STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State football team has been blessed at the quarterback position the last two seasons.
Dak Prescott has led the Bulldogs to new heights and holds 21 school records. Bulldog fans haven’t worried about the play of the quarterback, but with Prescott is in his final year, someone will have to take his place in 2016. The last two home non-conference games have shown Nick Fitzgerald is capable of leading the Bulldogs.
“As he was going through the offseason, he really showed better command of learning the offense and understanding what’s going on out there on the field,” MSU coach Dan Mullen said.
In a 45-17 win against Troy on Saturday, the redshirt freshman received a bulk of the snaps with Prescott battling a stomach virus. Fitzgerald was 6 of 7 for 141 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 29 yards and another score.
After Prescott played the first four possessions, Fitzgerald took over and led the Bulldogs to a victory that was never in question. The 6-foot-5, 227-pounder from Richmond Hill, Georgia, said he knew he was going to get more playing time because Prescott was sick.
“I’m really confident playing against anybody,” Fitzgerald said. “I have some great teammates that are going to go up and make plays.”
In week three, Fitzgerald logged significant minutes in MSU’s 62-13 victory against Northwestern State. Fitzgerald split possessions in the second half with redshirt freshman quarterback Elijah Staley. Fitzgerald was 4 of 4 for 90 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for 28 yards and two touchdowns.
Fitzgerald is 10 of 11 for 231 yards and three touchdowns. He has rushed for 93 yards and three touchdowns. He hasn’t played in a Southeastern Conference game.
Fitzgerald has been at MSU since December 2013. He went through bowl prep with the Bulldogs and participated in spring camp a few months later. He has a lot of practice reps to fall back on, and his teammates feel confident in his ability to lead if Prescott has to miss more time.
“Same thing he does in a game, he does in practice against our No. 1 defense, so we’re just as confident in Nick as we are in Dak,” MSU wide receiver Fred Ross said.
Along with Fitzgerald and Staley at quarterback, the Bulldogs have junior Damian Williams, but he hasn’t played this season. He is expected to be redshirted.
Fitzgerald has the benefit of learning from Prescott. He watched the Haughton, Louisiana, native closely last year as he burst onto the scene and led the Bulldogs to nine-straight wins and a No. 1 ranking for five weeks. Fitzgerald has continued to watch Prescott prepare for games this season.
“It’s outstanding having a guy like Dak in front of you,” Fitzgerald said. “He does everything possibly right that you can do right. Off the field and on the field, he carries himself so great. It’s just a good thing for me to see that and try to think about that next year when he’s gone if I win the starting job, just how he would handle the situation.”
The dynamic between Prescott and Fitzgerald reminds Mullen of a pair of quarterbacks he coached at Utah. Brian Johnson came to Salt Lake City, Utah, as a 17-year old freshman in 2004. At the time, the Utes were led by Heisman Trophy finalist Alex Smith. They finished with a perfect record and beat Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.
Johnson, who is the quarterbacks coach at MSU, watched Smith closely and learned all he could. He went on to be the starting quarterback for three years for the Utes.
“When you show up every day and you’re watching a big-time guy and how he does things, it’s a little monkey see, monkey do,” Mullen said. “It’s a great opportunity for a young quarterback to learn that way.”
Fitzgerald didn’t have a whole lot of time to react to the possibility of starting against Troy. Presoctt woke up early Saturday morning and was throwing up. When Fitzgerald woke up, the coaching staff told him he might start.
Even though he didn’t get the start, he kept the offense rolling when he entered the game. He found De’Runnya Wilson for a 28-yard touchdown. Ftizgerald was under pressure and hit as soon as he let the ball go, but Wilson caught it in stride on his back shoulder in the end zone for a touchdown.
Wilson has seen what Fitzgerald can do in practice, so he wasn’t surprised Fitzgerald delivered with all the eyes at Davis Wade Stadium watching.
“The ball is placed on the outside shoulder,” Wilson said. “That’s one of the main things he does. Great throws like that is what’s going to separate him from a lot of quarterbacks in the SEC.”
Fitzgerald also hit Donald Gray for a 49-yard touchdown and scored on a 1-yard run.
Fitzgerald likely will get more playing time at 11 a.m. Saturday (SEC Network) when MSU (4-2) plays host to Louisiana Tech (4-2) in its Homecoming game.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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