By CHRIS TALBOTT

Associated Press Writer

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom isn’t sure what it is about freshman quarterback Wes Carroll that makes men want to follow him and gives him the ability to face down 320-pound defensive lineman without a quiver.

‘‘I don’t know what ’it’ is,’’ Croom said. ‘‘But whatever ’it’ is, he has it.’’

Moxie, confidence, nerve and verve are surely part of ‘‘it.’’

Carroll has shown all of those in his three starts at Mississippi State. He’s gotten better in each appearance with the highlights coming last week against Tennessee when Carroll suffered a concussion at the end of the first half but returned, finishing with his first two touchdown passes.

He began his run under center as an injury replacement for Michael Henig, who remains limited with a broken hand. But as the Bulldogs prepare to play at No. 9 West Virginia on Saturday, reporters and fans have been asking if he will remain the starter when Henig returns.

‘‘He’s our starting quarterback right now, and, you know, as far as I’m concerned he is the guy,’’ Croom said of the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Carroll. ‘‘I mean he’s carried us up to this point so far and he’s played well, so he is the quarterback right now. I’m not worried about past this week. I haven’t really thought about past this week, to be very honest with you.’’

Coming into the 33-21 loss to No. 20 Tennessee, Carroll had proven he could manage the offense. But against the Volunteers he showed the ability to make strong, accurate throws in tight situations and displayed his toughness by returning from the concussion.

Going into the fourth quarter he was 8-of-10 for 115 yards with two touchdowns and five first downs just on third alone, a longtime weak spot for the Bulldogs. He finished with 208 yards passing and a lot of respect.

‘‘The team and the coaching staff is gaining more confidence in him,’’ said wide receiver Tony Burks, who caught one of Carroll’s scoring passes. ‘‘The offense as a whole is really getting behind him because he’s really showing improvement.’’

Like everything else this season, the concussion was a new experience for Carroll. He was injured on an 8-yard run that ended with a defender slamming him to the ground on one of the game’s biggest hits.

He finished out the series, but doesn’t know how.

‘‘It was weird finding out that I had been playing and been able to go in the huddle and call the right play, make the right read and do the thing as if I were fully conscious,’’ Carroll said. ‘‘I had to watch film. I had to watch the series that I don’t remember.’’

Like all other setbacks he’s faced, however, he quickly shook it off.

‘‘At halftime Wes did not even know his name and he still came out and finished the ball game,’’ Croom said. ‘‘The guy has guts and we’re talking about a true freshman pushing the University of Tennessee to the limit.

‘‘Those guys that step out on the field with him believe in him.’’

Both Croom and Carroll believe the quarterback’s success has come because of the foundation he built at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Parkland, Fla. The school is among the most successful at the Class 5A level in extremely competitive South Florida. He ran a complex offense in a program that has turned out scores of college and pro football players, including recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Michael Irvin.

‘‘I could go on for days,’’ Carroll said when asked to name some of Aquinas’ famous graduates. ‘‘We signed 17 college football players last year at my school and about 10 or 11 of them are Division I. The year before that there were 11 players who signed DI.’’

Carroll said he became confident he belonged in the Southeastern Conference when he entered the Sept. 15 Auburn game after Henig broke his hand.

‘‘I didn’t realize they had about 21 people from Florida on their roster,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve played against some of them. I’ve played against some of their (defensive backs).

‘‘I think Florida’s probably one of the more competitive states when it comes to SEC football.’’

But even the best upbringing cannot prepare a 19 year old for what awaits in the nation’s most competitive conference. Coaches are beginning to loosen up the game plan for Carroll, but Croom said there are limitations with the freshman under center rather than Henig, a fourth-year junior.

He said the team essentially had to throw out everything it worked on in preseason practice and start over. Coaches make sure Carroll sees everything in practice he might encounter in the game and preach the value of not turning over the ball.

‘‘I think he’s handled it far better than I anticipated that a freshman kid could do it,’’ Croom said.

Which is why the questions about the future of the position have popped up so quickly. Henig has fought through three broken bones in the last two frustrating seasons with class, but he’s thrown nine interceptions this year and has a career completion percentage below 50 percent. Carroll has yet to throw an interception while completing 54.1 percent of his passes.

When Henig entered the game against Tennessee, fans booed thinking Croom had pulled Carroll for Henig. It will be several weeks until Henig is healthy, negating any possibility of a fight for the position.

Until then Henig’s available only in emergencies — which seem to come along quite a bit at Mississippi State where three quarterbacks have started in each of the last two season because of injuries.

‘‘He and I talked about keeping himself ready because he’s going to have to help us as the season goes along,’’ Croom said.