Mississippi State’s season has held to one pattern, it’s offense has been nearly unstoppable in wins, and utterly terrible in its losses. It should be no surprise then, against an outmatched Arkansas team, the Bulldogs rolled up 475 yards in a 52-6 win over the Razorbacks. The Bulldogs did most of their work on the ground, rushing 47 times for 287 yards, including Aeris Williams going over 100 yards for the second time this season.
THE PLAYER
The most rushing touchdowns in @HailStateFB history.
Congrats, @nickfitz07! ? pic.twitter.com/fwSHdK0Fz5
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 17, 2018
Nick Fitzgerald added another record to his resume, overtaking Anthony Dixon as MSU’s all time leading scorer on the ground. Fitzgerald was just efficient on Saturday, completing 9-14 for 127 yards and 4 scores, and piling up 85 yards on the ground. Fitzgerald may well be the most embattled quarterback in Bulldog history, but he left Davis Wade Stadium a winner, and will have an opportunity to claim his second Egg Bowl win on Thanksgiving. Love him or hate him, he’s been on the field for some big moments in maroon and white.
THE PLAY
So here’s the deal. MSU scored 7 touchdowns, and they are all about the same. There wasn’t a jaw dropping play in there, so let’s just go with the first one. All in all, MSU got exactly what it needed on offense today, plenty of momentum heading into Oxford. When the Bulldogs have played a sub-par defense this season, they have rolled up yards and points, and that’s exactly what they did again today. If you are a Bulldog fan, that’s a great pattern when you consider how bad the Ole Miss defense has been this year.
DEFENSE DOMINATES….AGAIN
Sometimes you just have to appreciate great play when you constantly see it – @HailStateFB Johnathan Abram puts on a clinic at playing safety. So far – 12 tackles (7 solo), 3.5 TFL, 2 QBH, 1 FF. Easy to see why he will be a high 2019 @NFLDraft pick. #HailState
— Bill Martin (@MSUBillMartin) November 17, 2018
I cannot wait to see this Bulldog defense against that Rebel passing attack. It should be a great matchup, even with Ole Miss missing DK Metcalf. You could have understood if the Bulldogs had a slight hangover after playing Alabama, but instead they delivered another outstanding performance. Obviously there’s no metric to tell us for sure, but for my money, this is the best defense to ever grace the field in Starkville. Slowing down the Rebels on Thursday might seal that reputation up forever.
WHAT’S NEXT OH WHO AM I KIDDING YOU ALL KNOW WHAT’S NEXT
It’s been a year since Ole Miss celebrated at Davis Wade Stadium, MSU will look to repay the favor on Thanksgiving Day. On paper, it looks like the Bulldogs should be a big favorite, but you never know in this rivalry game. One thing’s for sure, the Bulldogs want this one very badly. Joe Moorhead will look to be the fifth straight coach to win in his Egg Bowl debut.
You know this will be a huge week on SportsTalk Mississippi and the Thunder & Lightning Podcast. I can’t wait to talk about it with you, starting Monday live from the Timeout SportsBook at the Golden Moon Resort, 3 PM.
