There are 7 days till the college football season truly begins, which means when we wake up next Saturday, there will be SEC football. And today we talk about one of the SEC’s top running threats.
Dan Mullen arrived in Starkville, Miss. in 2009 and has since elevated the Mississippi State football program to a level they have never been before. The Bulldogs had won 9+ games in a season five times in school history before Mullen. In the eight years since Mullen arrived, they’ve won 9+ games three different times.
Mullen is a true quarterback guru. He has an amazing offensive scheme, and he knows how to find guys that fit his offense. He coached Tim Tebow when he was the offensive coordinator at Florida, and has brought his dynamic spread option attack to Starkville. And that leads us to no. 7 on the Southbound and Down College Football Countdown.
Nick Fitzgerald ran for multiple touchdowns in 7 different games last season
Southbound and Down Countdown: 8: Gators shut down opposing passing attacks
After having arguably the best player in Mississippi State football history in Dak Prescott from 2012-15, most Bulldog fans probably thought it would be decades till they found a quarterback to replace him. Well, it actually only took two games.
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After losing to South Alabama 21-20 in last year’s season opener, then sophomore, Nick Fitzgerald was named the starting quarterback, and he did not look back. Fitzgerald rushed for 195 yards in his first career start.
He was named SEC offensive player of the week twice last season. In the Bulldogs’ 35-28 upset win over Texas A&M, Fitzgerald went 18-for-31 for 209 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. But he also ran for 182 yards and 2 touchdowns on 20 carries.
Then, in their season finale against Ole Miss, he went 8-for-17 for 109 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air, and set the school rushing record with 258 yards and 2 touchdowns on 14 carries. 14 carries! That’s an average of 18.4 yards per carry. Anthony Dixon held the previous school record with 252 rushing yards against Kentucky in 2009, and it took him 33 carries, an average of 7.6 yards per carry.
Fitzgerald is the first quarterback to lead the SEC in rushing touchdowns since Johnny Manziel in 2012. And he ran for all 16 of his touchdowns in the final eight games of the season.
Next: Top 10 games of the SEC football season
In 2016, Fitzgerald and the Mississippi State football team had the luxury of sneaking up and surprising opponents. But now, the Bulldogs’ signal-caller has a target on his back. We’ll see how he can follow up his breakout 2016 season.