STARKVILLE — You can acknowledge Mississippi State freshman quarterback Garrett Shrader has his warts.
All too often throughout Saturday’s 31-24 loss to Kansas State, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Charlotte native misread coverages, threw passes he immediately wished he had back and made life too easy for Kansas State safeties by staring down receivers.
This is all true. His passing statline, 4 of 12 for 51 yards, could have said as much.
But Shrader also has the makings of a future fan favorite.
While his mechanics need work, the known beard aficionado also showcased his arm talent, an ability to create plays with his legs and a huge heart that includes a total lack of regard for his body when a football game is on the line.
Trailing by seven with just more than two minutes remaining, Davis Wade Stadium held its collective breath when Shrader launched himself into the air in front of two Wildcat defenders trying to turn what looked like was going to be an 11-yard run into a 16-yard run on 4th-and-16. Kansas State cornerback AJ Parker hit Shrader mid-flight and spun him around like a helicopter that propelled the MSU quarterback about six-feet in the air at his highest point. That’s probably only a slight exaggeration.
There’s only one other time Shrader has been higher off the ground in his life.
“On an airplane,” the signal caller quipped postgame.
Nonetheless, he didn’t convert the 16 yards needed, falling a yard short at the Kansas State 20. Moorhead expressed he was both disappointed Shrader didn’t convert the run and didn’t heave the ball downfield instead.
When Shrader himself had a chance to watch the play, he was filled with disgust he couldn’t come through for his team. “I just watched it and saw if I would have reached out, I would have had it,” Shrader said. “I’ll have to learn from it and move on.”
Fans and players alike will be disappointed with the loss, a reasonable assessment after MSU was a 7.5-point favorite entering Saturday. But Shrader’s A-plus effort should earn him the respect of his fanbase. It certainly won over his teammates.
“He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve seen,” said MSU wideout Osirus Mitchell, who finished with five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. “You saw how he tried to jump for that first down. That shows his toughness and how he puts the team first, so I really like Garrett. I think he has a bright future.”
All of this doesn’t come without context, of course. For the second straight week, Shrader was thrust into action when he didn’t expect to play after starting quarterback Tommy Stevens’ injured shoulder stiffened up at halftime.
“(Tommy) didn’t feel like he could perform at the level we needed him to,” MSU coach Joe Moorhead said.
So, Shrader took over for Stevens in the middle of the third quarter and immediately led a scoring drive. But then, freshman mistakes ensued. Maybe none was more evident on the eventual helicopter drive than Shrader’s decision to sling it downfield to a double-covered Mitchell on 2nd-and-11 when a wide open Austin Williams lurked in the middle of the field.
“I think we saw a little last week that he’s not really flappable and nothing gets too big for him,” Moorhead said. “Obviously, he’s a true freshman quarterback playing his first game against a Power Five opponent, so there will be a ton of things on film we see that will need to be corrected. But from a skill perspective, he’s tall; he can run and make all the throws. He just has to clean up the little stuff.”
Never really heralded for his legs, Shrader shined in the ground game, running for 82 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
“I thought Garrett played really hard,” Moorhead said. “He did excellent in the run game. There’s certainly some things in the passing game he needs to pick up.”
The second-year coach is going to start Stevens next Saturday against Kentucky if he’s given a clean bill of health. That seems pretty evident.
If Shrader is thrust into action again, there’s going to be more growing pains. But he’ll also have the opportunity to take flight, as he did against the Wildcats in Starkville. Shrader and MSU can only hope the landing will be smoother next time.
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