A pair of Bulldogs were named SEC Players of the Week following MSU's 55-20 Egg Bowl victory.
Fitzgerald, Lewis Named SEC Players of the Week
November 28, 2016 | Football
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Following the largest margin of victory in an Egg Bowl for Mississippi State since 1916, a pair of Bulldogs were named Players of the Week by the Southeastern Conference on Monday.
Sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald was named SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, and freshman linebacker Leo Lewis was named SEC Freshman of the Week as the two helped propel the Bulldogs to a 55-20 road victory over rival Ole Miss on Saturday. The 55 points were the most by any team in the Egg Bowl since MSU scored 65 on Nov. 6, 1915. It is the second time Fitzgerald has received the honor this season and it's Lewis' first.
Fitzgerald, a native of Richmond Hill, Ga., accounted for 367 yards of total offense and five touchdowns. He rushed for an MSU single-game school record 258 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns, breaking Anthony Dixon's previous mark of 252 in 2009.
Fitzgerald averaged a school-record 18.4 yards per carry, which is the second-best mark by a player in SEC history. The 18.4 yards per carry was the highest by an SEC player in a conference game in league history (minimum 10 carries). His 258 rushing yards were the most by an FBS quarterback since Navy's Keenan Reynolds rushed for 277 on Nov. 14, 2014.
Fitzgerald's 1,243 rushing yards this season is the third-most by a quarterback in SEC history, trailing only Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel. Fitzgerald also broke Dak Prescott's old mark of rushing yards by a quarterback in a season, becoming the first QB in MSU history to go over 1,000 yards. Fitzgerald was first named SEC Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 7 following MSU's victory over No. 4 Texas A&M.
Fitzgerald was also named by the Manning Award as one of their eight "Stars of the Week." Fans can vote for Fitzgerald by clicking this Facebook link and liking the photo between now and Thursday at 11 a.m. CT as the top vote-getter will be announced as the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week.
A native of Brookhaven, Miss., Lewis gathered six tackles, one sack and 1.5 tackles for loss on Saturday. The 1.5 tackles for loss was his most in a league game this season. The Bulldog defense shutout Ole Miss in the second half.
Lewis extended his season tackle total to 72, the most of any freshman in the SEC. He is the only freshman in the SEC's top 50 overall in tackles. Lewis is MSU's first SEC Freshman of the Week since Chris Jones on Dec. 2, 2013.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the MSU football team on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateFB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
Sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald was named SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, and freshman linebacker Leo Lewis was named SEC Freshman of the Week as the two helped propel the Bulldogs to a 55-20 road victory over rival Ole Miss on Saturday. The 55 points were the most by any team in the Egg Bowl since MSU scored 65 on Nov. 6, 1915. It is the second time Fitzgerald has received the honor this season and it's Lewis' first.
Fitzgerald, a native of Richmond Hill, Ga., accounted for 367 yards of total offense and five touchdowns. He rushed for an MSU single-game school record 258 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns, breaking Anthony Dixon's previous mark of 252 in 2009.
Fitzgerald averaged a school-record 18.4 yards per carry, which is the second-best mark by a player in SEC history. The 18.4 yards per carry was the highest by an SEC player in a conference game in league history (minimum 10 carries). His 258 rushing yards were the most by an FBS quarterback since Navy's Keenan Reynolds rushed for 277 on Nov. 14, 2014.
Fitzgerald's 1,243 rushing yards this season is the third-most by a quarterback in SEC history, trailing only Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel. Fitzgerald also broke Dak Prescott's old mark of rushing yards by a quarterback in a season, becoming the first QB in MSU history to go over 1,000 yards. Fitzgerald was first named SEC Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 7 following MSU's victory over No. 4 Texas A&M.
Fitzgerald was also named by the Manning Award as one of their eight "Stars of the Week." Fans can vote for Fitzgerald by clicking this Facebook link and liking the photo between now and Thursday at 11 a.m. CT as the top vote-getter will be announced as the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week.
A native of Brookhaven, Miss., Lewis gathered six tackles, one sack and 1.5 tackles for loss on Saturday. The 1.5 tackles for loss was his most in a league game this season. The Bulldog defense shutout Ole Miss in the second half.
Lewis extended his season tackle total to 72, the most of any freshman in the SEC. He is the only freshman in the SEC's top 50 overall in tackles. Lewis is MSU's first SEC Freshman of the Week since Chris Jones on Dec. 2, 2013.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the MSU football team on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateFB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
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