Fitzgerald leads Miss St to 23-9 win over No. 8 Auburn
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) -- Nick Fitzgerald ran for 195 yards and two touchdowns and Mississippi State's defense had another dominant performance in a 23-9 victory over No. 8 Auburn on Saturday night.
Mississippi State (4-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) came into the game among the nation's top 10 in scoring defense, and the Bulldogs were brilliant on that side of the ball once again. The Tigers hit on a couple big plays, but once they neared the end zone the Bulldogs clamped down.
Auburn (4-2, 1-2) settled for three field goals, which wasn't nearly enough.
Mississippi State's offense was a two-man show between Fitzgerald and Kylin Hill. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Fitzgerald became the SEC's career leader for rushing yards for a quarterback with a 39-yard run in the fourth quarter. He passed former Florida star Tim Tebow for the top spot.
Hill finished with 126 yards on 23 carries, including several crucial runs in the second half. The Bulldogs finished with 349 yards rushing.
The Tigers were a mess on offense and a couple big mistakes nullified two touchdowns.
The first was when Jarrett Stidham overthrew a wide-open Darius Slayton for a sure six points. The second was when JaTarvious Whitlow ran for 41 yards but fumbled just before crossing the goalline. Mississippi State recovered in the end zone for a touchback.
Stidham finished 19 of 38 passing for 214 yards. The Tigers managed just 304 total yards.
The Bulldogs have struggled on offense over the past two weeks, scoring a combined 13 points in losses to Kentucky and Florida. They couldn't throw against the Tigers, but the Fitzgerald-Hill combo was enough to push them to the win.
After a tight first half, Mississippi State finally broke through for a touchdown when Fitzgerald barreled through Auburn's defensive line on a 1-yard dive in the second quarter. It was the Bulldogs' first touchdown in eight quarters - dating back to the second quarter of the team's 28-7 loss to Kentucky on Sept. 22 - and gave them a 13-3 lead heading into halftime.
Fitzgerald added a 21-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
THE TAKEAWAY
Auburn's offense never got going and it cost them an SEC victory. Stidham looked uncomfortable the entire night and big mistakes proved costly. The Tigers will likely take a plunge in the AP Top 25 on Sunday.
Mississippi State's offense started slow, but the Bulldogs were good enough on the ground to grind out a win. The defense continues to be excellent. Now the Bulldogs get a week off before heading to LSU for an interesting game in Baton Rouge.
UP NEXT
Auburn hosts Tennessee next Saturday.
Mississippi State is off next weekend and travels to play LSU on Oct. 20.
---
Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP .
---
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/tag/collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25
