Mississippi State Bulldogs: What to make of the Spring Game
By Matt Green
The Mississippi State Bulldogs held their annual Maroon-White game on Saturday and there was a few things we took away from the game.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs went 6-7 in 2016, and 3-5 in the SEC, which was tied for fifth in the SEC West.
The White team, which was the first team defense and second team offense, won the game 21-10. And while the play of the defense was encouraging, the play of quarterback Nick Fitzgerald was not.
Nick Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald was second in the SEC with 1,375 rushing yards and first in the conference with 16 rushing touchdowns. So his athleticism has never been questioned. But he does have room to improve as a passer.
The rising junior was sixth in the SEC with 2,287 passing yards and fourth with 21 touchdowns last season. But he was 11th in the SEC in completion percentage, completing 54.3 percent of his passes, and his 10 interceptions were tied for the third most in the conference.
And on Saturday he threw a few more interceptions. Fitzgerald went 14-for-27 for 127 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions. He also ran for 25 yards on five carries.
But that’s the beauty of spring games. When there’s something discouraging on one side of the ball, it often means something encouraging on the other side of the ball.
Defense
While fans didn’t like seeing their quarterback struggle, they had to be encouraged by the play of their defense.
After previous stops at Georgia and Louisville, Todd Grantham is now the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator. And on Saturday his defense showed a nose for the ball… And the end zone.
The White team had four interceptions. Cameron Dantzler picked off Fitzgerald twice, including an 81-yard interception returned for a touchdown for the game’s opening score. Brian Cole also returned an interception 54 yards for a score, putting the White team up 21-10 in the third quarter.
But what everyone is talking about was the seemingly dirty hit from Jonathan Abram on Ashton Shumpert.
https://twitter.com/247_CFB/status/851190348261052416
Someone needs to remind Abram that this was a scrimmage and that they’re on the same team. He was ejected in the Spring Game for targeting, which I’m not sure, but has to be the first time that has ever happened.
The hit effectively ended the game with seven minutes remaining.
Dan Mullen is a great offensive mind. And if everyone doesn’t know about how dynamic of an athlete Fitzgerald is, they soon will. If Grantham can elevate the play of the defense, the Bulldogs could be a tough team to beat in 2017.