A Look at Nick Fitzgerald’s Legacy
March 04, 2019 | Football
by Brandon Langlois, Associate Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – Nick Fitzgerald arrived on Mississippi State's campus in December 2013 as a three-star triple-option quarterback out of Richmond Hill (Ga.) High School with just two offers and left as the owner of 13 school records, the Southeastern Conference's all-time leading rusher at quarterback and with a degree in hand.
Fitzgerald was a starter for three straight seasons after serving as the backup to now Dallas Cowboys starter Dak Prescott as a redshirt freshman in 2015. He played in 47 games with 37 starts, and after proving to be one of the toughest players in college football playing in the toughest conference in America during his career, he took his turn at the biggest job interview of his life at the NFL Combine last Saturday, showcasing his talents to all 32 NFL teams ahead of the NFL Draft on April 25-27.
Here's a look back at the career of Fitzgerald, who will go down as an all-time Bulldog great.
Below are the 13 school records set by Fitzgerald – four career, four single-season and five single-game – including four SEC records:
MSU Career Records (4)
Rushing Yards by a QB – 3,607
Yards Per Rush – 6.0
100-Yard Rushing Games by all players – 21*
Rushing Touchdowns by all players – 46
* - denotes SEC record among QBs
MSU Single-Season Records (4)
Yards Per Rush – 7.1 (2016)
Rushing Yards by a QB – 1,375 (2016)
100-Yard Rushing Games – 8 (2016)
100-Yard Rushing Games by a QB – 8 (2016)*
* - denotes SEC record
MSU Single-Game Records (5)
Rushing Yards – 258 at Ole Miss (2016)
Rushing Yards by a QB – 258 at Ole Miss (2016)
Yards Per Rush – 18.4 at Ole Miss (2016)^
Touchdowns Responsible – 7 vs. Samford (2016)*
Passing Touchdowns – 5 vs. Samford (2016)
* - denotes SEC record
^ - denotes second in SEC history
Only Dak Logged More Yards of Total Offense
Fitzgerald finished his collegiate career as only the second MSU quarterback with 9,000+ career total offense yards (9,814), joining Prescott (11,897). In addition, Fitzgerald finished 14th in SEC history.
SEC QB Rushing Crown
Fitzgerald became the only quarterback in SEC history to rush for more than 3,000 yards in a career. With his 195 yard outburst against No. 6 Auburn, Fitzgerald passed Florida's Tim Tebow (2006-09) for most career rushing yards by a quarterback in SEC History. He finished with 3,607.
State's No. 2 All-Time Leading Rusher
Fitzgerald began the 2018 season at No. 8 in MSU career rushing history with 2,486 yards. After grounding out 1,121 yards on 221 attempts in 2018, he finished at No. 2 behind only Anthony Dixon (3,994).
Triple-Digit Touchdowns
With two touchdowns in the Outback Bowl, Fitzgerald became the second player in MSU history (Prescott – 114) to be responsible for 100 or more touchdowns in a career. His 101 touchdowns responsible for are tied with Peyton Manning and Chris Leak for sixth in SEC history.
No Bulldog Has Found the End Zone More Times
Of Fitzgerald's 101 career touchdowns, an MSU record 46 came on the ground. The 46 rushing touchdowns also tied for fourth in SEC history with LSU's Kevin Faulk (1995-98).
Most 100-Yard Rushing Games in MSU History
In a tier of his own, Fitzgerald closed out his MSU tenure with 21 individual 100-yard rushing games – the most in school history and the most by a quarterback in SEC history.
Scoring Tosses
Fitzgerald's 55 touchdown passes rank second in MSU history behind Prescott (70). He threw three in 2015 as a redshirt freshman, a career-high 21 as a sophomore in 2016, 15 in 2017 as a junior and 16 in his final season in 2018. Of his 16 touchdowns during his senior season, 12 came over the last six games.
6,000 Club
Fitzgerald's 111 passing yards at Ole Miss on Nov. 22, 2018 made him one of only three MSU quarterbacks to cross the 6,000 career passing yardage mark. His 152 passing yards against Iowa in the Outback Bowl gave him 6,207 for his career.
STARKVILLE – Nick Fitzgerald arrived on Mississippi State's campus in December 2013 as a three-star triple-option quarterback out of Richmond Hill (Ga.) High School with just two offers and left as the owner of 13 school records, the Southeastern Conference's all-time leading rusher at quarterback and with a degree in hand.
Fitzgerald was a starter for three straight seasons after serving as the backup to now Dallas Cowboys starter Dak Prescott as a redshirt freshman in 2015. He played in 47 games with 37 starts, and after proving to be one of the toughest players in college football playing in the toughest conference in America during his career, he took his turn at the biggest job interview of his life at the NFL Combine last Saturday, showcasing his talents to all 32 NFL teams ahead of the NFL Draft on April 25-27.
Here's a look back at the career of Fitzgerald, who will go down as an all-time Bulldog great.
Below are the 13 school records set by Fitzgerald – four career, four single-season and five single-game – including four SEC records:
MSU Career Records (4)
Rushing Yards by a QB – 3,607
Yards Per Rush – 6.0
100-Yard Rushing Games by all players – 21*
Rushing Touchdowns by all players – 46
* - denotes SEC record among QBs
MSU Single-Season Records (4)
Yards Per Rush – 7.1 (2016)
Rushing Yards by a QB – 1,375 (2016)
100-Yard Rushing Games – 8 (2016)
100-Yard Rushing Games by a QB – 8 (2016)*
* - denotes SEC record
MSU Single-Game Records (5)
Rushing Yards – 258 at Ole Miss (2016)
Rushing Yards by a QB – 258 at Ole Miss (2016)
Yards Per Rush – 18.4 at Ole Miss (2016)^
Touchdowns Responsible – 7 vs. Samford (2016)*
Passing Touchdowns – 5 vs. Samford (2016)
* - denotes SEC record
^ - denotes second in SEC history
Only Dak Logged More Yards of Total Offense
Fitzgerald finished his collegiate career as only the second MSU quarterback with 9,000+ career total offense yards (9,814), joining Prescott (11,897). In addition, Fitzgerald finished 14th in SEC history.
SEC QB Rushing Crown
Fitzgerald became the only quarterback in SEC history to rush for more than 3,000 yards in a career. With his 195 yard outburst against No. 6 Auburn, Fitzgerald passed Florida's Tim Tebow (2006-09) for most career rushing yards by a quarterback in SEC History. He finished with 3,607.
State's No. 2 All-Time Leading Rusher
Fitzgerald began the 2018 season at No. 8 in MSU career rushing history with 2,486 yards. After grounding out 1,121 yards on 221 attempts in 2018, he finished at No. 2 behind only Anthony Dixon (3,994).
Triple-Digit Touchdowns
With two touchdowns in the Outback Bowl, Fitzgerald became the second player in MSU history (Prescott – 114) to be responsible for 100 or more touchdowns in a career. His 101 touchdowns responsible for are tied with Peyton Manning and Chris Leak for sixth in SEC history.
No Bulldog Has Found the End Zone More Times
Of Fitzgerald's 101 career touchdowns, an MSU record 46 came on the ground. The 46 rushing touchdowns also tied for fourth in SEC history with LSU's Kevin Faulk (1995-98).
Most 100-Yard Rushing Games in MSU History
In a tier of his own, Fitzgerald closed out his MSU tenure with 21 individual 100-yard rushing games – the most in school history and the most by a quarterback in SEC history.
Scoring Tosses
Fitzgerald's 55 touchdown passes rank second in MSU history behind Prescott (70). He threw three in 2015 as a redshirt freshman, a career-high 21 as a sophomore in 2016, 15 in 2017 as a junior and 16 in his final season in 2018. Of his 16 touchdowns during his senior season, 12 came over the last six games.
6,000 Club
Fitzgerald's 111 passing yards at Ole Miss on Nov. 22, 2018 made him one of only three MSU quarterbacks to cross the 6,000 career passing yardage mark. His 152 passing yards against Iowa in the Outback Bowl gave him 6,207 for his career.
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