Kentucky QB has been a quick study. Is he ready for his biggest test?

Every third question this week to Kentucky’s coaches has been some variation on how they plan to slow the dual-threat dilemma that is Nick Fitzgerald.

The Mississippi State quarterback, whom UK Coach Mark Stoops called “a big beast,” has had plenty of success against the Cats in his two times facing them.

But many of those same discussions are coming up in Bulldogs’ circles too about how to stop new UK quarterback Terry Wilson.

“A very good passer within the pocket and outside the pocket,” Mississippi State Coach Joe Moorhead said of Wilson on Wednesday to preview the game at Kroger Field on Saturday night.

“He’s equally as dangerous on designed quarterback runs or when the play breaks down and he scrambles and extends it. He’s a guy you’ve got to worry about as a pocket passer and you’ve got to worry about him scrambling and making a play whether in the run game or the throw game.”

And Wilson is just getting started in the Southeastern Conference, coaches and teammates point out.

They also say they’ve seen significant growth in his decision-making and comfort level with the offense since his first start just three weeks ago.

“He’s working extremely hard and I’m pleased with his growth,” Stoops said. “He’s a guy who really wants to be great, puts a lot of time in, puts extra time in and it’s evident with the way he’s playing and improving.”

Aside from some turnovers — three interceptions and two lost fumbles — in the first three games, Kentucky’s coaches have been pleased with Wilson.

The sophomore junior-college transfer has thrown for 392 yards and two touchdowns and run for 223 yards and two more scores in three games.

And while most of his passes have been of the short- and medium-range variety, he’s completing 69.5 percent of them. If he were to keep that up, it would be a rare feat.

Only Tim Couch has had a passing percentage higher than that in a season with his 72.3 percent in 1998. The year before that, Couch connected on 66.4 percent.

No. 14 Mississippi State promises to test the truth in those percentages. Opposing quarterbacks have completed only 51.1 percent of their passes against the Bulldogs, who have given up two touchdowns through the air and picked off three.

In the spring, quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw said he’d like to see UK’s quarterback complete between 65 and 70 percent of his attempts this season.

“There’s no reason with our system we can’t do that,” Hinshaw said in April.

He likes what he’s seen so far from Wilson. Most of the decision-making has been sound, but there have been a few places they’d like to see the signal caller pull the ball and run it.

But it’s a learning curve. Former Cats quarterback Stephen Johnson made some of those same mistakes, even in his second year running the offense.

“It’s a hard thing to do, to put all those RPO decisions on the quarterback,” Hinshaw said. “The more (Wilson) does it, the more he’ll get better at it.”

Why are the coaches so confident he’ll get better at it? Because he works at it.

“He comes in early; he stays late,” Stoops said. “He does what he has to do to do the studying on his own and also take the coaching.”

That studying and learning has slowed the game down for the player from Oklahoma City, Okla.

“Once you know where to go with the ball, you control the defense,” said Wilson, who has had big touchdown runs in the last two games thanks to better decision making. “I feel like that’s been happening, just have to keep going out here and practicing really hard.”

And when mistakes happen with Wilson, he said he’s learned to have a blank sheet of paper mentality, which is something coaches have seen, too.

“There was absolutely no worry in his eyes at halftime,” Stoops said of Wilson after his last two miscues in the first half at Florida. “He knew he’d made a mistake. He was frustrated, but he’s got a very calm demeanor about him just like Stephen (Johnson), and a lot of confidence in himself that he was going to play well in the second half.”

When he makes a mistake, Wilson doesn’t let it affect the next series. He’s also eager to learn from it in film study that next week. They’ve shown him better angles on throws he could have made for his interceptions.

On a couple of the fumbles, it was mostly about learning when to just protect the ball and not worry about getting the extra 2 yards.

They hope all of these lessons equal a big game against a fierce defense that is No. 2 in the league, allowing just 4 yards per play this season.

“Terry’s a guy who wants to absorb, wants to learn,” Hinshaw said. “He wants to get better.”

Saturday

No. 14 Mississippi State at Kentucky

When: 7 p.m.

TV: ESPN2