STARKVILLE — Nick Fitzgerald had twice as many touchdown passes in the first half Saturday as he had in the previous five games combined.
Four first-half touchdown strikes kept Louisiana Tech (6-3) from the slightest window of opportunity as Mississippi State rolled to a 45-3 win.
Fitzgerald exited the game in between the third and four quarters with 243 passing yards and four touchdowns on 17-for-28 passing. He also ran 18 times for 107 yards, leading the team in both categories.
Fitzgerald was the benefactor of excellent wide receiver play, allowing each of those first-half scores to come in different ways. He threw to an isolated Stephen Guidry for his first score, allowing Guidry to beat his man and score with relative ease. He identified a hole in the coverage for his second touchdown, finding Deddrick Thomas as he ran a wheel route into that hole.
Kylin Hill caught the third pass, a ball Fitzgerald floated over coverage and trusted Hill to come down with in the corner of the end zone. The fourth was a straightforward slant to Jesse Jackson, a measure of perfect timing.
Hill was more effective as a pass catcher than as a runner: he gained 38 yards on his five catches and 20 yards on his five runs.
The 17 completions were spread through nine receivers: Deddrick Thomas and Jesse Jackson had three each, and no other receiver had more than one.
MSU generated 15 chunk plays: eight runs of 10 yards or more and seven passes of 15 yards or more.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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