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Mississippi State Football:Can Leo Lewis And Nick Fitzgerald Replicate Their 2016 Success?

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 8: Wide receiver Keith Mixon #23 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrates with quarterback Nick Fitzgerald #7 after he scores a touchdown against the Auburn Tigers during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Oct. 8, 2016 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 8: Wide receiver Keith Mixon #23 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrates with quarterback Nick Fitzgerald #7 after he scores a touchdown against the Auburn Tigers during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Oct. 8, 2016 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images) /
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ATHENS, GA – SEPTEMBER 23: D’Andre Swift #7 of the Georgia Bulldogs is tackled by Leo Lewis #10 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on September 23, 2017 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATHENS, GA – SEPTEMBER 23: D’Andre Swift #7 of the Georgia Bulldogs is tackled by Leo Lewis #10 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on September 23, 2017 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

What were they like in 2017?

Nick Fitzgerald and Leo Lewis had solid seasons in 2017. But, solid won’t be enough for Mississippi State to have a truly incredible season in 2018. And, well, the Bulldogs have everything they need to succeed at a high level next year.

But they’ll need more from Fitz and Lewis than what they got a year ago.

Fitzgerald, in his second season as a starting SEC quarterback, only completed 55.6% of his passes for 1782 yards and 15 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. That’s not all that inspiring. On the ground, Fitzgerald ran for 984 yards and 14 touchdowns at 6.1 yards per carry.

Granted, he did effectively miss two games due to a season ending injury in the Egg Bowl. But, still, Mississippi State needs notably more improvement from him passing wise.

Lewis, also in his second season starting, only made a total of 46 tackles a season ago. He went from Mississippi State’s second leading tackler to being its 7th leading tackler. That’s a huge drop-off from what her did in 2016. It’s not bad, it’s still decent. But, he can be more than solid.

And though they were solid, they have shown that both players can be so much better. And they were. In 2016, both Lewis and Fitzgerald had incredible years.