Tag: Nick Fitzgerald

LSU’s best wins vs. Mississippi State: 2016 season

The LSU football program went through two coaches in 2016, but a close win in Starkville helped their record early on in the season.

The 2016 edition of the LSU-Mississippi State rivalry saw the Tigers pull out a close win in Starkville.

The win helped the Tigers earn one of their wins for their final 8-5 record in 2016. A 23-20 victory over the Bulldogs marked the Tigers’ second straight win after a season-opening loss to the Wisconsin Badgers.

Tigers quarterback Danny Etling finished the game 19-of-30 passing for 215 yards and a touchdown. Running back Leonard Fournette ran the ball 28 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

LSU jumped out to a commanding 14-0 lead after the first quarter, but Mississippi State got a field goal in the second quarter and trailed 23-3 at the half.

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Bulldogs quarterback Nick Fitzgerald was 12-of-24 passing for 120 yards and an average of five yards per completion. LSU’s defense held the Bulldogs to just 56 total rushing yards on 32 carries and an average of 1.8 yards per rush.

The Tigers would not score again after their nine points in the second quarter. State added a field goal in the third quarter and then 14 points in the final quarter of play to cut the deficit to just 23-20.

But by then, the Tigers already had the win sealed. Unknown by LSU fans at the time, but this would be the second to last game coached by Les Miles at LSU.  He was let go the week after this game as the Tigers would travel to Auburn and lose 18-13.

The SEC win for the Tigers would help cement their 8-5 record at season’s end. As Ed Orgeron became the interim coach, the Tigers finished the season with a 6-2 record to close out the 2016 season.

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LSU’s best wins vs. Mississippi State: 2018 season

The 2018 LSU-Mississippi State game saw the Tigers come away with a 19-3 victory and add another win to their eventual 10-3 2018 season.

The 74th installment of the LSU-Mississippi State football rivalry saw the Tigers defeat the Bulldogs 19-3 on October 20, 2018 in Tiger Stadium.

LSU’s defense held Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald to 59 yards as he completed just 8-of-24 attempts. The Tigers defense had four interceptions in the win.

Joe Burrow passed for 129 yards and an interception, but went 16-of-28 in the pocket.

Tigers running back Nick Brossette had 57 rushing yards on 17 carries with one score. The rushing touchdown came after LSU linebacker Michael Divinity intercepted a pass by Fitzgerald.

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Mississippi State did outplay LSU in yardage, as the Bulldogs had 260 total yards of offense to the Tigers’ 239. But, the LSU defense continued to roll and cause mismatches for the Mississippi State receivers.

State had four turnovers in the loss but accounted for 15 first downs.

This win was meaningful for the Tigers as they continued to win the must-win SEC games that led to the Fiesta Bowl berth against UCF during bowl season.

The victory also marked a two-game winning streak in the series for LSU, and was the first win against the Bulldogs for second-year head coach Ed Orgeron.

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The Tigers would end the 2018 season with a 10-3 record following an eight point victory over UCF in the Fiesta Bowl. Mississippi State finished their 2018 campaign with an 8-5 record, including a 4-4 record in SEC play.

The Bulldogs’ season ended with a loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Outback Bowl.

For LSU, this win capped off a two-game winning streak after they defeated the Georgia Bulldogs the week before.

Following the victory, LSU moved to 7-1 for the 2018 season, while the Bulldogs fell to 4-3.

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After workout with Broncos, QB Nick Fitzgerald lands in XFL

Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who had a tryout with the Broncos in December, has landed in the XFL.

Former Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald was among 19 players who worked out for the Broncos in December but he was not among the 15 players the team signed to reserve/future contracts.

Denver signed quarterback Brett Rypien to a future deal, which wasn’t surprising given that Rypien spent all of last season with the Broncos. That was disappointing for Fitzerald, but his football dream isn’t dead yet.

Fitzgerald has signed with the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL and he might have a chance to start. His competition for playing time will include Taylor Heinicke and Jordan Ta’amu.

Fitzgerald (6-5, 226 pounds) appeared in 43 games during his time at Mississippi State and completed 54.6 percent of his passes for 6,055 yards with 54 touchdown passes against 28 interceptions. He also rushed for 3,504 yards and 45 touchdowns and caught one pass for 9 yards.

He entered the NFL as a college free agent with the Buccaneers last year and spent part of his rookie season on Tampa Bay’s practice squad.

The BattleHawks’ first game will be against the Dallas Renegades on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 3:00 p.m. MT. That contest will air on ESPN.

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The Texans could bring in a QB before Sunday’s matchup with Titans

The Houston Texans could bring in a new quarterback before Sunday if Deshaun Watson is out. Alex McGough and Nick Fitzgerald are the candidates.

With quarterback Deshaun Watson questionable with a back issue for Sunday’s season-ending bout with the Tennessee Titans, the Houston Texans may have to find a new quarterback to backup A.J. McCarron on Sunday, if Watson does not play.

The two primary options for Houston are practice squad passer Alex McGough and undrafted Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald.

McGough, in his second season in the NFL, has not taken a snap with the Texans. He signed with them after Aug. 31’s cut-down day with the hopes of eventually earning a shot as Watson’s backup. The Florida International product has bounced between the practice squad and active roster throughout the season.

McGough is currently on the practice squad. He is a favorite of well-respected Texans quarterback coach Carl Smith, who previously coached him in the Pacific Northwest after the Seattle Seahawks drafted him in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

“He came in and we worked with him for a week and he did some good things and we’ll see how it goes here,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said on McGough after promoting him to the active roster in Week 2. “We’ll see how it goes. Good guy, smart guy, and just want to get him some more reps and see how it goes.”

Fitzgerald worked out with the Texans earlier in the week but went unsigned. An undrafted rookie of Mississippi State, he started for three years in the SEC, replacing Dak Prescott. In 44 career games, he recorded 6,207 passing yards, 55 touchdowns and 30 interceptions on a 54.2% completion rate.

Despite his background as a passer, however, many see Fitzgerald as a better option at tight end.

“Fitzgerald has struggled as a passer throughout his career, but the athletic ability he brings to the table is something special,” said Crissy Froyd, managing editor of the LSU Tigers Wire, who has studied SEC quarterbacks. “A position change may be what’s best for him in the future, but he hasn’t really been given a true chance to show what he can do at the NFL.”

Either McGough or Fitzgerald would act as McCarron’s backup in the case that Watson doesn’t play in a potentially meaningless game. Being that McGough is on the practice squad, he is the likelier candidate to get the backup nod.

Report: Texans work out rookie QB Nick Fitzgerald

The Houston Texans worked out rookie quarterback Nick Fitzgerald on Monday, as well as others including CFL standout RB William Stanback.

Mondays are for workouts. In addition to working out running back Jeremy Cox, the Houston Texans hosted a slew of hopefuls, including quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, running back William Stanback and tight ends Matt Flanagan and Cole Herdman, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

Fitzgerald, an undrafted rookie of Mississippi State, started for three years in the SEC, acting as Dak Prescott’s replacement. In 44 career games, he recorded 6,207 passing yards, 55 touchdowns and 30 interceptions on a 54.2% completion rate.

A dual-threat, Fitzgerald tallied 3,607 yards and 46 touchdowns on 601 rush attempts.

Stanback played his college football at Virginia Union and UCF before joining the Montreal Alouettes in 2018. In 2019, the CFL named him an All-Star. He recorded 1,048 yards and five touchdowns on the year.

Flanagan went undrafted out of Pittsburgh in 2018. He last spent time with the Washington Redskins training camp before his release on Aug. 31. In 2018, he logged one reception for 14 yards in Washington.

Herdman went undrafted out of Purdue in 2019. He recorded 91 receptions for 1,010 yards and eight touchdowns in his four seasons playing in the Big 10.

Broncos worked out 19 players, including QB Tyree Jackson

The Broncos worked out more than a dozen players this week, including former Buffalo quarterback Tyree Jackson.

We already knew that the Denver Broncos worked out former Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald on Tuesday. Thanks to NFL reporter Howard Balzer, we now know the names of 18 other players that worked out for the team.

In addition to Fitzgerald, Denver also worked out two other QBs: Taryn Christion and Tyree Jackson. Here’s the complete list of players that worked out for the Broncos, according to Balzer:

  • WR Tyre Brady
  • WR De’Mornay Pierson-El
  • WR DeAndrew Thompkins
  • WR Trevion Thompson
  • WR Alex Wesley
  • WR Papi White
  • QB Taryn Christion
  • QB Nick Fitzgerald
  • QB Tyree Jackson
  • TE Tyree Mayfield
  • OG Larry Allen
  • OG Joshua Garnett
  • OG Bunchy Stallings
  • OT Ka’John Armstrong
  • OT Brian Fineanganofo
  • RB Alex Barnes
  • RB Nick Brossette
  • RB Jeremy Cox
  • RB Matthew Dayes

Jackson (6-7, 249 pounds) is likely the most notable player on the list. He threw for 6,999 yards and 49 touchdowns during his three years at Buffalo and rushed for 757 yards and 16 more scores. Jackson signed with the Bills as a college free agent in April but failed to make their 53-man roster.

Related: Broncos worked out 16 players last week.

Jackson was selected by the DC Defenders in the XFL draft for the upcoming 2020 season but he would likely turn down a chance to start in the upstart league if he is invited to camp by an NFL team.

Jackson and the other players that worked out for the Broncos are likely being considered as “future contract” candidates. Players not on an active roster at the end of the season are eligible to sign future deals that become official when the new league year begins in March.

At the end of last season, Denver signed 10 players to future contracts.

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Broncos worked out rookie QB Nick Fitzgerald

Former Mississippi State state quarterback Nick Fitzgerald worked out for the Broncos on Tuesday.

The Denver Broncos worked out rookie quarterback Nick Fitzgerald on Tuesday, a person close to the player informed Broncos Wire.

Fitzgerald (6-5, 226 pounds) appeared in 43 games during his time at Mississippi State and completed 54.6 percent of his passes for 6,055 yards with 54 touchdown passes against 28 interceptions. He also rushed for 3,504 and 45 touchdowns and caught one pass for nine yards.

It’s unclear if Denver views Fitzgerald as a QB prospect or if the team is considering him as a player who could change positions. Because of his inaccuracy, Fitzgerald might be asked to change his position.

Fitzgerald signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a college free agent following the NFL draft but he failed to make their 53-man roster. He spent the first month of the season on the Bucs’ practice squad before being waived on Oct. 8. He has remained a free agent since then.

The Broncos have been working out players to consider as future contract options. At the end of the regular season, Denver will sign players to future deals that will become official when the new league year begins in March. Players who sign future deals in January are often longshots to make the final roster.

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