10 Things to Know from the Win over No. 16 Texas A&M

Saturday, October 27

Starkville

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

5-3 , 2-3

#16 Texas A&M

5-3 , 3-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Texas A&M

Mississippi State

Photo by: Trevor Birchett/MSU Athletics

10 Things to Know from the Win over No. 16 Texas A&M

October 27, 2018 | Football

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes & Quotes Photo Gallery VIDEO: Game Highlights VIDEO: Postgame Press Conference

by Caleb Garner, Graduate Assistant/Communications

STARKVILLE – After relying heavily on the ground game in previous weeks, Mississippi State found its success through the air on Saturday, upsetting No. 16 Texas A&M 28-13 at Davis Wade Stadium.

Senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald threw for 241 yards and a pair of scores for the Bulldogs (5-3, 2-3 SEC), who defeated the Aggies (5-3, 3-2) for the third straight season and the fourth time in five seasons.

"I don't know if I've ever been as proud of a group of players and group of coaches for the way they came out and battled tonight," head coach Joe Moorhead said. "We talked about calling this game aggressively on offense, defense and special teams—particularly on offense. I think we performed well in all three phases, and there are certainly things we can clean up. But, it feels good to beat another top-20 team and I appreciate all the fans who came out tonight and supported us."

On the ground, the Bulldogs racked up 143 yards, led by Fitzgerald's game-high 88 yards and two scores - the second coming on a 76-yard jaunt with 2:17 left in regulation to ice the victory for MSU.

State got out to a quick 7-0 lead, taking its first drive of the contest 79 yards down the field, capping it off with a 25-yard strike from Fitzgerald to Stephen Guidry, who led all receivers with 130 yards on just three catches. Guidry's 84-yard catch from Fitzgerald in the fourth quarter set up a 1-yard drive by the signal caller to put the Bulldogs up 21-13 early in the final period.

Texas A&M's lone lead came in the second quarter, when Kellen Mond hit Quartney Davis from 34 yards out with 14 seconds before halftime for a 10-7 Aggie advantage. State answered on the first drive of the second half when Fitzgerald connected with Osirus Mitchell on a 38-yard pass that gave the Bulldogs the lead for good. Mitchell had six catches for 96 yards on the night.

From there, the Bulldog defense took command, holding the Aggies to a lone field goal in the entire second half. MSU's defense also held the high-powered A&M offense to its lowest total yardage count of the season (293). Pacing State's stoppers was Johnathan Abram with nine tackles, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. Jaquarius Landrews added seven stops, two sacks and three pass breakups.

Next Up For MSU …
The Bulldogs remain at home next Saturday, Nov. 3, to welcome Louisiana Tech (6-2) to Davis Wade Stadium for Homecoming 2018. It will be the 14th meeting in the Bulldog-Bulldog battle all-time, with MSU holding a 10-3 lead in the series. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and the contest will be televised by the SEC Network.

10 Notables From MSU's Win Over Texas A&M …

Fitzgerald Ties Dixon's TD Record

A spectacular 75-yard rushing score late in the fourth quarter by Nick Fitzgerald was a big one, not only because it put the Bulldogs up by two scores, but also because it was rushing touchdown No. 42 for the signal-caller, tying him with Anthony Dixon atop that category.

Stephen Guidry's Career Night

Junior wideout Stephen Guidry shined for the Bulldogs on Saturday, hauling in three passes for a game- and career-high 130 yards with a staggering 43.3 yards per catch. All three of Guidry's receptions went for 20 or more yards (25, 21, 84). His 84-yard snag tied him for the fourth-longest reception in program history.

MSU Defense Holds Strong (Again)

State's defense once again made things difficult on the opposing offense, holding the tough Aggies offense to its lowest total yardage (293) since Nov. 25, 2017, at LSU. MSU only allowed 61 yards on the ground.

Additionally, Erroll Thompson's fourth-quarter interception marked the 11^th-straight game MSU has recorded a turnover.

Third (Down's) A Charm

State's success against the Aggies was partly due to its ability to extend drives, going 7-of-12 on third down. Defensively, MSU held Texas A&M to just 4-of-13.

Erroll Thompson Continues Defensive Dominance

Sophomore Erroll Thompson was once again a stalwart on defense, tallying 7 tackles and a key interception in the end zone that halted a Texas A&M scoring threat late in the fourth quarter.

QB Hurries

MSU's defense accounted for 11 QB hurries in the contest—the most since tallying 12 on Nov. 22, 2014, against Vanderbilt.

More Chunk Plays

The Bulldogs found a lot of success with big plays, tallying six plays of 20 or more yards, including three plays of at least 30 yards.

Fitzgerald Continues to Shine Against Aggies

Some of Nick Fitzgerald's best performances have come against Texas A&M. In his three games against the Aggies, the Richmond Hill, Georgia, native has run the ball 54 times for 375 yards and 5 scores. Through the air, Fitzgerald is 44-of-74 for 591 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Dawgs Win When Allowing Under-100 Rushing

MSU has now won eight straight games over SEC teams when allowing less than 100 yards on the ground dating back to the 34-29 win at No. 8 LSU in 2014.

Bulldog Ball-Carriers Continue Ball Security Trend

State rushers continued to hold onto the football on Saturday, not fumbling for the eighth straight contest. Fitzgerald has not fumbled in 161 carries, while Aeris Williams has gone 145 carries without a fumble.

Quotable …
"I told the guys that it's all going to come together on offense, defense and special teams. When it does, it's going to be beautiful. It's a credit to these kids for coming in every single day, whether we won or lost, played well or didn't play well, and having the same mindset and mentality. We've practiced well, we just knew it was a matter of time before we put the whole thing together." – Joe Moorhead