Bulldogs bubbly at MSU’s Media Day
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State’s Media Day at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex was mundane for a while Saturday afternoon. That changed when coaches moved off the podium and players stepped up to it.
Senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald answered questions about his running ability and progression with his deep ball. He spoke with conviction and poise. It appeared the players would follow the all-business attitude of their coaches. Then a question came from a 6-foot-3, 305-pound defensive lineman trying to blend in with much smaller reporters.
“So how old are you?” senior Braxton Hoyett asked Fitzgerald. “22,” he answered. “If you were born five years ago, how old would you be?” Hoyett continued.
“17,” Fitzgerald said confidently. Oops. He’d be 5. Reporters cracked up. Hoyett smirked in confident amusement. “Our d-line is so talented on and off the field,” Fitzgerald sighed.
During the week leading up to Media Day, Fitzgerald has seen that talent firsthand on the field. He’ll see it again during MSU’s first scrimmage of training camp Saturday night. Ultimately, coaches and fans would love to see it three weeks from now against Stephen F. Austin.
But this Saturday belonged to what Hoyett did as a faux reporter, not what he can do as a defensive tackle. Before Fitzgerald spoke, senior defensive lineman Montez Sweat did. Hoyett had an act for him, too. This one actually involved football.
“You get a fumble recovery, and I’m running behind you. (There is) nobody running behind us. Would you pitch it back to me?” Hoyett asked.
“Uhhhh, maybe,” Sweat said. He clearly wanted to say no. He waited until he walked out of the room to do so. “Of course I wouldn’t toss it back to you!” Sweat said, laughing and looking back. Hoyett jokingly called Sweat selfish.
The end of the event drew near when senior offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins stepped up to the microphone. Most of the journalists had already started writing their articles or editing their videos. Hoyett saw this as a grand opportunity.
He approached Jenkins when seemingly nobody else would and peppered him with questions. Fitzgerald still hadn’t left the room and sought an avenue for payback. When Hoyett finished, Fitzgerald fired a question of his own. He asked Jenkins why Hoyett can’t get past him on the field. That’s when Hoyett had enough and stormed out – but not before Jenkins called him too flat-footed.
“I got something for y’all tonight,” Hoyett said before exiting.
The demeanor in the media room is indicative of the way the team collectively feels as time ticks closer to September. Mississippi State is ranked No. 18 in the preseason coaches poll, and optimism abounds in Starkville. But the Bulldogs are taking it one day at a time – one laugh at a time.
Earlier in the week, linebackers coach Tem Lukabu said playing football isn’t worth it if you’re not having fun. The players are clearly having plenty of it. The summer isn’t easy. Players have a plethora of obligations throughout the day that all culminate in a two-hour practice starting at 6 p.m. every night. They’ve managed to remain upbeat throughout all of it.
But what happens when adversity hits midseason? Moorhead said one of his main goals during camp has been to manage the responses to highs and lows. He wants his players to “show emotion without being emotional.”
“They wear their emotions on their sleeve, but at times I believe it can be counterproductive,” Moorhead said.
The head coached cited a few scuffles during practices when tempers flared. Inside the building, though, all seems to be jovial between the Bulldogs. The intensity on the field is balanced by levity off of it. Time will tell if that remains the case into the season.