Gators’ focus against Mississippi State: Stop Fitzgerald
STARKVILLE, MISS. — Flor- ida’s defense needed to look no further than its own coaching staff to find out how much of a challenge it is to stop Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald, a senior regarded as one of the nation’s best all-around quarterbacks, honed his craft under coach Dan Mullen, and today he’ll use that skill set to try to beat his former coach.
As the Gators (3-1, 1-1 SEC) began preparing for the No. 23 Bulldogs (3-1, 0-1) this week, Mullen was straight to the point when asked about Fitzgerald’s potential.
“He brings so many dif- ferent things to the table,” said Mullen, who left Mississippi State after last sea- son to take the UF job. “He’s a veteran guy, he’s hard to shake, he’s played a lot of football games. He’s got a huge arm. He can make all the different throws . ... He can throw it 70 yards in the air and he can do that from the pocket or on the run.
“One of the things is he’s big, he’s physical and he’s extremely fast. I think the deceptive part of it is that all of a sudden you think you’ve got an angle on him and you don’t. He’s running away from everybody. And then he has the physicality to run between the tackles and the speed to run on the outside.”
If it sounds as if Mullen is describing a former Flor- ida quarterback who made significant contributions to national title teams in 2006 and 2008 — when Mullen was the Gators’ offensive coordinator — it’s with good reason. Mullen has coached the only three quarterbacks in SEC history to record 35 passing touchdowns and 35 rushing touchdowns in their careers: Fitzgerald and Dak Prescott at Mississippi Ssate, former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow at UF.
Florida defensive coordi- nator Todd Grantham concurs with Mullen’s assess- ment of Fitzgerald.
“Being around Fitz, he’s an NFL guy who can run it as well as throw it,” Grantham said. “He’s really fast. I mean, he can make guys miss and he can take it to the house. He’s got home-run speed when he runs the ball, and you look at his arm strength, he’s got a really strong arm.”
Florida’s defense may have an advantage today considering the familiarity the coach- ing staff has with MSU’s personnel, but turning knowledge into power is easier said than done.
It’s a job that begins on the defensive line.
“He likes to run the ball and can throw a little bit, too,” defensive end Cece Jefferson said. “If we come out and take care of our job, then we should get the job done.”
Mullen’s return: Missis- sippi State’s fan base has been looking forward to this game since November, when Mullen left Starkville after nine mostly successful seasons. Mullen had a 69-46 record with the Bulldogs and led the program to a No. 1 ranking in 2014. The success helped turn Davis Wade Stadium into a formi- dable home-field advantage.
“Now I get to go back and I guess see what it’s like to be on the other sideline with the tradition we created,” Mullen said.
Joe Moorhead, Mississippi State’s first-year coach, said he expects the game to be emotional for many of his players, but he is more concerned with how they bounce back from lastweek’s 28-7 loss to Kentucky.
Running woes: Mississippi State has been known for its top-notch running game, but Kentucky shut it down last week. The Bulldogs managed just 56 yards on 28 carries. Even after the subpar game, though, they are averaging 247.8 rushing yards per game, which ranks third in the SEC.
Turnover machine: Florida leads the nation with 14 takeaways through four games after forcing just 17 turnovers all of last season. The Gators have scored 43 points off the turnovers, which include 10 forced fumbles.