Mississippi State may be headed for another quarterback shuffle, and Jeff Lebby isn’t hiding what will decide it.
With Kamario Taylor’s status in doubt after leaving Saturday’s 23-15 loss to Oklahoma with a lingering right-foot injury, the Bulldogs are preparing for the possibility that Billy Puckett or AJ could be the next man up when Texas comes to town. Lebby said both quarterbacks will get a chance to compete if Taylor can’t go.
“Billy and AJ, both those guys will go compete if Kamario is not available,” Lebby said after the Oklahoma game. “And whoever really at the end of the day, I feel like puts us in the best position to go win, take great care of the football, make the plays that we need to make offensively to win the game, we'll be the guy that goes and starts.”
That’s the heart of it for Mississippi State right now: no promises, no automatic handoff, just a race to prove who gives the Bulldogs the best shot.
Puckett has already been in that spot before. He started against LSU when Taylor was unavailable, finishing 16 of 26 for 121 yards and an interception in a 31-0 loss. Against Oklahoma, he came off the bench and showed some positive signs, completing 17 of 24 passes for 158 yards, a touchdown and an interception while also running for 37 yards on seven carries.
The completion percentage looked solid. The turnovers did not.
One came in a first-and-goal situation near the two-yard line, when Lebby said Puckett had the chance to hand off but kept the ball and lost it. The other was an interception in the fourth quarter as Mississippi State tried to claw back into the game.
“Yeah, I mean, we've got to take great care of the ball. That's the first thing,” Lebby said when asked what Puckett needs to improve.
Lebby also pointed to the broader picture around the quarterback, saying the offense has to do a better job of supporting whoever gets the start and creating balance in the run game. For him, the choice comes down to winning, not who has the nicer stat line or the cleaner developmental arc.
“For us, it is about putting our team in a position to go win,” he said.
Mississippi State heads to Austin to face Texas on Saturday, Oct. 31, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT.
In Other News...
Jeff Lebby Pinpointed What Mississippi State Must Fix Fast
Mississippi State walked away from a 23-15 loss to Oklahoma at Davis Wade Stadium with the kind of issues that tend to linger long after the final whistle. The Bulldogs had trouble sustaining drives, converting just one of 11 third-down chances, and the offense never found much rhythm as the Sooners hit enough big plays to keep the home crowd from ever fully settling in.
Jeff Lebbys attention afterward landed on the same place most coaches would point after a game like this: the moments when momentum flipped. Oklahoma receivers Isaiah Sategna and Rocky Beers made the Bulldogs pay for a handful of explosive plays, and Mississippi State also had to navigate quarterback Kamario Taylor leaving early with an injury and not returning. The result left the Bulldogs with a short week and a clear message about what has to tighten up fast. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Suddenly Faces A Kamario Taylor Problem
Mississippi States quarterback situation took an unwelcome turn late in the first quarter against Oklahoma when Kamario Taylor went down after being tackled out of bounds. He was able to walk to the locker room on his own, but the Bulldogs had to turn the offense over to backup Billy Puckett as soon as Taylor exited.
The bigger issue now is the uncertainty around what happened and how long it might linger. Mississippi State has not revealed the exact nature of Taylors injury, leaving the Bulldogs to wait on more clarity while trying to settle a position that was already under a bright spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Just Took A Loss That Feels Even Worse
Mississippi States night against Oklahoma turned into a test of depth almost immediately, and not the kind the Bulldogs wanted. Kamario Taylor went down with an injury early, forcing Parker Puckett into the game at quarterback and changing the feel of the offense before the contest ever really settled in. Even so, Mississippi State stayed in range long enough to keep pressure on the Sooners, while Oklahoma leaned on a clean performance from John Mateer, who completed 22 of 29 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover.
The final margin never quite captured how tense the finish felt for the Bulldogs, who kept chipping away and made it a one-score game late. Mississippi State cut the deficit to 23-15 with 2:10 left before Oklahoma ran out the clock, leaving the Bulldogs to wonder what might have happened with a healthier lineup and a little more time to finish the push. [Read more 🡒]