Mississippi State wanted to get back to back games where it felt good about its offense, coming off a 28-13 win over Texas A&M where the Bulldogs looked efficient and quarterback Nick Fitzgerald put together an SEC Offensive Player of the Week Performance. Saturday night allowed for exactly that, as the Bulldogs racked up 532 yards in a 45-3 win over Louisiana Tech. Fitzgerald again was electric, racking up 350 total yards and 4 passing touchdowns, as the Bulldogs were effective on both the ground and through the air. The Bulldog defense continued its incredible season, only allowing 238 yards from the Tech offense and keeping them out of the end zone entirely.
THE PLAY
A front-row seat to an absolute beauty of a throw from Nick Fitzgerald, and a hell of a catch from @H_Kylin #WCBI pic.twitter.com/LGVfORGQPy
— Tom Eble (@Tom_Eble) November 4, 2018
Obviously there is no play of the game in a rout like this, but look at this pass and catch. That’s just sheer perfection. Kylin Hill didn’t do much on the ground tonight, but five catches certainly allowed him to be a big part of the offense tonight. As for Fitzgerald, he has never had back to back games like this in his MSU career, he is 31-50 for 486 yards and 6 TDs, coming off his worst game of the season at LSU. Fitzgerald finally has his completion percentage up over 50% for the season, and he’s running the ball well too. I don’t know if it has finally clicked for him and this offense, but you cannot deny they have played well the past two weeks.
THE PLAYER
Mississippi State was looking for somebody else to emerge as a receiver, and tonight, it was Deddrick Thomas making plays out of the slot and from the return man position. Thomas racked up 131 yards in total along with that touchdown. Thomas has been a guy in his MSU career that hasn’t gotten a lot of chances but has made some big plays when given a look. As the Bulldogs look to close out this season strong, getting another playmaker involved in the passing game will be a big reason for optimism.
DEFENSE DOES IT AGAIN
There goes that man @_sweat9. #HailState? pic.twitter.com/qWcaefRdgJ
— MSU Football ? (@HailStateFB) November 4, 2018
They just don’t stop. MSU keeps another team out of the end zone, under 300 yards, and forces another turnover, albeit an insignificant one. Bob Shoop just has his guys playing at the highest level imaginable right now, to the point where you are surprised when they give up a first down. Next week, however, that will be the true test of how good this defense really is.
ALABAMA AWAITS
FINAL#OutworkYesterday#RollTide pic.twitter.com/VLpppSfjAW
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) November 4, 2018
There’s nowhere left to hide, as the Bulldogs will travel to Tuscaloosa for a date with the nation’s top ranked team, the Alabama Crimson Tide, and their superhuman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Alabama is coming off a good old fashioned beatdown of LSU in Tiger Stadium, and they’ll be looking to continue their run to another national title. Obviously, this is always Mississippi State’s biggest test of the season, but this year, it feels like an even higher mountain to climb thanks to the incredible numbers being put up by Tua and the Crimson Tide offense. It will take an incredible effort, a mistake-free performance, and some luck if the Bulldogs want to extend their winning streak another week.
Plenty to talk about all week on SportsTalk Mississippi and the Thunder & Lightning Podcast, I look forward to talking with you guys as the season enters the final days.
