MSU has issues to fix vs. UL
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead’s championship standard won’t come easy. It’ll take time, too. The Bulldogs have one more tune-up game to get closer to that standard before SEC play begins next week.
After two dominant wins to start his tenure, Moorhead isn't fully satisfied with his team’s play. His players have a Davis-Wade Stadium matchup against the University of Louisiana-Lafayette at 6:30 p.m. Saturday to solve a multitude of issues.
For starters, No. 16 Mississippi State is one of the most penalized teams in the nation. Adding to a total of 18 infractions likely won’t hurt against an inferior opponent at home but committing fewer penalties heading into SEC play would surely give Moorhead more confidence.
Higher efficiency from his quarterback wouldn’t hurt, either. Senior Nick Fitzgerald barely completed 40 percent of his throws against Kansas State. That’ll pass when the team runs for nearly 400 yards as it did against the Wildcats.
But when MSU gets into the meat of its schedule, Fitzgerald needs to prove that he can make game-changing throws. A good way to get into that habit is to connect on a few big passes against Louisiana-Lafayette.
“Maybe I was just a little too excited to be in there,” Fitzgerald said of last week’s performance. “(I was) just overthrowing a few guys. I was excited to be out there in the game and have that adrenaline rushing for the first time in a long time and just kind of put a little too much on a couple balls.”
The only thing that should affect Fitzgerald from a mental standpoint Saturday is the fact that he hasn’t played at DWS in game action since he was carted off the field in last year’s Egg Bowl after sustaining a dislocated ankle. Once the cowbells quiet down so he can run the offense, Fitzgerald needs to find a remedy in his motion against a UL pass defense that ranked 108th in the nation last year.
The unique thing about Moorhead’s offense is that the ball finds a plethora of receivers. Through two games, the dispersion has worked. Developing a rapport with one or two of those guys, though, might help Fitzgerald feel more comfortable when dropping back.
Redshirt freshman Austin Williams and junior Osirus Mitchell seem to be likely candidates. Fitzgerald targeted both multiple times last week, but each guy emerged from the 31-10 win at Kansas State with one catch. Junior Stephen Guidry had two grabs, and he’s another player Fitzgerald might turn to.
Moorhead said he likes his offense to have three receivers as go-to guys. That trio, who just so happen to be the three starters, have the best chances filling those roles. Fitzgerald just needs to find them more. Once he does, the offense will flourish.
Defensively, the Bulldogs have done just about everything right except force turnovers. They only have two. Both Moorhead and defensive coordinator Bob Shoop mentioned forcing takeaways as a point of emphasis against the Ragin’ Cajuns.
But to Moorhead, less might really be more. The turnovers the team seeks might come naturally by sticking to the game plan. Moorhead said the guys still haven’t fully played true to the new systems that have been installed on both sides of the ball. When they do, everything will work itself out.
“To me, making a play is knowing your assignment, playing with fanatical effort and executing with surgical precision,” Moorhead said. “We need to continue to do that better moving forward. As the execution continues to improve, our productivity will.”