ESPN's Marty Smith updates the playing status of Matt Corral

Ahead of Saturday’s game against LSU, ESPN college football analyst Marty Smith provided a status update on starting quarterback Matt Corral, whose status remains in question. The breakout star suffered an apparent ankle injury last week against Tennessee, but the extent remains unknown.

“It’s unknown at this point how bad that injury is,” Smith said during a live spot for ESPN’s College GameDay. “I spoke to Lane Kiffin this morning and asked him what he expected from his quarterback today. He’s still calling it a game-time decision. But in the hotel this morning, they met, did some drops, did some movement, did some work, and (Kiffin) does expect Matt Corral to play today right behind me in Vaught-Hemingway (Stadium).”

Against Tennessee on Saturday, Matt Corral completed 21-of-38 pass attempts for 231 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He also had a historic night on the ground, rushing 30 times for 195 yards, a career high. In the win, Corral suffered an apparent ankle injury, though the exact injury and extent is not known.

Corral is one of the leading contenders to win the Heisman Trophy. On the season, Matt Corral has completed 66.3% of his passes for 1,728 yards, 14 touchdowns and an interception. He also has 450 rushing yards and eight scores on 88 carries. Heading into Week Eight, Corral is tied with Alabama quarterback Bryce Young as the Heisman co-favorite.

Lane Kiffin provides status update

Ahead of Saturday’s game against LSU, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin offered an update on star quarterback Matt Corral’s status on during an appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show.

“We’re hopeful he plays, just like all of our players that are injured,” Kiffin said. “So if he doesn’t, we’ll be ready and have a good plan for him not playing and make the most of this great atmosphere that we’re going to have and find a way to win. I always expect our injured guys to play, but we definitely have a plan without him, and Luke Altmyer has done some really good things in practice this week and is ready to go.”

If Corral is unable to play, true freshman Luke Altmyer will be handed the keys to the offense against LSU. So far this season, Altmyer has thrown just four passes, all have fallen incomplete. He threw three against Austin Peay and one against Tennessee. Altmyer was a four-star quarterback coming out of high school. As a senior in a limited schedule, he threw for 1,653 yards and 16 touchdowns. As a junior, Altmyer threw for over 3,000 yards and 37 touchdowns to just five interceptions, while completing 67% of his passes.