STARKVILLE, Miss. — Nick Fitzgerald passed for 241 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 103 yards and two scores as Mississippi State took a 35-10 win Saturday afternoon that handed BYU a sixth-straight loss for the first time since 1968.

As BYU struggles to salvage its season, it now needs six-straight wins to gain bowl eligibility for a 13th-straight year.

“Our backs are against the wall now, if we didn’t feel it before,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “Guys are going to have to step up and make plays now.

“Hopefully, we can get things fixed and perform a lot better next week.”

Here are three thoughts after another demoralizing loss for the Cougars.

BYU’s defense no longer carries the offense

There’s no other way to say it: BYU’s offense has been bad this year. Historically bad, based on its current losing streak.

The Cougar O averaged just 11.7 points per game heading into Game 7, and relied on a defense that allowed just 26.0 points per game to keep it from being blown out.

But on Saturday in “Stark Vegas,” neither side of the ball showed up.

BYU conceded 302 yards of total offense to the Bulldogs, including 139 through the air from Fitzgerald.

And that was just the first half.

“I thought there were some issues with the run game,” Sitake said. “It’s really difficult when you have to defend nearly 50 plays in the first half. They had 84 plays, and we had 46; again, it’s tough to play defense when you are out there for quite a bit.”

The Bulldogs piled up 35 first downs, the most-ever under ninth-year coach Dan Mullen, and were 8-of-13 on third down. The 306 rushing yards is the most allowed by a BYU defense since Air Force ran for 411 in a 35-14 win in 2010.

“We have to be a lot more stout up front and in the run game if we want to be successful, and we just didn’t do it again,” Sitake said.

Even when the defense made a play, BYU rarely capitalized. Dayan Ghanwoloku secured two interceptions for the Cougar D, but one of them was wasted two plays later by a fumble, and the other directly led to Hifo’s 27-yard touchdown.

Ghanwoloku posted 105 total return yards on his pair of interceptions, putting him among BYU’s leaders in all-purpose yardage.

“We got beat up front, and that’s something we tried to hang our hat on,” Sitake said. “That’s what is the most disappointing.”

Injuries keep piling up

You can control a lot of things in a football game, but most injuries aren’t usually among them.

The Cougars were bit by the injury bug again Saturday, with starting linebacker Matt Hadley among the notable absences. Hadley did not make the trip, recovering from knee surgery this week, according to a post he made on Instagram. The younger brother of former BYU linebacker Spencer Hadley was moved from safety after Francis Bernard’s departure from the team in fall camp, but he wasn’t the only one missing Saturday in Starkville.

BYU had 31 players miss multiple games prior to Saturday, including 10 starters. Star linebacker Fred Warner also exited the contest against the Bulldogs, but Sitake doesn’t expect him to miss an extended period of time.

“I think he’ll be OK; he’s a fighter. But I was nervous for him,” Sitake told reporters after the game. “It’s a physical game against a really physical team, and Fred plays as many plays as he can. He doesn’t like to come out.

“Stuff like that happens, and I think he’ll bounce back. He’s fine and he’s a competitor.”

BYU running back Trey Dye did not play, emerging on the sideline Saturday in street clothes, a walking boot and crutches. BYU coaches do not normally comment on injuries, unless they end a player’s season.

Joe Critchlow finished out the game in relief of starting quarterback Tanner Mangum, who still played limited with tape casts on both ankles.

BYU’s schedule lets up now … but does it matter?

Whether admitted or not, the most brutal portion of BYU’s schedule has passed (and not a moment too soon for Cougar fans). Still, the Cougars need to roll off six-straight wins or risk missing the postseason for the first time since 2004.

After facing three top-25 opponents in the first four weeks of the season, and with back-to-back games against Boise State and Mississippi State in the rearview mirror, BYU faces a less-than-imposing gauntlet of East Carolina, San Jose State, Fresno State, UNLV and UMass.

The Pirates, who host BYU next Saturday at 7 p.m. MDT, are just 1-5 and rank 75th nationally in total offense with 401.7 yards per game and 129th (of 129 teams) in total defense by allowing 599.5 yards per game.

After facing four Power 5 opponents in addition to losses to Boise State and Utah State, five of the Cougars' next six opponents are ranked 87th or worse nationally in total defense. The only exception is Fresno State, which allows just 312.2 yards per game — the 20th-best mark in the nation.

Of course, BYU is just 127th offensively at 253.5 yards per game, and rates 53rd in defense with 368 yards per game.

At 1-6 and with no wins over an FBS opponent, nothing should be assumed at BYU.

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