Mississippi State’s quarterback situation is hanging in the balance heading into Saturday’s matchup with No. 11 Texas, and the Bulldogs may be dealing with more than one key injury at once.
Kamario Taylor, who emerged early this season as a breakout under head coach Jeff Lebby, is now dealing with the aftermath of a turf toe injury that has lingered for weeks. He first picked it up a month ago in a win over Missouri, then kept playing through the pain in a loss to Alabama.
Taylor later sat out the loss to LSU, and when he tried to return in Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma, the setback hit again. He lasted only 12 plays before aggravating the injury while scrambling in the first quarter.
Taylor needed help getting off the field and spent the rest of the game in a walking boot on his right foot.
“We’re still in the process of looking at everything,” Lebby said Monday. “He is doing good. His spirits are good, but as we continue to move forward, I think we’ll know a lot more here in the next 48 hours.”
Mississippi State will provide its first SEC-mandated availability report on Wednesday, though there could be an update before then.
If Taylor can’t go, former walk-on Billy Puckett is the next man up. He filled in against LSU and Oklahoma, completing 41 of 64 passes for 368 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also lost a fumble against the Sooners.
For whichever quarterback is under center, the Bulldogs appear set to keep the pressure off the passing game and put the emphasis on the ground attack. That means Fluff Bothwell could again be central to the plan after his own injury scare. Bothwell hurt his left foot in the same game Taylor went down, managed just one carry against Alabama, missed the LSU game, and then returned last Saturday to run 17 times for 111 yards.
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