SEC Round-Up: Nick Fitzgerald becoming a liability for Mississippi State

Confidence has given way to consternation in Starkville.

Contempt could be next.

Mississippi State, which has been ranked as high as No. 14 this football season, anticipated a banner year. Nine offensive and eight defensive starters returned from a 2017 team which finished 9-4 and damn near beat Alabama.

A strong defense featured All-American candidates Montez Sweat and Jeffery Simmons.

Powerful-running quarterback Nick Fitzgerald was back to operate behind four veteran offensive linemen.

Sure, coach Dan Mullen left for Florida, but the hiring of coach Joe Moorhead away from Penn State was seen to some as a possible upgrade.

It’s not seen that way anymore — not after the Bulldogs (4-3, 1-3 in the SEC) have lost three of their last four and have struggled to get into the end zone against Southeastern Conference foes.

The Bulldogs defense has been as powerful as projected.

Offense, though, has been a disaster. Mississippi State has managed just 39 points in four SEC games and 23 of those came in a win over Auburn when Fitzgerald rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns.

Fitzgerald was never known as a strong passer. Yet Moorhead, who favors a downfield passing attack, tried to make him into that.

That project has failed miserably. Against SEC competition Fitzgerald has completed just 44.4 percent of his passes for a mere 371 yards and no touchdowns with six interceptions.

Fitzgerald seemed to hit bottom in last week’s 19-3 loss to LSU when he completed just 8 of 24 passes for 59 yards with four interceptions. Once considered a point of strength, Fitzgerald is becoming a liability.

Mississippi State coaches have even indicated that backup Keytaon Jackson will take some of the snaps when the Bulldogs play host to Texas A&M on Saturday. Quarterback coach Andrew Breiner told the Jackson Clarion Ledger this week that Mississippi State coaches considered sitting Fitzgerald for a series or two even before the LSU debacle.

“It’s a conversation that actually goes back to the bye week (Oct. 14),” Breiner told the Clarion Ledger. “Looking at the number of carries Nick is taking, the number of hits that Nick is taking and knowing that Keytaon can do a lot of the similar things in the run game as Nick, it’s something we had to think about."

Moorhead made it clear that’s not just a thought anymore.

“We have discussed in the offensive staff room (about) not making a change, but during the first half and second half giving (Thompson) an opportunity to start a drive,” Moorhead said at this weekly press conference.

Moorhead did praise Fitzgerald’s running prowess. Fitzgerald is third in the SEC in rushing and has run for seven touchdowns. Of course, Mississippi State faithful already knew he could run. They’d also seen him win. Are they ready to see him replaced?

Probably. The offense needs some kind of boost. And if the Bulldogs get on a roll they could still match last year’s 9-4 finish.

But bringing in Jackson had better pay off. If not, there’s no one else to blame but Moorhead.

That’s where the contempt would come in.

Who’s hot: The realization for recent Florida opponents is if they’re going to move the football they’d better do it on first or second down. The Gators defense has been absolutely suffocating on third down. Florida’s last three opponents — Mississippi State, LSU and Vanderbilt — have converted just 9 of 41 (21.9 percent) on third down. Further, Florida is tied for 15th nationally in fourth down defense with a 33.3 percent success rate. 

Matt Sachs, TexAgs

Terry Wilson has struggled at the QB position for the Kentucky Wildcats in the last four games.

Who’s not: Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson was never expected to be a prolific passer but was assumed to be able to compensate as a runner. Yet, he’s been terribly inconsistent in both aspects. In the Wildcats’ last four games, Wilson has thrown for just 329 yards and two touchdowns. Further, he’s only rushed for 172 yards and one touchdown in that span. Amazingly, the Wildcats are 3-1 in that span but figure to need more production from Wilson to continue winning.

Keep an eye on: Missouri’s run defense is better than some might expect. Over the last 14 games Mizzou opponents have averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. Memphis, which is sixth in the nation in rushing, managed a pedestrian (for them) 200 rushing yards against Missouri last week. That’s the only opponent to reach 200 rushing yards against the Tigers. That run defense will be tested by Kentucky’s Benny Snell, who had 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Missouri last season.

The pressure is on: Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason’s job security is getting tenuous. The Commodores are 21-36 under Mason with just one bowl appearance. Also, David Williams, the man who hired him, has resigned as athletic director. Fortunately demands aren’t too high in Nashville. Mason could enhance his job security if the Commodores (3-5) reach a bowl game for the second time in his five seasons. However, that would require winning three of their remaining four games. That’s certainly possible with a remaining schedule of Arkansas, Missouri, Ole Miss and Tennessee, but there’s not much room for error. Arkansas may be the SEC’s weakest team, so getting a win in Fayetteville this week is vital.

Best matchup: Mississippi State leads the SEC in rushing offense. Primarily behind quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, the Bulldogs average 235 rushing yards per game. They’ve exceeded 300 rushing yards in three games thus far. They figure to get their most difficult test against Texas A&M, which leads the SEC and is fourth in the nation in run defense. The Aggies allow an average of just 81.5 rushing yards per game. No opponent has managed more than 115 rushing yards. The last three opponents have been limited to 55, 70 and 76 rushing yards.

This week’s SEC games: Texas A&M at Mississippi State; Vanderbilt at Arkansas; Georgia vs. Florida in Jacksonville; Kentucky at Missouri; Tennessee at South Carolina