.
5 TAKEAWAYS
Favored in four more: The Bulldogs will be favored in four more games this season. Winning the ones they are supposed to will continue to be key. The loss against South Alabama will continue to linger, considering the SEC West is a pending graveyard. The Bulldogs will be a heavy underdog at LSU but favored at UMass. Win against either Auburn or at BYU and a bowl is likely. Saturday was a step in the right direction.
Fitz back in the mix: Sophomore QB Nick Fitzgerald redeemed himself with a solid outing. He was good passing with 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He threw a pick but also rushed for a whopping 195 yards, an 11.5-yard average. A quarterback leading this team in rushing is nothing new.
Four for 16: Four receivers had a combined 16 catches for 172 yards. Fred Ross (6), Donald Gray (4), Gabe Myles (3) and Brandon Holloway (3) looked like they had good chemistry with Fitzgerald.
Brown delivers: The Bulldogs rely on veteran LB Richie Brown. He was big Saturday, finishing with 10 tackles, two for loss and a sack. The team feeds off of Brown. The unit had 11 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. They completely shut down the run.
Big debut for Jeffery Simmons: After sitting out with a suspension for the opener, the Bulldogs’ prized recruit had 4 tackles, 2 for a loss, with a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry. Simmons is an impact player who’s ready for the SEC.
REPORT CARD
Offense: A – It was 24-0 at the half and MSU finished with 485 yards of total offense. Fitzgerald had a ton of that, and as a team, the Bulldogs rushed for 290 yards.
Defense: A – The Bulldogs forced two turnovers, a pick and a fumble, and allowed only 34 yards on the ground on 31 attempts. The Bulldogs look the part against the run. South Carolina threw for 209 but on 20-of-39 passing. The Gamecocks were 6-of-17 on third down.
Special teams: A – Westin Graves missed the game-winner against South Alabama but bounced back with a pair of field goals (28, 27) against South Carolina. Punter Logan Cooke averaged 49.5 yards on four punts.
Coaching: A – After a disappointing start to the season, coaches regrouped to produce a well-rounded game against an SEC team it needed to beat. Talking about moving on is one thing. Mississippi State did that with a shutout first half.
Overall: A – It wasn’t a great test to judge by, but it was the next test, and the Bulldogs passed. It gets real this week in Baton Rouge.
GAME BALLS
QB Nick Fitzgerald: After playing only a couple series against South Alabama, Fitzgerald threw for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns on 19-of-29 passing. He threw one pick but also ran for 195 yards on 17 rushes, including a 74-yarder.
WR Fred Ross: He had 6 catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. Ross threw a touchdown pass. He has to be a target.
DB Jamal Peters: He had his first career interception. Great sign for a secondary that got lit by South Alabama a week earlier.
