Nick Fitzgerald returns to sidelines on crutches to cheer his team after awful injury

Mississippi State QB Nick Fitzgerald got hurt during the first quarter of the Egg Bowl on Thursday night, suffering a horrific leg injury. The No. 14 Bulldogs’ starter was down several minutes on the field, before he had to be carted off. ESPN later reported he was being taken for X-rays, with his parents by his side, and showed him cheering on his team from the tunnel right next to the end zone. Sideline reporter Laura Rutledge reported the team is officially calling it an ankle injury.

This part was encouraging to see:

After he left the game, he later joined his team on crutches on the sideline in the second half.

He had this to say from his Twitter account, too:

The play happened on the Bulldogs’ second possession, and both Ole Miss and Bulldog players knelt down on the field as Davis Wade Stadium and the ESPN broadcast watched in silence. Fitzgerald, a junior, threw for 1,770 yards and 15 touchdowns so far this season. In 2016, he threw for 2,423 yards and 21 more touchdowns.

Back-up quarterback Keytaon Thompson entered the game for Fitzgerald after his injury. He’s a former four-star quarterback out of New Orleans from the class of 2017. He had some playing time against Kentucky earlier this season, where he had a good outing:

That being said, after a game like Keytaon Thompson had on Saturday with 2 rushing touchdowns, Thompson will be taking a lot of positives into the spring and don’t be surprised to see him push Fitz to the limit. Sidenote: Any fan that sees this as a bad opinion should realize competition is a good thing and iron sharpens iron. Fitz can get better from competition or a rising star in Thompson could take the reins next year. All good things for MSU.

We’ll update with more information as it’s available.

For more on Mississippi State going forward, visit For Whom the Cowbell Tolls.