STARKVILLE — It was hard to judge which was more impressive, the pass or the catch.

On the passing end stood true freshman quarterback Elijah Staley, one of two signal callers being redshirted by Mississippi State this season. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound Staley threw a dart in passing drills Friday afternoon, a 20-yard missile on an out route to a wide receiver who was barely open.

That receiver, redshirt freshman Gabe Myles, did the rest. Breaking to the sideline as part of a deep-out pattern, Myles left his feet to retrieve Staley’s throw, lunging away from man-to-man coverage to haul in a terrific diving catch. The reception immediately drew yells and screams of approval from the duo’s offensive teammates, and the play drew the biggest reaction of any during MSU’s first practice for the Orange Bowl.

It may have been a glimpse of things to come.

True to the words of MSU coach Dan Mullen, MSU’s first of 15 bowl practices served as a showcase for the next wave of Bulldogs, as veterans who have been vital to this year’s 10-2 run took a backseat to underclassmen eager to make a mark within the MSU program.

“It was great, a lot better of a practice than I thought it was going to be,” said Mullen on Friday afternoon. “The young guys came to play.”

So who are these guys, the players vying to become the next wave of Bulldogs? One glance around the practice field as MSU preps to play in the Orange Bowl for the first time in 73 years reveals a roster stocked with young, hungry talent looking for an opportunity.

And it starts at quarterback.

On Friday, Staley and fellow freshman Nick Fitzgerald received the lion’s share of the reps at signal caller while junior quarterback Dak Prescott watched from the sideline.

“They’re doing good,” said Prescott. “These young guys are hungry, trying to show what they can do. Nick and Elijah are both very good players.”

In the future, the two could very well find themselves vying for Prescott’s spot. That’s the energy Mullen is hoping to create with his bowl practices, at least the first five. At quarterback, it’s working.

Staley and Fitzgerald took turns delivering big plays Friday night, each showcasing an ability to run Mullen’s offense. Staley did it with throws like the ones to Myles, while Fitzgerald displayed accuracy on the deep ball, connecting with freshman Jamoral Graham on a 40-yard post pattern in the end zone at one point.

A former four-star prospect according to ESPN.com, Staley starred as a two-sport athlete at Wheeler High in Marietta, Georgia. He’s attempting to do the same in Starkville, where he has already joined head coach Rick Ray and the Bulldogs’ basketball team for practice when he’s not on the football field.

Fitzgerald, meanwhile, is a physical presence similar to a number of former Mullen proteges, and he has the athleticism to run the former Florida offensive coordinator’s quarterback-friendly schemes. As a senior at Richmond Hill High in Georgia, Fitzgerald rushed for 1,429 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2013.

On Saturday, with Prescott and a number of other Bulldog veterans in the Humphrey Coliseum for graduation ceremonies, the reps at practice belonged to Staley and Fitzgerald, a possible glimpse into MSU’s future.

Myles ahead

Quarterback isn’t the only spot where youth is being served at MSU’s Orange Bowl practices. On the receiving end of Staley’s big throw was Myles, a redshirt freshman who is already ahead of the curve compared to other young Bulldogs.

Thrust into action early in the season due to an injury to starter Jameon Lewis, Myles, a former state championship-winning quarterback at Starkville High, showed flashes of brilliance this season. He finished with 22 catches and rushed four times for 35 yards out of his slot receiver position, a spot he can likely lock down going forward for the Bulldogs.

With Lewis graduating, Myles will be MSU’s most experienced player at the slot in 2015. He is also among a number of young receivers looking to move forward in bowl practice, as freshmen like Graham and Petal High product Jesse Jackson have also made plays in the first two days of Orange Bowl workouts.

At running back, no new faces are likely to emerge in time to play against Georgia Tech on Dec. 31. But that hasn’t stopped a pair of freshmen from impressing their teammates in practice.

True freshmen Aeris Williams and Dontavian Lee each look the part so far, though both redshirted this season.

Williams, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound former Mr. Football out of West Point High, has looked particularly strong, displaying a running ability that produced more than 4,000 rushing yards during his three years with the Green Wave.

“They’re both doing good, just playing ball,” said MSU sophomore running back Ashton Shumpert. “These practices are important for younger players because you’re trying to show your teammates and your coaches what you can do. I know I was doing that last year. I still am, really.”

Going Green

Defensively, new faces littered the Bulldogs’ first and second units during Friday night’s practice and again Saturday.

For outside observers, the most noticeable of those new faces belonged to freshman linebacker Gerri Green.

With starting middle linebacker Benardrick McKinney possibly opting for the NFL Draft, Green looks like a McKinney clone in the middle of MSU’s defense, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound presence blessed with uncommon athletic ability.

“He’s going to be a great player,” said McKinney. “He’s ahead of where I was when I redshirted.”

Green wasn’t the only young player that stood out. Redshirt freshman Brandon Bryant, one of MSU’s possible answers at safety after the graduation of two starters, made several tackles and had an interception of Fitzgerald late in Friday’s practice.

“These guys had great energy, I liked what I saw,” said Mullen. “The main thing we are looking for is for these guys to come out of that redshirt mentality. All season, they have known they weren’t going to play. Now, these freshmen and sophomores can look around and say ‘This is going to be our team soon.’ Guys go from redshirting to all of a sudden being part of the rotation, and that’s a huge wake-up call.”

Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat