Jackson Free Press

Most college football teams don’t want to feel like week two of the season is a must-win situation. That is exactly what it seemed like for Mississippi State University after a season-opening loss to South Alabama.

If the team was to have any hope of keeping its bowl streak alive, MSU badly needed a victory against the University of South Carolina in week two. With the Bulldogs’ six SEC West foes remaining, a loss and a 0-2 start may seem nearly impossible to overcome.

Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen turned to quarterback Nick Fitzgerald against the Gamecocks. Fitzgerald started against South Alabama but was pulled after a 0-3 start passing with two rushes for 11 yards and playing just seven snaps. MSU went with Damian Williams the rest of the way against the Jaguars.

Against the Gamecocks, Fitzgerald put together a breakout performance. He was 19 for 29, passing for 178 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. On the ground, Fitzgerald ripped the Gamecocks for 195 yards, rushing on 17 carries.

Fitzgerald’s 195 rushing yards broke the school record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game. Former Bulldog great John Bond set the old mark of 163 yards in the 1980 Egg Bowl against the University of Mississippi. And it’s one of the records at quarterback that former MSU star Dak Prescott does not own.

MSU jumped out to a 24-0 halftime lead before a 32-minute lightning delay sucked most of the momentum from the Bulldogs. South Carolina scored two second-half touchdowns but couldn’t overcome its first-half deficit in the Bulldogs’ 27-14 win.

Fitzgerald stared at Richmond Hill High School, where he ended up a four-year letter winner. He led his team to a 10-2 record overall as a senior and to the second round of the Georgia High School Association Class 5A State Championship.

In high school, Fitzgerald was named Region 3-5A Player of the Year, honorable mention Georgia Sports Writers Association and Atlanta Journal Constitution 5A All-State selection. Fitzgerald rushed for 1,429 yards on 182 carries with 25 touchdowns as a senior.

He passed for 778 yards on 33 of 76 passing with 12 touchdowns in the triple-option offense he ran in high school. The quarterback was also on the basketball team for three years, where he scored 7.9 points and 5.8 rebounds as a junior.

Fitzgerald earned scholarship offers from MSU and Middle Tennessee State University. The Bulldogs redshirted him as a freshman in 2014.

Last season, Fitzgerald served as Prescott’s primary backup. He saw action in eight games and went 11 of 14, passing for 235 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. The quarterback rushed 23 times for 127 yards and three touchdowns.

Fitzgerald entered this season as the speculated favorite to be the starter for the Bulldogs but couldn’t completely pull away from his competition. His performance against South Carolina might have finally won …