QUARTERBACKS

Lions and passed for just 304 yards and four scores in his career. He is versatile, as he also rushed for 506 yards and eight touchdowns, but the same could also be said for Thompson.

Thompson has already had several big moments in his Mississippi State career. He’s started a pair of games for the Bulldogs and won them both, most notably leading MSU to a victory over Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson and Louisville in the Taxslayer Bowl to close the 2017 season.

In all for his career, Thompson has rushed for 672 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s passed for 846 yards and eight scores, so Thompson has the production and track record to make this quarterback competition far from an open and shut case.

What could be the deciding factor in the whole deal could come down to accuracy. Moorhead noted prior to last season that he likes for his quarterbacks to complete somewhere around 65 percent of their passes. Thompson, like Fitzgerald before him, hasn’t proven to be as accurate as Moorhead would ideally like.

Thompson has completed just 47.6 percent (50-of-105) of his passes in his career. Stevens has less of a track record – he’s only thrown 41 career passes – but he’s completed 24 of them for a completion percentage of 58.5 percent. If Stevens’ accuracy translates over to a larger sample size come August, he’ll almost assuredly win the starter’s job as Moorhead prefers an offense that can use accurate passing to hit big plays down the field. That’s something the Bulldogs struggled with through the air last year and with Thompson’s skill set similar to Fitzgerald’s, Stevens might could provide the Bulldogs with a better chance at connecting on deep plays.

There’s also another factor to consider. Thompson still has a redshirt year available. Should Stevens win the starter’s job and Thompson decides to stick around Starkville and not look for an opportunity elsewhere, Thompson could play in four or less games in 2019, redshirt, then return in 2020 still with two years of eligibility remaining.

It all makes for an intriguing battle and fascinating decision in the lead-up to football season.

(Editor’s Note: In the weeks leading up to Mississippi State football’s August 31 season opener, the Starkville Daily News is looking at the players at each position group likely to play key roles for the 2019 Bulldogs. The series began today with the quarterback position.)