STARKVILLE — Dak Prescott woke up at 5 a.m. Saturday and couldn’t keep any food down.
Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said his senior quarterback was throwing up and that the team was unsure if he would be able to play. Prescott, who was battling a stomach virus, started and played the first three possessions before being lifted for redshirt freshman Nick Fitzgerald, who led MSU to a 45-17 victory against Troy.
“He probably slept like a baby and then he woke up and we said, ‘Hey, you’re going to take the walkthrough. We’re not sure if Dak can play.’ He didn’t have time to get nervous about it,” Mullen said.
Fitzgerald, who was locked in during the walkthrough, was 6 of 7 for 141 yards and two touchdowns. He also had eight carries for 29 yards and a touchdown.
Fitzgerald found De’Runnya Wilson for a 28-yard touchdown in the fist half to give MSU (4-2) a 31-0 lead. He then scored on a 1-yard run late in the first half to make it 38-0 at halftime.
Fitzgerald capped off MSU’s scoring with a 49-yard touchdown pass to Donald Gray.
“I think I just feel comfortable here at home in Davis Wade,” Fitzgerald said. “I played against Northwestern State a good bit and I had some success. I think things kind of carried over and my mind-set was, ‘You can do this. You’ve done it before. Just stay calm and play your game.’ ”
Prescott was 3 of 6 for 74 yards. He threw a 59-yard touchdown pass to Fred Ross.
Redshirt freshman Elijah Staley played late in the game and completed one pass for -4 yards. He rushed for 11 yards on two carries.
The Bulldogs had 336 yards of offense (125 yards rushing).
In addition to Prescott’s illness, wide receivers Gabe Myles (left foot), Joe Morrow (shoulder), and tight end Gus Walley (hand), who missed last week’s game against Texas A&M, didn’t play.
Redshirt freshman Elgton Jenkins made his first start at left tackle, while Brandon Holloway started at running back for the first time. Brandon Bryant filled in for the injured Kendrick Market at strong safety in his first start.
50th win
Mullen wanted to build a winner when he became the head coach at MSU in 2009.
In seven years, Mullen has shown winning can happen at MSU.
The win against Troy was Mullen’s 50th as a head coach.
“It’s a great honor, but it’s really more about our program, our coaches, our players, our administration, and everybody here within the athletic department,” Mullen said.
Mullen, who is 50-33, is in third place on the school’s all-time wins list. He is 15 behind Allyn McKeen (65 from 1939-48) and 25 behind Jackie Sherrill (75 from 1991-2003).
Mullen will try to get No. 51 next week when MSU plays host to Louisiana Tech in its Homecoming game.
“Hopefully it doesn’t last long and I get 51 next week and I get off that 50 mark fast,” Mullen said.
Graves perfect
Sophomore kicker Westin Graves nailed a 42-yard field goal in the first half to improve to 7-for-7.
He is the first Bulldog kicker to start the season 7-for-7 since at least 1990. He earned the job a day before the season opener at Southern Mississippi, and then made both field goals he attempted against the Golden Eagles.
The 6-foot, 163-pound Flowood native missed the only field goal he attempted last season.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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