Mississippi State football: Nick Fitzgerald carried MSU over No. 8 Auburn

The Mississippi State football team needed every bit of effort that Nick Fitzgerald gave to be able to beat the No. 8 Auburn Tigers tonight.

Nick Fitzgerald isn’t a perfect quarterback. He’s limited as a passer and doesn’t seem to always make the right decision when it comes to throwing the ball. However, as tonight showed, the Mississippi State football team can win because of him. And they can win against incredibly talented teams thanks to his strengths.

That’s what happened tonight. The Mississippi State Bulldogs took down the No. 8 Auburn Tigers because of what Fitzgerald brought to the table.

Fitzgerald was incredible rushing the ball against Auburn and showed dedication to this team in the process. Throughout the entire game, Fitzgerald ran the ball 28 times for 195 yards and the only touchdowns that were scored tonight. The only time he lost yardage came when he kneeled the ball to end the game.

Fitzgerald carried the ball an absurdly high number of times and still had 7 yards per carry against a team that was previously holding teams to 2.7 yards per carry. Auburn is a solid team that features a great rushing defense. Fitzgerald ran right through them.

So while Fitzgerald may not be able to completely adapt to Joe Moorhead’s scheme, that’s alright. Due to a horrific ankle injury, Fitz was limited in what he could do in the offseason. However, he’s bounced back and looks to be ready to run through SEC defenses all season. Moorhead has now shown that he can work with that. That hopefully means that MSU will be able to move the ball a bit more reliably moving forward.

There are still reasons to be concerned about Fitzgerald’s limitations this season. The Bulldogs will face plenty of tough tests up ahead.

However, MSU has plenty of firepower on the ground. If the Mississippi State football team can continue to run the ball like this and Fitzgerald can hold up, then there’s no real reason to continue to consider switching quarterbacks this season. Considering switching quarterbacks should Fitz struggle in Moorhead’s system was a notion that I supported after two horrible losses. There’s not a need for that right now. Continue to use Fitzgerald’s legs and he’ll get you yards, touchdowns, and wins.

Nick Fitzgerald played one heck of a game against a tough Auburn team. He led the Bulldogs to victory over the No. 8 team in the country. That should be commended.