Last Saturday was a chance for redemption in many ways for No. 21 Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs had dealt with scrutiny for the last few weeks due to the disappointing 4-3 start and 1-3 record in Southeastern Conference play. Joe Moorhead had struggled to get his offense off of the ground in SEC games and Nick Fitzgerald was being questioned as to whether or not he could run the offense.
Emphatically, the Bulldogs answered against Texas A&M for a top-20 win that had people talking about finally seeing a team they thought they would see all along. The 28-13 victory showed that the Bulldogs were still here and that there was some ore juice in the tank. A week after managing just three points against LSU, they scored four touchdowns and rushed for 143 yards against the nation’s second-best running defense.
It had Moorhead showing a different side of himself on the sideline as he had emotion for one of the first times at MSU.
“That was organic. That wasn’t fake or manufactured, I was truly fired up,” Moorhead said. “You want attitude to reflect leadership. You want players to see that you’re as invested in the game emotionally as they are and I was. I think we need more of that.”
Another thing Moorhead felt he needed more of was an identity and he wants his team and his offense to have his identity. That identity is balance, but it’s much more of a passing presence than the Bulldogs have been getting this season.
MSU threw for less than 100 yards in each of the last three games prior to A&M and Fitzgerald failed to throw a touchdown in SEC play coming in to the game.
So Moorhead told the players and coaches that they would commit fully to running the offense he wants to run. The result was a 100-yard receiving game for Stephen Guidry, six explosive plays and two passing touchdowns that opened up the offense against a stingy group of Aggies.
“It goes back to the balance aspect of it of running and passing the ball with equal effectiveness. The pass game was what was missing,” Moorhead said. “Going into that game I said that we had to remember what got us here. That’s what we’re going to be moving forward.”
The new-look Bulldogs helped themselves back into the top 25 this week and moved them a game away from bowl eligibility for a ninth-straight season. They also saw their quarterback rewarded for his hard work.
After a tumultuous week following a four-interception game against LSU, Fitzgerald was nearly flawless against the Aggies. He was 14-of-22 passing for 241 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 88 yards and two more scores on his way to SEC co-Offensive Player of the Week.
