STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State first-year coach Joe Moorhead once had a goal to turn Nick Fitzgerald into more of a passer than a runner during his senior season.
Six games later, there's been a shift in philosophy: Time to let the big man loose.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound 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. The victory snapped a two-game losing skid and re-established the Bulldogs as a force in the Southeastern Conference Western Division.