Veteran defensive tackle Eric Taylor no longer with Mississippi State
Mississippi State’s defensive line depth is still influx heading into week three of the football season.
The Bulldogs were without two-deep players Deonte Anderson and Kalvin Dinkins on Saturday at Arizona State and their status is still not confirmed for the Toledo game. On top of those two, head coach Jeff Lebby said at his weekly press conference on Monday that senior defensive tackle Eric Taylor is no longer with the football team.
Lebby didn’t specify the reasoning for Taylor’s departure.
Last season, Taylor had 15 tackles and a 0.5 tackle for loss in 12 ball games. The former LSU player transferred to Southwest Community College where he had 28 tackles, 8.0 TFL and 3.0 sacks during the 2022 seasons. Taylor was expected to compete for a starting spot this season but didn’t play for the Bulldogs in either of the first two games.
As for Dinkins and Anderson, Lebby said that he is “hopeful” that they return to the team this week. Dinkins had two tackles on one possession with 1.0 sack against Eastern Kentucky but went down with an injury and did not travel with the team for ASU. Lebby said last week that he should be back sooner rather than later.
Anderson’s injury is unknown as the junior played against EKU but was not present on the road at Tempe.
The Bulldogs are desperate for depth on the front after giving up 346 yards rushing against the Sun Devils. Cam Skattebo had 262 yards of that on 33 carries to lead the way in a 30-23 win for ASU over State.
“It’s one story and it’s tackling. 25 missed tackles and over 250 yards after contact,” Lebby said. “There were plenty of times that we were in position and weren’t able to get the guy on the ground. There are other times where, just like I wanted a couple of calls back offensively Coleman (Hutzler) wants a couple of calls back defensively. We’ve got to find ways when we’re in position we make the play.”
MSU (1-1) returns to action on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. against Toledo.
